Great and comfortable right out of the box. Tough and ready for adventure.
Right out of the box, they were pretty comfortable, albeit a little stiff, I never felt a true break-in period, which I was mentally ready to endure. This pair is my first PNW style boot ever. I got 'em off the "Final few" section of the Drew' s website, and couldn't find anything wrong to justify why they were on sale, until I realized the stitchdown double stitches were overlapping on the front of both boots. Also, they are "woman size" which means I had to convert from MEX to US size, but then also consider women's sizes are different, and then also the fact that sizing is all over the place, and unlike any other boots I ever bought before. So, all and all, they were still maybe half a size too big but I kept them (couldn't do anything about it anyway). Even though they were 40% off, they were still twice as much as I ever paid for boots before.
By the time the competition started, everyone I know knew all about it. It was the main if not the only thing I talked about. Being neurodivergent meant everytime the subject came up in conversation (I brought it up) I would lecture the poor soul I was talking to into different boot styles, leathers, soles, boot construction, lasts, etc.
I wore these boots to work (almost) everyday, wore them in the sand, mud, on the beach, I walked what seemed endless miles, I rode my bike. One time I even slept with my boots on!
Not everything was perfect, though. Maybe about a couple of months in, my left boot started to squeak. I had read about it, and heard it mentioned in YouTube videos, but had never experienced it before. At first it was at random times, then it just never stopped. I swear it even became louder, to the point where friends from work started teasing me about it, telling me to DW-40 my boots. (Dragon Ball fans will undestand the reference when I say I sounded like Cell when he walks). At times, the right boot would join in the squeaking, but that was intermitent, and never stuck permanently. I posted about it on a Drew's forum, and they were very fast to reach out privately to address a possible solution or have them repaired. I had to turn them down since I was affraid I would miss an update Windows, and be kicked out of the competition. I realized that if I got them wet, they would stop squeaking for a day or two, so I started doing that every now and then. Now that it's over I might reach out to Drew's to see a possible solution, though I believe the only way to eliminate boot squeak is not just to resole, but to rebuild from the insole down. I may have to pay as much for that as I paid for the boots in the first place, so I'm still on the fence about that. Speaking of that, the one change I would probably make if rebuilt or resoled is that I would go for a Honey lug sole instead.
I would definitely recommend them to anyone willing to spend this much on a high quality pair of boots, knowing that being hand-made also means there could potentially be imperfections.
I believe the argument that you get a higher value because you can resole/rebuild these boots multiple times is only valid if you work in an extremely hostile environment which would thrash regular footwear (like firefighting). If you want them for lighter work, camping, hiking, etc, you might as well get the same life out of a pair of good $200 dollar boots.
Overall my experience has been super positive, and I can't wait to do it again next year!
