Classic chukka

[kolecho]

Are classic chukkas supposed to be made with unlined suede with leather soles?

 

[Carey]

My first pair I ever had (1969) were as you describe. Alden makes them both lined and unlined, with either a rubber, leather, or commando sole.

 

[luk-cha]

from what i know classic chuka's were originally desert boot used by the army and i think mostly with crepe soles and amde by clarks too!

 

[puzzledgrunt]

Gents,

I'm inclined to agree with Luk-cha here; I gather that British Army types used to regard Clark's two-eyelet, rubber sole 'dessies' as the only sort worth considering. Anyway, 'chukka' is a much better name than 'brothel-creeper'

puzzledgrunt

 

[Roger]

There was a similar discussion re chukkas vs desert boots recently on this forum. Desert boots are a subset of chukkas. They were worn by British troops in North Africa during WWII--hence the name. Clark's have dubbed their suede boots "desert boots." Whether Clark's made the WWII version or not, I don't know. I could be wrong about this, but I think that the term "desert boot" applies solely to suede ankle-height boots, and I believe they always have a rubber sole (the Clark's sole is crepe).

The term chukka boot refers to a larger class of ankle-height lace-up boots, usually having 2 or 3 eyelets, but sometimes more. They can be suede, but often are not. They usually are about the same height as desert boots, but can be higher. They can have leather, rubber, or synthetic soles.

As for the original question, I don't know of a classic form for this genre. Since it represents a fairly inclusive class of footwear, I suspect that no special case is more definitive of the class than any other.

 

[Arethusa]

Clarks did not make the issue boots during WW2. Their marketing pitch is that their desert boots are inspired by the boots worn by British commandos in North Africa. I've honestly never seen issue originals, so I have no idea how close they are, but Clarks desert boots have only been around since 1956. Chukkas have been around a lot longer and take their name from polo.

 

[nmoraitis]

Thanks Roger, I always wondered what the difference was between desert boots and chukkas. They look the same to me.

 

[luk-cha]

then my question is why are all riding boots non laced?

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by luk-cha

then my question is why are all riding boots non laced?

well, not all riding boots are non-laced. Vogel, for example, has a bunch of laced riding boots.

 

[luk-cha]

but wouldn't laces be dangerous if the got caught in the stirups? esp when mounting and dis mounting??

 

[Jovan]

Eh... I doubt that'd happen considering where the laces are on riding boots, e.g. above the foot and at the top of the calf.

 

[luk-cha]

huh!

we are talking about chukka boot here Attachment 2277

Attachment 2278 not bike boots