RM Williams Boots - Everything You Wanted to Know

[Inf]

Originally Posted by Neo1824

Got my first pair of comfort craftsman's today. Couple questions on fit.

Feels fine around the ankle and leg, heel only moves a little bit. I do have a decent amount of room around the ball of my foot laterally (left to right) so my foot can slide. Lengthwise they appear ok (ball of my foot at the widest part).

So is it normal to have some extra room like this? I don't normally wear boots so am unsure if they are a hair too big.

Thanks!

FWIW both my pairs of craftsman started out a big snug, then eventually loosened up to conform to my foot, as most leather footwear will do.

You could try getting some insoles to fill up the extra volume

 

[patrick_b]

Originally Posted by wetnose

Depending on the dye-lot, the Chestnut might not need darkening at all....
It's funny you mention the dye lots. I love the look of chestnut that I see in pictures, like at RMW's site and bootsonline, etc. It's a rich, dark, dark brown...almost black [in pictures]. However, when I tried them on at the Manhattan store, it just wasn't what I expected. Too light, IMO. Here's what I would like them to look like...but they never measured up in person.

After reading your post regarding different shades of brown between various dye lots, I'm still hopeful that I could get the dark, dark brown color I want. In the meantime, I bought a pair in black from Barry at bootsonline.com. I placed the order on Wed the 25th and was pleasantly surprised to see that they arrived in the US yesterday at 10AM. I'm not sure if this kind of tracking is good or bad. It's good in that I can see where they are in transit...but bad in that I torture myself by checking it every day as it makes the trip around the world

Barry was a joy to deal with. I went with black, standard craftsman, yearling upper & leather sole. I thought long and hard about going with the comfort craftsman but figured I can wear my chisel toe Blundstones in bad weather. The RMW's will be reserved for dry weather.

 

[Neo1824]

Originally Posted by Inf

FWIW both my pairs of craftsman started out a big snug, then eventually loosened up to conform to my foot, as most leather footwear will do.

You could try getting some insoles to fill up the extra volume
Maybe I'll give that a shot. They are not uncomfortable but I'm unsure if the extra room will cause me some problems with wear in the future.

 

[Neo1824]

Originally Posted by patrick_b

It's funny you mention the dye lots. I love the look of chestnut that I see in pictures, like at RMW's site and bootsonline, etc. It's a rich, dark, dark brown...almost black [in pictures]. However, when I tried them on at the Manhattan store, it just wasn't what I expected. Too light, IMO. Here's what I would like them to look like...but they never measured up in person.

After reading your post regarding different shades of brown between various dye lots, I'm still hopeful that I could get the dark, dark brown color I want. In the meantime, I bought a pair in black from Barry at bootsonline.com. I placed the order on Wed the 25th and was pleasantly surprised to see that they arrived in the US yesterday at 10AM. I'm not sure if this kind of tracking is good or bad. It's good in that I can see where they are in transit...but bad in that I torture myself by checking it every day as it makes the trip around the world

Barry was a joy to deal with. I went with black, standard craftsman, yearling upper & leather sole. I thought long and hard about going with the comfort craftsman but figured I can wear my chisel toe Blundstones in bad weather. The RMW's will be reserved for dry weather.
The ones I just received from aussiebushhats were the chestnut and they are about the exact shade shown in the pic...very dark brown, so it is possible to get them!

 

[Dewey]

just mentioned in WAYWN thread

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...97-662,00.html

THEY might be new friends, but that didn't prevent Barack Obama confronting Kevin Rudd on a sensitive issue - footwear fashion.

As they sat in the Oval Office this week, the US President pointed out to the Prime Minister that clomping around Washington in elastic-sided boots, as opposed to gleaming lace-ups or plush slip-ons, was a singular fashion statement.

Or words to that effect.

Mr Rudd, who wears his black RM Williams everywhere, from Pacific islands to Bucharest summits, turned the boot gag into a prolonged defence of Australian craft and a lecture on trade policy.​

aussie post says my 3rd pair of rmw are in lax . . .

 

[Grayland]

Originally Posted by patrick_b

It's funny you mention the dye lots. I love the look of chestnut that I see in pictures, like at RMW's site and bootsonline, etc. It's a rich, dark, dark brown...almost black [in pictures].

However, when I tried them on at the Manhattan store, it just wasn't what I expected. Too light, IMO. Here's what I would like them to look like...but they never measured up in person.

After reading your post regarding different shades of brown between various dye lots, I'm still hopeful that I could get the dark, dark brown color I want.

In the meantime, I bought a pair in black from Barry at bootsonline.com. I placed the order on Wed the 25th and was pleasantly surprised to see that they arrived in the US yesterday at 10AM. I'm not sure if this kind of tracking is good or bad. It's good in that I can see where they are in transit...but bad in that I torture myself by checking it every day as it makes the trip around the world

Barry was a joy to deal with. I went with black, standard craftsman, yearling upper & leather sole. I thought long and hard about going with the comfort craftsman but figured I can wear my chisel toe Blundstones in bad weather. The RMW's will be reserved for dry weather.

My Chesnut RMW are much more of a traditional brown. The dark, dark brown you mention sounds a lot like the Blundstone color Stout Brown. I have RMW in Chestnut and in Black. I find I wear the black more often.

 

[AdamInSF]

I have Chestnut Veal Craftsmen (ordered about 6mo ago, when the AU$D was strong, damnit), and they are nowhere near as dark as the boot pictured above. Which is great for me, as I wanted a more mid-dark-brown, which is what mine are, and actually hesitated on getting them since all of the online pics show a very dark brown. Go figure, eh?

 

[Neo1824]

Originally Posted by Inf

FWIW both my pairs of craftsman started out a big snug, then eventually loosened up to conform to my foot, as most leather footwear will do.

You could try getting some insoles to fill up the extra volume
how much room did you have on the top of your foot? i'm getting some fairly big creases (to my eye anyway) when i walk and am afraid they are too big.

 

[wetnose]

Originally Posted by Neo1824

how much room did you have on the top of your foot? i'm getting some fairly big creases (to my eye anyway) when i walk and am afraid they are too big.

Creases lend a unique character to the shoe, IMO. It shows the leather molding to your foot, not your foot conforming to the leather.

 

[Dewey]

On the wheel, the color looks most like "red-orange shade," or red+orange+black. Will xpost to shoe Appreciation

 

[Saenek]

Lovely, I ordered a whiskey craftsman with the screwed sole a week or so ago - going to see if they can do the natural edge like that, think it goes great with the lighter color.

 

[patrick_b]

Originally Posted by Neo1824

The ones I just received from aussiebushhats were the chestnut and they are about the exact shade shown in the pic...very dark brown, so it is possible to get them!

Thanks for the note, it's just what I want to hear. Incidentally, my order from bootsonline.com arrived today. Order placed by phone on Tuesday Mar 24 at 5PM EST. I noticed they were in the US by Thurs the 26th and at my door today, Saturday!!

I love them.

 

[KaiserSose]

Are the B529's mentioned in the opening post still available? Has anyone ordered the SF special as of late?

 

[Inf]

Seeking sizing advice...

I've got two pairs of Craftsman boots now:

1) 8.5G AUS Yearling Craftsman - feels right in length, maybe could have gone up to an 8.5H, as it's a little snug still around the little toes even after maybe 20-30 wears.

2) 8.5G AUS Kangaroo Craftsman - Feels like a perfect fit. The snugness of my Yearlings made me think I should just keep the same size for Kangaroo, since they tend to run a little looser, and it was definitely the right choice.

Now I'm considering getting a pair of whiskey Macquarie boots - can anyone with both Craftsman and Macquaries comment on how their fit runs relatively speaking?

 

[Neo1824]

I think I figured out what is irking me about the fit on these...it's the extra leather above the top of my foot. There is some space between the ridge that comes down the front of the boot and the top of my foot, so when i step it creases up as in the pics. Is this amount of crease normal or are they a little to wide?

Thanks.