RM Williams Boots - Everything You Wanted to Know

[bemk]

Does anyone know how long shipping takes from RM Williams to stateside?

RMW states "'In stock' items shipped in 7-10 business days."

My order was shipped on the 2nd day and will be delivered tomorrow, which will be 5 days (weekend included) from Australia to Germany with stops in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Australia to US is a more direct route and as RMW ships with DHL Express, I would expect 3-4 days to your door once DHL Express has the parcel. And (see RMW/Help/Delivery) "Customers are not responsible for import taxes and duties", DHL Express does the customs clearance while it's on it's way.

And anyone know why they offer certain styles in AU and not in US, even though they ship here? I want the kangaroo black print craftsman but it’s only available on the .au site… *sigh

Some states have a ban on import of kangaroo-goods, at least California has one. And this year a bill to ban such products countrywide was introduced, don't know if it has come into effect.

However, there's a risk that the shoes will be returned and I have read that RMW just doesn't want to play lottery.

 

[patrick_b]

I really had a hard time deciding between Rum and Dark Tan.

I've been in the same position. I have a pair of comfort Turnout's in Rum but like the Dark Tan as well. I'd have preferred the dark tan but found the run on sale a couple of years ago.

 

[bemk]

I've been in the same position. I have a pair of comfort Turnout's in Rum but like the Dark Tan as well. I'd have preferred the dark tan but found the run on sale a couple of years ago.

Yeah, and thank you for your pictures of the Rum Craftsman way back o this thread! They helpfully only added to the confusion. ;-)

My issue was not only that I already have 4 Craftsman (and 1 Gardener) in Chestnut: Of those my 2 Kangaroo Craftsman are darker-brown and with less reds than my 2 Yearling Craftsman have and with the oiled kip leather of the Gardener I have 3 different shades of Chestnut.

I will see tomorrow if I picked the tonality of a lighter brown I hope for when the Dark Tan ones arrive. I will provide pictures these days.

 

[Resoling]

How would you guys compare the leather quality and construction of the comfort craftsman models in comparison with cheaney or alfred sargent shoes?

Thanks.

 

[InaYan]

Да

Guess what,got back to 6H CC as I really wanted to remember what was the feeling.
No idea if my left feet shrunk or the people making the boot were more generous with the leather this time but...they fit ?The 6H is my best fit out of 6 pairs ordered(exept the Classics 6H that were perfect).
So "I'll keep them ,I'll squish them and I'll cal them MINE"
Thinking of my next pair already
Thank you for your support ?

 

[troika]

Guess what,got back to 6H CC as I really wanted to remember what was the feeling.
No idea if my left feet shrunk or the people making the boot were more generous with the leather this time but...they fit ?The 6H is my best fit out of 6 pairs ordered(exept the Classics 6H that were perfect).
So "I'll keep them ,I'll squish them and I'll cal them MINE"
Thinking of my next pair already
Thank you for your support ?

Nice work! Could also just be a matter of when you tried them on. Feet swell up in the summer (in most places) due to heat and humidity. It also depends on how much you have walked recently.

Here's hoping they work out forever!!!

 

[troika]

How would you guys compare the leather quality and construction of the comfort craftsman models in comparison with cheaney or alfred sargent shoes?

Thanks.

Construction is generally the same for all RMW gyw models, with CC not being any different. I would put it up there with AS main range, with the RMW Signature maybe inching closer to AS Exclusive grade. I'd generally say these are much less refined though, they are still boots. But the construction and material quality is def up there.

 

[bemk]

So my Craftsman in Dark Tan arrived. And.I.love.the.color!

It's not the brown tonality I was looking for which would lean more towards, let's say, walnut. However, I wasn't surprised as many pictures suggested a bit of red coming with the Dark Tan and my other wish was to get a brown Craftsman that clearly differs from my Chestnut ones and the Dark Tan delivers.

Here's a color corrected picture (with a Grey Card adjusted) and from left to right it's:
- Dark Tan (new, unworn, untreated)
- Chestnut Kangaroo (new, unworn, untreated, my back up pair)
- Chestnut Kangaroo (worn and polished)
- Chestnut Yearling (worn and polished

I think the picture provides a good impression how much the leather darkens with years of wearing and treatment, when you look at the 2 Kangaroo Craftsman at the top. Of course I am always using RMW's Chestnut polish.)
You can also see the difference of Chestnut depending on the leather. The Kangaroo has a darker brown, the Yearling has a minimal touch of Mahogany or however you would name the kind of slight red hue in its lighter shade.

 

[Snorpley]

Thanks for the picture, man. It's awesome!
And congrats on the Dark Tan. It's so underrated!!!

 

[bemk]

...
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View attachment 1713961

I want to add a comment to this picture:

Please don't compare the creases between the worn Kangaroo and the Yearling Craftsman! ☝

I intended to show the colours and now when looking at it, I notice that I had picked my Craftsman Yearling in size 9H, the others are size 8.5H. The 9-Craftsman is a bit too long and is also a bit too wide and has therefore more volume in the creases than my other Yearlings in 8.5 have. It's also my oldest Craftsman and the most worn, which adds to it.
Though Kangaroo creases other than Yearling, because Kangaroo is lighter, thinner and stronger, the difference between both regarding creases - provided the same fit - is not as much as on my picture.

 

[bemk]

Thanks for the picture, man. It's awesome!
And congrats on the Dark Tan. It's so underrated!!!

Thank you so much! ?

I absolutely agree, at least over here in Germany the few retailers for RMW offer almost exclusively Black or Chestnut, there is no Dark Tan. Probably there were some online, but those retailers asked much higher prices than what I paid officially via RMW, so I skipped those and got it directly from down under.
And it's really a special brown, almost unique and very chic. I will do another photo before I will finally put them on for the first time.

In the meantime, here's my other, new Craftsman which arrived this week. This is a Comfort Craftsman in Tobacco Suede, RMW doesn't offer the regular Craftsman in that colour, so I had to go CC with this and I snatched the last pair in 8.5H from A Hume in the UK.
Man, I had to buy 12 pairs of Craftsman, before I got one which came with RMW shoe bags, LOL!

Come Christmas Eve I will pack them back in the box, gift-wrap them and surprise myself. ?

 

[Snorpley]

Thank you so much! ?

I absolutely agree, at least over here in Germany the few retailers for RMW offer almost exclusively Black or Chestnut, there is no Dark Tan. Probably there were some online, but those retailers asked much higher prices than what I paid officially via RMW, so I skipped those and got it directly from down under.
And it's really a special brown, almost unique and very chic. I will do another photo before I will finally put them on for the first time.

In the meantime, here's my other, new Craftsman which arrived this week. This is a Comfort Craftsman in Tobacco Suede, RMW doesn't offer the regular Craftsman in that colour, so I had to go CC with this and I snatched the last pair in 8.5H from A Hume in the UK.
Man, I had to buy 12 pairs of Craftsman, before I got one which came with RMW shoe bags, LOL!

Come Christmas Eve I will pack them back in the box, gift-wrap them and surprise myself. ?

View attachment 1714784

...and that’s my favourite suede colour! You’re on a roll, man!
It’s funny you mention the dust bags. Between my wife and I we’ve bought a few pairs of boots in recent years and it is totally random whether or not dust bags are included. RMW need to get more consistent on that.

 

[bemk]

...and that’s my favourite suede colour! You’re on a roll, man!
It’s funny you mention the dust bags. Between my wife and I we’ve bought a few pairs of boots in recent years and it is totally random whether or not dust bags are included. RMW need to get more consistent on that.

Thx!

Yeah, gee! I really wondered if their was a system as this Tobacco Suede is a CC and the Dark Tan C which came directly from RMW was packed in paper. My oldest C and CC have the box with the boots shown from behind on a fence, all others are C and have the plain brown box, none ever came with the bags.
I don't really care, but admit I was happily surprised when I opened the box. I don't care much, but they are practical and given the price increase over the years I would have appreciated if they had also stepped up their presentation.

Here ... Dark Tan again:

 

[Snorpley]

I’d just like them to be consistent!
I bought some of the casual barton boots on a whim and even they came with the dust bags! Crazy. At the price point the boots should definitely all come with dust bags (in my opinion). Wowsers, great photog setup you’ve got there. Cool shot

 

[troika]

I hate that RMW (and Alden) use flannel bags for suede footwear. If I use them, the fluff comes off the inside of the bag and sticks to the suede. I guess it's not a huge deal cuz I can just brush it off, but it's just annoying.