Red Wing Iron Ranger Boots - what's the dilly yo?

[red81]

just preaching to the choir real quick:

a couple weeks ago we had a major flood here (chicagoland), and i had about a 8 inches of water surrounding my house. as i went to work, i walked through the water, and when i got to work, i took my boots off and noticed the socks were completely dry. i looked in the boots, no water marks. the boots were 100% sealed, whether it's from the lp that i put on about a month earlier or the design of the boot itself. only then did i realize why the boots are priced at a "premium".

 

[scoobydrew]

@DesmondD

How much wear/how long have you worn your Iron Rangers? I noticed that the toebox looked pretty flat compared to the bulbous look when new.

Looks great, though I think they're too dark. The second pic looked perfect.

 

[DesmondD]

Good eye, scooby.

I'll most likely get somewhat flamed (singed, maybe) for saying this:
I didn't really like the bulbous look of the toebox too much, so I put one boot on and stomped on the other until they flattened out a bit - kind of like using diamond to cut diamond...it's some seriously tough leather up the front of the shoe there.

Worked pretty well although I now have some slight dimples in the leather that didn't quite pop back out - you might be able to see them in the pics. Maybe they'll work their way out as the leather softens up a bit more over the next few months.

Doesn't affect comfort at all and helped to make them look a little more worn in (IMHO).
An interesting experiment in any case...

 

[DesmondD]

And also, yes, I agree that they turned out a bit dark. Will post my findings on whether they lighten up or not.

 

[Erkle]

that is interesting. i assumed they just softened and fell into the current shape. i wonder if using mabye a block of wood and then stepping on the toebox would prevent the dimples but still provide the flattened toebox?

 

[Distorbiant]

Hahaha you stomped the shape out of your own boots? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.

 

[DesmondD]

Yeah maybe a thin(ish) piece of wood would work. Basically the doubled leather in the toecap made them naturally pop back into shape but after 40-50 stomps, the middle of the toebox started to crease a little and stopped popping back up as much as the other parts and the rest flattened out.

 

[heavyhoody]

That

...

Yeah maybe a thin(ish) piece of wood would work. Basically the doubled leather in the toecap made them naturally pop back into shape but after 40-50 stomps, the middle of the toebox started to crease a little and stopped popping back up as much as the other parts and the rest flattened out.
[/quThat's some balls Desmond. Pretty cool though. I respect the "whatever it takes". Good for you.

 

[Texas78]

(I was looking online for someone with a similar experience and found your post. Not the same situation, but I thought I would share my story in case it helps anyone out...)

After years of waiting I finally was able to get a pair of IR 8111s. I was reading online about ways to break them in, and somebody suggested getting them really wet, and then wearing them until they dried out.

So, with this in mind I decided to go hiking along a local creek, get them wet, and accelerate the process. It was warm, and I decided to do some swimming with the boots on. DO NOT DO THIS. The cork part on one of the boots, right underneath the leather sole (near the arch) basically cracked length-wise. The stitching inside the boot also seems to have loosened - I guess this was due to the swelling of the leather.I believe they are still wearable and will be okay as I continue to break them in, but I will probably need to get them repaired over time.

Also, if I were to do things over, I WOULD NOT PURCHASE THESE BOOTS FROM EBAY OR SIMILAR UNAUTHORIZED DEALER. As many have said, the sizing on these boots is wacky. I bought a pair from Ebay, and after several weeks decided they were too big. Since I couldn't return them, I had to sell on Ebay. I then bought a half-size smaller, and had the water issue. Had purchased them from a local dealer I could have returned them because I do think it is ultimately a quality issue. Also, I think I could go another half-size smaller - but am going to wait until I have more time to break them in. If these don't work, I am going to spend the money, pay full price, and get them from a local RW store.

 

[Stenno]

Hi all,

Just after some sizing advice. I'm looking at getting a pair of Amber Harness Iron Rangers but have to order online without trying on due to no local retailer nearby, I'm in Australia. I was planning on ordering through the authorised Australian distributer who have a store several thousand km's away from me which I won't be visiting any time soon.
My current (US) shoe sizes in a few different shoe types are:

11-Brooks runners
11-Nike Air Force 1 Lo
10-Converse Chucks Lo
10 1/2 or 10-Steel Blue work boots
11-Allen Edmonds Fifth Avenue (these do feel about 1/2 size too big)

Would a 10 or 9 1/2 be recomended based off these other sizes?

Thanks.

 

[Texas78]

As you know, the sizing on these things is odd. I have tried three different sizes - 10.5, 10, and 9.5 and still don't know what the best size is. My Chucks are always a size 10. In the Iron Ranger, the 10.5 is way too big, the 10 feels a little big, but the 9.5 feel a little small. Ideally, you should order both the 10 and the 9.5 and see which one feels best. As I write this, I am wearing the size 10, with Dr. Scholl's Heel Cups and they seem alright. All things considered, I would go with the size 10, and use some kind of insert if they feel too big.

 

[Stenno]



As you know, the sizing on these things is odd. I have tried three different sizes - 10.5, 10, and 9.5 and still don't know what the best size is.  My Chucks are always a size 10. In the Iron Ranger, the 10.5 is way too big, the 10 feels a little big, but the 9.5 feel a little small.  Ideally, you should order both the 10 and the 9.5 and see which one feels best. As I write this, I am wearing the size 10, with Dr. Scholl's Heel Cups and they seem alright. All things considered, I would go with the size 10, and use some kind of insert if they feel too big.

Thanks Texas.

 

[Erkle]

Hi all,

Just after some sizing advice. I'm looking at getting a pair of Amber Harness Iron Rangers but have to order online without trying on due to no local retailer nearby, I'm in Australia. I was planning on ordering through the authorised Australian distributer who have a store several thousand km's away from me which I won't be visiting any time soon.
My current (US) shoe sizes in a few different shoe types are:

11-Brooks runners
11-Nike Air Force 1 Lo
10-Converse Chucks Lo
10 1/2 or 10-Steel Blue work boots
11-Allen Edmonds Fifth Avenue (these do feel about 1/2 size too big)

Would a 10 or 9 1/2 be recomended based off these other sizes?

Thanks.

As you know, the sizing on these things is odd. I have tried three different sizes - 10.5, 10, and 9.5 and still don't know what the best size is. My Chucks are always a size 10. In the Iron Ranger, the 10.5 is way too big, the 10 feels a little big, but the 9.5 feel a little small. Ideally, you should order both the 10 and the 9.5 and see which one feels best. As I write this, I am wearing the size 10, with Dr. Scholl's Heel Cups and they seem alright. All things considered, I would go with the size 10, and use some kind of insert if they feel too big.

i hate to be contradicting but i wear a 10 in chucks, vans, new balance and nike and found that i had to go a full size down on my red wings. i own both the chukka and the iron ranger. they were a tad tight at first but i wanted them tight so when they broke in and stretched, they would be an ideal fit. i wear them daily with an athletic sock. however, i still am able to wear them with a thick wool boot sock comfortably.

 

[linafelt]

i hate to be contradicting but i wear a 10 in chucks, vans, new balance and nike and found that i had to go a full size down on my red wings. i own both the chukka and the iron ranger. they were a tad tight at first but i wanted them tight so when they broke in and stretched, they would be an ideal fit. i wear them daily with an athletic sock. however, i still am able to wear them with a thick wool boot sock comfortably.

Like folks have said, the sizing is odd -- long(ish) and narrow. I would get a half size down in length from your standard size and the EE width (which unfortunately is not available in black).

 

[Brooks]



Like folks have said, the sizing is odd -- long(ish) and narrow.  I would get a half size down in length from your standard size and the EE width (which unfortunately is not available in black).

I was set on buying black IRs in 2E and just realized they don't make it which is really unfortunate.

I have the 875s in a size 10 that fit perfectly except for a little room between my toe and the end of the shoe. I tried the Beckmans which use the same lasts (8) as the IRs and had to go a half size up but there was over an inch from my toes to the end of the shoe. The width and everything else fit fine but that inch of extra space up front was concerning. Should I have been concerned or not worry about it?