Red Wing Gentleman's Traveler

Originally Posted by kit99bar

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which oil is recommended for the cherry black GTs? Mink? thanks!

I decided to give Sno Seal a try last night after reading the recommendation here:
http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...2&postcount=22

Applied a really thin coat all over and rubbed it in. It's not as thick or hard to apply as I expected. I didn't bother heating the boots in the oven at 120 to avoid the risk of overcooking them as I've done with roasts in the past! Sno Seal hasn't darkened them at all. I used to apply mink oil to waterproof my boots, but I never did like how it oversoftened the leather. I'll definitely apply Sno Seal on my Sorel winter boots from now on, and might even try it on some dress shoes.

Originally Posted by Tarmac

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I'm going to slowly work on the sole edge. Put some conditioner, neutral wax, etc. I want it to show a deep natural glow like on Alden bootmaker editions

I did apply Sno Seal on the sole edge and exposed leather on the sole as well. The sole edge now appears much less dry than out of the box. I can imagine how over time and several applications, it could bring out a glow as described by Tarmac.

Is the Redwing GT available in size 13 or is 12 the max?

Let's see more pictures of worn GT's! Especially if you've had them a while.

Originally Posted by somatoform

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Is the Redwing GT available in size 13 or is 12 the max?

+1
I'd like to know this too.
I usually wear a 13 in most shoes and sizing down a whole size, especially in a boot, does not sounds too fun.

damn GT's are awesome. Had a bit of sizing difficulty at first (still have some size 10's I'm looking to get rid of), I got a 9.5 and it felt REALLY roomy at first, but that's just because the toebox has so much vertical height. lengthwise I have a little less than a thumb's width between the end of my big toe and the toebox end, which I feel is healthy. Width was tight at first but now that i've walked around quite a bit it's perfect. I guess there's enough room to stick a thin insole in them if I feel I need to fill them up a wee bit more, but I don't think I could size down to a 9. These babies are so comfortable I could wear them on an airplane. Once I beat them up a bit i'll polish them up and post pics!

I myself wear 10.5 in "most shoes", nikes, new balances, pf flyers, and I wear a size 9.5 in GTs. I think your best bet would be to actually measure your foot with a brannock device and get that size, otherwise there are a bunch of sites online that show you how to measure your foot by drawing an outline around it. I measured my foot with the outline method and it gave me 9.5 D/E (in between widths) and I wear a 9.5D in GTs comfortably.

Originally Posted by bassmanpatsfan18

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+1
I'd like to know this too.
I usually wear a 13 in most shoes and sizing down a whole size, especially in a boot, does not sounds too fun.

Originally Posted by bassmanpatsfan18

Click to expand...

+1
I'd like to know this too.
I usually wear a 13 in most shoes and sizing down a whole size, especially in a boot, does not sounds too fun.

The site lists them up to 12 so I don't think they come in 13.

In regular width shoes (D), I'm a 13, including Clark DB's.
In wide shoes (EE or 4E), I'm a 12

I'll be trying on the GT's this Monday and will report back on whether these fit more like a regular 13/wide 12 (good for me) or more like a regular 12 (bad for me).

If these don't work for me I'll just go for a pair of jcrew/redwing collabs. They do come in 13 for sure.

thank you for the advice. I did not know mink oil could actually make the boot's leather too softer. how about Kiwi oil?

Originally Posted by Wes Bourne

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I decided to give Sno Seal a try last night after reading the recommendation here:
http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...2&postcount=22

Applied a really thin coat all over and rubbed it in. It's not as thick or hard to apply as I expected. I didn't bother heating the boots in the oven at 120 to avoid the risk of overcooking them as I've done with roasts in the past! Sno Seal hasn't darkened them at all. I used to apply mink oil to waterproof my boots, but I never did like how it oversoftened the leather. I'll definitely apply Sno Seal on my Sorel winter boots from now on, and might even try it on some dress shoes.

I did apply Sno Seal on the sole edge and exposed leather on the sole as well. The sole edge now appears much less dry than out of the box. I can imagine how over time and several applications, it could bring out a glow as described by Tarmac.

Originally Posted by kit99bar

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thank you for the advice. I did not know mink oil could actually make the boot's leather too softer. how about Kiwi oil?

Prior to my very recent use of Sno Seal, I had used mink oil exclusively on all my boots, for as long as I can remember. I hadn't given much thought about its unwanted oversoftening effects (although I did notice it) until I read Garage/Surf Rock's quoted post about the benefits of Sno Seal over other waterproofing products.

I've never used Kiwi oil, so I can't help you there. I have read a lot of members recommend Obenauf's, and Red Wing suggests mink oil, so ymmv. I doubt any single application of any of these products will adversely affect your boots. I am more concerned with repeated applications and their long term effect on the boots' leather.

The following article does offer pros/cons for many waterproofing options:
http://www.scoutingdigest.com/index....sk=view&id=100

I believe that a few pages back in this very thread, someone mentionned a pair of Red Wings going strong with a single application of Sno Seal applied 2 years ago!

i'm thinking about buying a pair of red wing gentlemen's traveler boots but i'm hesitating because i really want a waterproof boot. can anyone tell me what sort of luck they've had using sno seal to waterproof these boots? are they leaky - specifically around the welt stitch?

thank you!

Originally Posted by somatoform

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The site lists them up to 12 so I don't think they come in 13.

In regular width shoes (D), I'm a 13, including Clark DB's.
In wide shoes (EE or 4E), I'm a 12

I'll be trying on the GT's this Monday and will report back on whether these fit more like a regular 13/wide 12 (good for me) or more like a regular 12 (bad for me).

If these don't work for me I'll just go for a pair of jcrew/redwing collabs. They do come in 13 for sure.


If it hasn't already been mentioned, the Redwing GT size 12 definitely fits like a 12 wide (EE) or 13 regular (D). So if you're either they will work.

Originally Posted by RW boot question

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i'm thinking about buying a pair of red wing gentlemen's traveler boots but i'm hesitating because i really want a waterproof boot. can anyone tell me what sort of luck they've had using sno seal to waterproof these boots? are they leaky - specifically around the welt stitch?

thank you!

Not leaky at all with Sno Seal. We had rain and wet snow yesterday and they held up fine; rain just beaded on the boots' surface. I also accidentally submerged my foot in a puddle without any problem, the bellowed tongue helped with that.

I think Sno Seal will get your boots as water resistant as leather can be, without the benefit of a Gore Tex membrane which would make it fully waterproof. Feel free to apply some Sno Seal along the welt stitch, I sure did.

I got my pair of black cherry GT today.

I ordered from Zappos, paid regular delivery and they shipped next day air for free. Definitely size down 1/2 size from your regular shoe size.


I now have both the Alden Indy boot and the GT. I'll do a comparison with pictures soon.

Originally Posted by lee_44106

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I got my pair of black cherry GT today.

I ordered from Zappos, paid regular delivery and they shipped next day air for free. Definitely size down 1/2 size from your regular shoe size.


I now have both the Alden Indy boot and the GT. I'll do a comparison with pictures soon.

Looking forward, I don't own the Indy yet.

I purchased the regular Indy, not any of the special edition. The regular Indy is tannish in color. I wanted a pair of boots that's versatile for both jeans and khaki pants. That's what I would use the boots for, casual wear but looks good, has water resistant property, and something I don't have to baby.

First impression:

GT has a nicer color (deep red/brown), much more versatile. Indy get a small leg up on overall attention to detail from a construction standpoint, but really not by much.

I purchase both because I could not decide on which one. In retrospect, I would probably just get the Red Wings GT. This decision is purely based on stylish issue.