Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[DTberry]

Hey, I am new to the site, I am about to order some boots from Bakers! I was wondering if I could reach out to the people who wear the smokejumpers.. How are they? what line of work do you do?

I am in the landscaping industry and plan on getting a 8" rough out bottoms smooth tops with a honey sole.

I called to bakers and talked with Peter, i guess he actually builds boots. All I can say is it was a joy working with him and he was very knowledgeable, and any question I threw at him he could answer it. All I have to say is Bakers seems to have there **** together!!

I was going to go with Nicks hotshot but the wait time is too long for me.

 

[daveinsweethome]

just got back home from Bakers in Eugene and speaking with Peter and Kyle about my boots. yes, they do know their stuff. a family run business that does that little extra to make sure your decision works. I have been waiting a long time for my Nicks and would agree that Whites is a better decision currently due to the long wait. both are excellent boots. Peter and I share a wet shaving hobby too. You are in good hands.

 

[DTberry]

Awesome, has any one seen any thing change since the buy out of whites? That is my only concern with going with whites.

Also daveinsweethome i gotta ask, what the hell is a wet shaving hobby lol

 

[daveinsweethome]

all my whites have been excellent without fail. they fit me perfectly probably because I had Baker's do the fitting. the ones off e bay maybe not so much. wet shaving is where you leave behing the cartridge razor and get either into a straight razor or a old double edge razor like your father or grandfather and use upgraded soaps and creams rather than cans of crappy goo that waste your money. better for your face too and certainly more fun but can be addicting with the choices available.

 

[conak]



Hey, I am new to the site, I am about to order some boots from Bakers! I was wondering if I could reach out to the people who wear the smokejumpers.. How are they? what line of work do you do? 

I am in the landscaping industry and plan on getting a 8" rough out bottoms smooth tops with a honey sole.

I called to bakers and talked with Peter, i guess he actually builds boots. All I can say is it was a joy working with him and he was very knowledgeable, and any question I threw at him he could answer it. All I have to say is Bakers seems to have there **** together!!

I was going to go with Nicks hotshot but the wait time is too long for me.

Probably more Semi-dress wearers here than smokejumpers given the nature of this forum. I no longer wear serious boots for work (office dweller now), but I can recommend them. Landscaping can be a bit varied, so I'm not sure what your environment entails but I'd recommend a few considerations:

1. the sole. Lug might be unnecessarily extreme. I find that in most environments, my flat vibram (forget the name) sole or the half-lug is preferable, because while they provide sufficient grip, it's easier to clear mud from and doesn't track as much around
2. heel. I like the standard heel, but many people find it high. If you don't like the heel of a western/cowboy boot, you may want a lower profile heel. The heel on the smokejumper is intentionally high for a few reasons, such as helping with balance on inclines and providing a hold for stirrups for treeclimbing gear, etc.
3. lacing. This is my personal recommendation. All the whites boots except semi dress all seem to have eyelets, then hooks, then one final eyelet. For me this makes it slightly irritating to lace, and if I designed a boot from scratch I'd ask for that top eyelet to be a hook instead

 

[linafelt]

Anyone here have experience with a Vibram 2060 sole or the like (full rubber sole) on a pair of semi-dress? Thinking of trying it out, and White's said they do it. But just curious how it affected arch support etc? Would you do it again..? Any pics..?

 

[DTberry]



Probably more Semi-dress wearers here than smokejumpers given the nature of this forum. I no longer wear serious boots for work (office dweller now), but I can recommend them. Landscaping can be a bit varied, so I'm not sure what your environment entails but I'd recommend a few considerations:

1. the sole. Lug might be unnecessarily extreme. I find that in most environments, my flat vibram (forget the name) sole or the half-lug is preferable, because while they provide sufficient grip, it's easier to clear mud from and doesn't track as much around
2. heel. I like the standard heel, but many people find it high. If you don't like the heel of a western/cowboy boot, you may want a lower profile heel. The heel on the smokejumper is intentionally high for a few reasons, such as helping with balance on inclines and providing a hold for stirrups for treeclimbing gear, etc.
3. lacing. This is my personal recommendation. All the whites boots except semi dress all seem to have eyelets, then hooks, then one final eyelet. For me this makes it slightly irritating to lace, and if I designed a boot from scratch I'd ask for that top eyelet to be a hook instead

Thanks for the insight,
On the sole I have to have a pretty heavy sole just because of the work that I am doing.
The heel makes me wonder if I want that high of a heel! I have had western boots with that high of a heel and all I can say is Eh about it. Now my question is, if I did a lower heel would I lose the arch support?
And yes I plan on having the final eyelet be a hook. Not sure why any one would go with a regular eyelet on that boot. Isn't the speed hooks there for a reason?

 

[conak]



Thanks for the insight,
On the sole I have to have a pretty heavy sole just because of the work that I am doing.
The heel makes me wonder if I want that high of a heel! I have had western boots with that high of a heel and all I can say is Eh about it. Now my question is, if I did a lower heel would I lose the arch support?
And yes I plan on having the final eyelet be a hook. Not sure why any one would go with a regular eyelet on that boot. Isn't the speed hooks there for a reason?

I have a pair of whites (farmer rancher model) with the lower heel, and I don't feel it loses any of the arch support, though you may want whites opinion on that. If you don't much care for the height of your western boot heels, I'd definitely suggest considering the lower profile.

Yeah, I don't get the final eyelet...I've meant to write whites about it. They aren't the only ones that I've seen do it, and I can't quite figure out the point of it. My best guess is paranoia about preventing the lace getting tugged out of the hooks and completely untying the boot. Either way, not my favorite design.

 

[DTberry]

So is the farmer rancher the same boot just built on a different last?
How comfortable are these boots? I wear red wings right now and after about a hour of wear I want them off of my feet.

 

[DTberry]

Do you have pictures of your boots that you could post?

 

[broken_oracle]

I have a 6" pair of Bounty Hunters with a standard height heel & speed hooks all the way up, plus a pair of Semi-Dress (5") with a 1/4" reduced heel. I actually work in the first pair daily, moving heavy **** around, hopping on & off loading docks, in & out of trucks, etc. The second pair is for my afterwork life, Mr. Rogers style.

-I would definitely go with the reduced heel on any future pair, and I haven't noticed any difference in arch support (note these boots are all on the so-called swing last).

-The eyelet at the top of most White's boots that use speedhooks is to prevent the lace from riding out and undoing your boot while working. Believe it or not this has happened a couple times on my Bounty Hunters, and always at the most inopportune moments - very annoying. Never happened on an earlier pair of 8" Smokejumpers I bought second hand which had the eyelets-hook-eyelet arrangement (not sure if they were Nick's or White's or another maker, as they were 2nd-hand with no logo, but definitely a PNW-handmade boot).

-The note about the Vibram 100 sole clogging up with mud should be seriously considered. The chevron-pattern Vibram composite sole (forget the #) might actually be better for working on loose soil? I have it on my Semi-Dress & the soles have held up very well on concrete.

 

[andy b.]



Hey, I am new to the site, I am about to order some boots from Bakers! I was wondering if I could reach out to the people who wear the smokejumpers.. How are they? what line of work do you do? 

I am in the landscaping industry and plan on getting a 8" rough out bottoms smooth tops with a honey sole.

I have a pair of Smokejumpers. Black roughout lowers, smooth brown shaft, 10" height. I'd certainly buy them again! The leather was the quickest to break in of any boots I have (a few White's, Wesco and Nicks). The roughout is great because it doesn't show scratches.

I do a little bit of everything for work. I'd say there's no reason not to get years of use out of a pair of Smokejumpers in the landscaping industry. Brush them off at the end of the day, and clean off any mud or salt.

 

[DTberry]

I have a pair of Smokejumpers. Black roughout lowers, smooth brown shaft, 10" height. I'd certainly buy them again! The leather was the quickest to break in of any boots I have (a few White's, Wesco and Nicks). The roughout is great because it doesn't show scratches.

I do a little bit of everything for work. I'd say there's no reason not to get years of use out of a pair of Smokejumpers in the landscaping industry. Brush them off at the end of the day, and clean off any mud or salt.

Thanks for the info. Question for ya, on the rough out does that smooth down after u put product on it?

When u say it was the quickest to break in, does that mean its the thinest? out of the nicks and whites which boot do you prefer? or do you not own the hotshots.

 

[DTberry]

Also how do u like the 10" I've ever only gone with the 8'" boot

 

[Engineer05]

So is the farmer rancher the same boot just built on a different last?
How comfortable are these boots? I wear red wings right now and after about a hour of wear I want them off of my feet.

The Farmer-Rancher is the same as a Smokejumper, but without the Vibram 100 sole. Red Wings don't agree with my feet either.