Red Wing Gentleman's Traveler

[mikeeeey]

heres mine after 2-3 months of wear theres no need to give them any oil or what for the first few wear. the leather comes pre-treated. I only put Obenauf's LP on them after several wear

 

[SmellyFeet]

I came back home to a pair of my first pair of "real" boots, the GTs. Any advice on cleaning or anything related to maintenance?

 

[naatkins]

Does anyone really like the standard laces? I had a pair of red boot laces lying around and threw those in mine one day to break up all the earth tones I was wearing, and liked how smoothly they laced/unlaced that I went out to Nordstrom and got a black pair like them. Those waxed laces are just a pain to tighter/loosen.

 

[milw50717]

Originally Posted by naatkins

Does anyone really like the standard laces? I had a pair of red boot laces lying around and threw those in mine one day to break up all the earth tones I was wearing, and liked how smoothly they laced/unlaced that I went out to Nordstrom and got a black pair like them. Those waxed laces are just a pain to tighter/loosen.

Well, once tied they sure as heck don't work loose. However, as you say slower to lace and unlace as there really is no slip in them and you have to pull each lace tight at each eye.

I did switch them out with some gold/tan taslan laces, but didn't like the look. Will probably go with some leather laces.

 

[milw50717]

Originally Posted by SmellyFeet

I came back home to a pair of my first pair of "real" boots, the GTs. Any advice on cleaning or anything related to maintenance?

For your viewing pleasure

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.

 

[mikeeeey]

Originally Posted by milw50717

For your viewing pleasure

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.

Thanks for the vid!!!

posted that in my blog. Thank you so much for that. Probably never have the chance to be able to search for that since the title is mostly in ***..

 

[milw50717]

Originally Posted by mikeeeey

Thanks for the vid!!! posted that in my blog. Thank you so much for that. Probably never have the chance to be able to search for that since the title is mostly in ***..
FWIW This is from the Japanese mook - The Red Wing Book - and it just shows use of leather cleaner + creme. No mink oil on the sole, which is probably just an OCD thing to do, but I can't see it doing any harm.

Large version of image - here

 

[pebblegrain]

IMO you should use something on the sole to seal out moisture. I've worn mine through 2 years of rain and the layers of leather split slightly due to repeated exposure. If I started over I would put snoseal or whatever is your grease of fancy along the welt and outsole.

Uppers, I've done nothing to, and they still look great.

 

[mikeeeey]

Originally Posted by milw50717

FWIW This is from the Japanese mook - The Red Wing Book - and it just shows use of leather cleaner + creme. No mink oil on the sole, which is probably just an OCD thing to do, but I can't see it doing any harm.

Large version of image - here

Many thanks for the source.

My eyes went

when i saw them putting to the sole. But that following night, when I was putting Obenauf LP to my boots, I decided to smear some on the sole and welt also. Like you said, no harm also.

 

[entrero]

Just because they're japanese doesn't mean everything they do is right.

 

[milw50717]

Originally Posted by entrero

Just because they're japanese doesn't mean everything they do is right.

True.

Having a look at http://www.redwingshoestore.info/dea...vice-text.html

Red Wing Care Products

Boots that are designed and built for rugged, wet or rough work environments require personal attention and proper boot care. The long term life and daily comfort of your footwear will be prolonged by taking a few valuable minutes to apply the proper boot maintenance. Your boots and your feet will feel the difference. The three easy but important steps are as follows:

CLEAN: Boots made of waterproof leather should only be cleaned with warm water and a stiff bristle brush. For suedes and roughouts, the suede cleaner bar can be used to remove dirt and retain nap. Other leathers can be cleaned with Red Wing Leather Cleaner in order to remove excess dirt, waxes and other abrasive materials on the leather.

CONDITION: The finish of your boot can determine which conditioner to use. Here are some rules of thumb. On oil-tanned leathers, either Boot Oil, Leather Conditioner or Mink Oil can be used. On dry-tanned leathers, we recommend Silicone products. Silicone products may also be used on suedes and roughout leathers so that it will not matte the desired appearance. During the waterproof tanning processes, our waterproof leathers are impregnated with conditioners at the time of tanning. Red Wing Mink Oil is the only approved care product to recondition these leathers. However, a small amount of Silicone can be occasionally applied to darken leathers based on personal preferences.

Hold each boot upside down for each application. Apply Red Wing conditioning products as specified by "Dressing" in the footwear sections. Notice that liquid and paste soaks into the leather immediately, especially if the leather is old, worn or dry. DO NOT HEAT. Use an old toothbrush to make sure you have adequate coverage of the dressing in close areas where your fingers cannot reach: welts, seams, gusset closures, around hardware. Let boots stand for a few minutes and apply a second coat if required.

PROTECT: The final step is to add extra protection and help preserve your footwear investment with Red Wing Leather Protector. This special non-aerosol liquid adds a layer of protection to keep the conditioner in the leather and the water, dirt, oil and mud out. Simply apply the Leather Protector to the entire boot, including the fabric, if any.

 

[entrero]

Originally Posted by milw50717

True.

Having a look at http://www.redwingshoestore.info/dea...vice-text.html

Red Wing Care Products

Boots that are designed and built for rugged, wet or rough work environments require personal attention and proper boot care. The long term life and daily comfort of your footwear will be prolonged by taking a few valuable minutes to apply the proper boot maintenance. Your boots and your feet will feel the difference. The three easy but important steps are as follows:

CLEAN: Boots made of waterproof leather should only be cleaned with warm water and a stiff bristle brush. For suedes and roughouts, the suede cleaner bar can be used to remove dirt and retain nap. Other leathers can be cleaned with Red Wing Leather Cleaner in order to remove excess dirt, waxes and other abrasive materials on the leather.

CONDITION: The finish of your boot can determine which conditioner to use. Here are some rules of thumb. On oil-tanned leathers, either Boot Oil, Leather Conditioner or Mink Oil can be used. On dry-tanned leathers, we recommend Silicone products. Silicone products....

I stopped reading...

 

[emptyframe]

I'm not certain if this is the best place to ask about this, but I've had a hell of a time finding a pair of Gentleman Travelers that fits my feet. I thought perhaps someone here may have had a similar experience... and could advise me on how to proceed.

First of all, I typically wear a size 10 in Reeboks and an EU 43 in Eccos (which they compare to US 9-9.5). My feet have almost no natural arch, so I use a rigid 2/3 length arch support insert. With most shoes I also use a soft, flat, full length insert.

I started with the Gentleman Traveler size 9. They seemed alright at first, but it soon became apparent that my heel was slipping, a lot... even with the upper laces pulled all the way tight (and with the arch support insert, the soft flat full-length insert, and thicker socks). I traded them for size 8.5, then size 8, but the heel still slips, a sensation that really bothers me.

Now I'm at size 7.5, a full two sizes down. This is the first pair of Gentleman Travelers that comes even close to securing my heel. But now there's a new problem. After wearing them around the house for a half an hour or more, it becomes painfully obvious that my little toe (on both feet) is being pinched. At this point I'm using only the 2/3 arch support insert. There is still almost a 1/2" of space between my big toe and the front of the boot.

So... Size 8 is too big in the heel. Size 7.5 is too tight in the front. Has anyone here experienced pinching in the front that went away after the shoes were broken in?... or is this a sign that the boots are definitely too small?

I have to make a decision quickly, because Zappos wants at least one of these pairs of shoes back. My options are (1) Keep the size 8 boots and hope that the heel slippage becomes less of a problem once they're broken in (2) Keep the size 7.5 boots and hope the toe pinching becomes less of a problem once they're broken in, or (3) Send them both back and start over on my search for the perfect boot. This last option is a bit depressing, considering how much time I've put into making these boots work. On the other hand, this is way too much money to spend on shoes that don't fit.

Any thoughts? Anyone here have a similar experience?

 

[MarcBT]

Had the same problem but went finally with the smaller size.
After couple of times wearing it, the front has softened and now it fits me perfectly.

 

[milw50717]

Originally Posted by pebblegrain

IMO you should use something on the sole to seal out moisture. I've worn mine through 2 years of rain and the layers of leather split slightly due to repeated exposure. If I started over I would put snoseal or whatever is your grease of fancy along the welt and outsole. .

Nature's way of telling you that it is time to resole your boots.

Image of a pair of GTs found on a 'son of a cobblers' website. Not sure what TLC regime, if any, these boots saw.