Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[Jpto]

thinking about ordering a pair with the sale going on, has White's fixed the squeaky sole issue?

 

[DG123]

Time for the semi-dress to hit the leaves 🍂🍁

View attachment 2073205

The stock Semi Dress is my favorite White's boot model. Its Last shape, 5" height, and incredible leather all blend together to form a sensational product.

 

[illumin8em]

I wondered if I could tap the hive for it's collective experience with lace to toe? Anyone on here that has actual experience with White's lace to toes. I've been dealing with the long term affects of a twice broken foot and the result of poor healing for the last 5 or so years. Having sold off all my MUSA and MIJ boots I've been stuck in Blundstones, one of only two pair I kept from the purge. The problem is the tightness around the first/bottom lace holes, where the upper meets the vamp, and the inability to bend my toes enough to get the ball of my foot close enough to the insole to slide the foot past. EE width help this, and I have been wearing some EE width and 1/2 size bigger moc toes that kind of work but are really painful to get on and off. I work in the trades and beat boots up and this pair of moc toes are going to need replacing within the next 6 month.

So my thinking was that, with lace to toes the problematic area is further down towards the toes and away from the problematic and widest part of my/the foot, that big toe metatarsil knuckle. The knuckle folks who have bunions struggle with.

Apologies to anyone's sensitivities, I don't know how else to describe it. years ago this place used to be somewhere you could come to and make a post like this, maybe it still is? So does a lace to toe boot offer more room for entry than a standard laced boot?

I'm also considering the Swing last or Thurman last from Nicks. I do know that the 55 last no longer works for me.

peace y'all
J

 

[DG123]

So does a lace to toe boot offer more room for entry than a standard laced boot?

Yes, very much so.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

@illumin8em - I have a pair of White's LTT's with steel toe. Very comfortable. Perhaps my most comfortable pair of works I own out of many.

 

[illumin8em]

I should maybe edit that post to include that I've had numerous pair of Danner Mountain lace to toe boots and no matter how many times I bought them I always concluded they were the most ill fitting uncomfrtable boots I'd tried, and this was well before the foot issue started. I don't know if a Gore tex lined Danner is similar in ease of entry to a non lined White's lace to toe, but I don't remember having problems getting into them. Gosh I can't beleive I'd forgotten about the 4 pairs of those I bought and sold, here likely.

 

[Alaskaking]

I should maybe edit that post to include that I've had numerous pair of Danner Mountain lace to toe boots and no matter how many times I bought them I always concluded they were the most ill fitting uncomfrtable boots I'd tried, and this was well before the foot issue started. I don't know if a Gore tex lined Danner is similar in ease of entry to a non lined White's lace to toe, but I don't remember having problems getting into them. Gosh I can't beleive I'd forgotten about the 4 pairs of those I bought and sold, here likely.

I have a similar limitations with fit, just due to the natural dimensions of my foot. After 5 years of struggling, your foot deserves a little kindness. Give it a swing last, it will love you for it. I am biased to my own experience of course, and am content with sitting in the corner surrounded with my clown shoes amid the crowd of fancy toed packers, mps, shermans. I most certainly wouldn't want to be accused of acting as if I thought I possessed a higer level of internet trustworthyness than the next guy-but I will step out of my corner on behalf of your foot-it will appreciate the swing last. If you already know your 55 size and the unsatisfactory dimension is from the 1st met forward, you will like the swing last.
FWIW-potential relevant considerations in regards to your story:
1.My first "bought myself" boots was a pair of Danner's 25 years ago, and when they broke in,pressure on my 1st met and the great toe itself prevented me from being able to hike in them.
2. I have a pair of the Perry moctoes that I can tolerate just enough for a quick messy job or a couple of laps to the woodpile and back. I treat them with mild suspicion at best.
3. All of my 8" standard lace swing last boots are far easier for me to put on than the perrys, (too long since I wore the danner's-but a similarish pair of Zamberland hiking boots), and a standard semidress on a 55 last, among many others- even more noticible from a forefoot flexibility point of view. In a 6" pair in Red dog roughout on a 38 swing is a little bit more 'resistant' to donning at the flexion point that you describe-especially during break in, but were fine once on.
4. I do have a LTT pair on a swing last-they can be easier to get into if you open 'em up all the way. These were my first pair and I initially chose LTT for the ability to create more room around my forefoot, though I have seen them described as advantagous for their ability to tighten more for stability.
They do only have 2 additional eyelets toward the toes compared to standard, but at least on mine, the first eyelet lines up directly to midline of the joint on my first metatarsal, so you potentially could create more space there if the shape of the swing last alone was not accomodating enough for your foot.
Oddly enough its typically easier for me to pull on my standard lace boots typically, but due to laziness primarily. I suspect I can pull them off without loosening them up all the way to the end, so I probably leave them a little tighter??? If I am wearing thick socks or a liner pair they are easier to slip on if I take the time to loosen them up to their capacity.
Depending on the amount of 1st ray extension you have, you might find it advantagous in putting them on. I doubt that a LTT on a 55 last would be satisfactory to accomodate your particular issues, though-but switching to that 38 swing might just do it.

 

[kenl14]

I have a similar limitations with fit, just due to the natural dimensions of my foot. After 5 years of struggling, your foot deserves a little kindness. Give it a swing last, it will love you for it. I am biased to my own experience of course, and am content with sitting in the corner surrounded with my clown shoes amid the crowd of fancy toed packers, mps, shermans. I most certainly wouldn't want to be accused of acting as if I thought I possessed a higer level of internet trustworthyness than the next guy-but I will step out of my corner on behalf of your foot-it will appreciate the swing last. If you already know your 55 size and the unsatisfactory dimension is from the 1st met forward, you will like the swing last.
FWIW-potential relevant considerations in regards to your story:
1.My first "bought myself" boots was a pair of Danner's 25 years ago, and when they broke in,pressure on my 1st met and the great toe itself prevented me from being able to hike in them.
2. I have a pair of the Perry moctoes that I can tolerate just enough for a quick messy job or a couple of laps to the woodpile and back. I treat them with mild suspicion at best.
3. All of my 8" standard lace swing last boots are far easier for me to put on than the perrys, (too long since I wore the danner's-but a similarish pair of Zamberland hiking boots), and a standard semidress on a 55 last, among many others- even more noticible from a forefoot flexibility point of view. In a 6" pair in Red dog roughout on a 38 swing is a little bit more 'resistant' to donning at the flexion point that you describe-especially during break in, but were fine once on.
4. I do have a LTT pair on a swing last-they can be easier to get into if you open 'em up all the way. These were my first pair and I initially chose LTT for the ability to create more room around my forefoot, though I have seen them described as advantagous for their ability to tighten more for stability.
They do only have 2 additional eyelets toward the toes compared to standard, but at least on mine, the first eyelet lines up directly to midline of the joint on my first metatarsal, so you potentially could create more space there if the shape of the swing last alone was not accomodating enough for your foot.
Oddly enough its typically easier for me to pull on my standard lace boots typically, but due to laziness primarily. I suspect I can pull them off without loosening them up all the way to the end, so I probably leave them a little tighter??? If I am wearing thick socks or a liner pair they are easier to slip on if I take the time to loosen them up to their capacity.
Depending on the amount of 1st ray extension you have, you might find it advantagous in putting them on. I doubt that a LTT on a 55 last would be satisfactory to accomodate your particular issues, though-but switching to that 38 swing might just do it.

so tempted to try on the swing last but here in macau doesnt have a dealer. does it fits like an iron ranger? is the arch support less noticeable when comparing to the 4811?

 

[DG123]

so tempted to try on the swing last but here in macau doesnt have a dealer. does it fits like an iron ranger?

Swing Last is much broader-rounder at the toe box area than the Red Wing Iron Ranger boot.

 

[Hellraysaz]

The stock Semi Dress is my favorite White's boot model. Its Last shape, 5" height, and incredible leather all blend together to form a sensational product.

Agreed they are awesome.

 

[Phalanx]

On a trip and I've noticed my boots have started squeaking. I'm 100% sure it's the sound of my foot rubbing against the insole when I step. Is this the sort of thing I can fix by just conditioning the leather insole a bit? Or perhaps some talcum powder?

I think my feet just aren't sweaty enough to _lubricate_ the inside of my boots😅

Cheers

 

[kenl14]

Congrats!
I am waiting on a very similar build, 690 packers, but red dog leather and 100 black soles.

do you have a picture to share? i am having hard time in looking for a picture of packer on 100 sole

 

[milkbaby]

do you have a picture to share? i am having hard time in looking for a picture of packer on 100 sole

I'm not the person you asked, but your question got me curious, so here's one that I found: https://www.reddit.com/r/PNWbootmakers/comments/14njh0u/comment/jq8t5rf/

Direct link to picture is here: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...bp&s=434d68842e005c190b7f42f67330b79b4681e423

Maybe it's the angle of the pic, but to me they don't even look like Packers any more. They were rebuilt, so maybe the rebuild wasn't on the original 690/695 packer last? Kept the dogger heel though. It just looks like a dogger heel Bounty Hunter to my eyes now.

 

[ExtraitdeMinimalist]

Letting these custom smokejumpers go due to life. 9 1/2 d never worn

$400obo $350

View attachment 2066069

Letting these fly. Final reduction before eBay

$300 shipped conus

 

[shiftyskunk]

These just came in. I basically copied The Vintage Future’s construction of the Semi Dress - note the black tongue. No complaints about the QC and I’m happy with the fit based on Baker’s size recommendation - although just a hair more snug would have been better. Ordered in December 2022 and they were ready in September 2023 - it was a while before a friend brought them over to India.