RM Williams vs Work Boots

[acinod]

I'm from Australia but will be exploring the streets of New York City in Christmas. I'm also still a student for a couple more years and I want to upgrade my footwear for walking around campus. Currently wearing purple vans and blue suede chukkas. The blue suede chukkas receive nice comments but they aren't very versatile; I find them hard to wear because they're a bit too bright sometimes. No one likes the purple vans but I wear them on gym days because I can't be bothered changing shoes.

I want to find a shoe/boot that will help me in both New York during Christmas and around campus in Australia (pretty much a lot of walking, looking good for the ladies, and protection from rain/snow in USA). I also don't want to pack a lot of shoes when I go on my holiday so I plan to wear them daily.

I've done a bit of research and it seems I have a two options:

1. RM Williams Chestnut Comfort Craftsman ($325 from bootsonline.com.au, $425 instore)
My first option is to buy these while I'm in Australia and wear them on the plane and daily while I'm in America. I tried these on and found I was a size 7G. They fit amazing and seem perfect for walking around campus/streets.

2. Red Wing Beckman Black Cherry ($330) / Wolverine 1000 Mile ($345) / Original Chippewa Heritage Boot Line ($270)
My second option is to buy one of these boots as soon as I arrive in New York City. I plan to check out the Red Wing store in Sunnyside, J Crew (for Redwing and Chippewa), Nordstrom (for Wolverine) and Jean Shop NYC (for Chippewa). These boots are widely recommended and it'll be nice to come back home with a unique American boot (since these are super rare in Australia). Not sure how they will fit but I know that they'll be good in bad weather (except perhaps the Wolverine 1000s with their leather soles). I'm also pretty excited about the Chippewa, especially their latest original heritage line. These 'work boots' appear to be a lot more casual than the RM Williams and hence a tad bit more suitable for street wear. My only concern is that I have no idea whether I'll like these boots or not. I'm also a bit worried about the wear-in period; that they'll take a bit too long to get comfortable in, especially since I'll be walking in them heaps to tour the city as soon as I buy them.

I plan on wearing these year round with APC Indigo Petit New Standards and tan chinos. Exception is when I wear shorts in summer as I don't think I can wear any of these in that situation. This is the first time I'm spending so much on a casual shoe; I'm still a student but I want to make an investment that counts.

Greatly appreciate any sort of advice

 

[AAJJLLPP]

I would not pick the beckham or the 1000 mile for rain and snow simply because of their leather soles. Regarding break-in period, there is usually a longer and more uncomfortable break-in with american boots than the rm williams. You can speed it up and have a more comfortable break-in period though, if you oil the leather before you wear it, it will make make the leather much more supple.

 

[acinod]

Saw a few pictures of the Red Wing and they looked a tad big for some situations (dinner dates). Since I'm in Australia I figured I might check out the RM Williams Factory Outlet for some cheap seconds.

 

[meso]

Red wings aren't appropriate for dinner dates unless you are me.

 

[crosswound]

my experience dinner is not really the problem its dessert. i mean this is right before everyone is ready to leave and really looking at your footwear.

thoughts?

 

[acinod]

my experience dinner is not really the problem its dessert. i mean this is right before everyone is ready to leave and really looking at your footwear.

thoughts?

Very interesting thought. The last time I went out with some old friends and we just finished dinner, we started checking out each other's shoes. One guy had some really plastic looking boat shoes which actually held up pretty well considering it was raining.