I wanted a pair of boots that I could put on in the morning without thinking. They've been with me hiking, hunting, doing yard work, harvesting firewood, travel for work, days and nights on the town, in the basement of a dive bar or two, and in the office. I think that they've managed to pull off all.
This is an interesting leather, but I think it works well for the boot. It was way more subtle than I expected out of the box - especially if you're used to wearing PNW work leathers. My understanding is that it's pumped full of oil making it softer, but also more weather resistant. I was a bit concerned about the duribility of the leather (being so soft), but after it absorbed a nic from a chainsaw without cutting through, my concerns vanished. The leather scratches to a slightly lighter color, but overall has darkened with wear. Out of the box they were comfortable enough to wear indefinitely. The item that took the longest to break in is the pretty stiff heel counter. After six months, it has molded nicely to my feet. I brushed often and conditioned approx every 1 - 2 months. I will say - if you live in a hot environment, this leather gets hot. You make be better off with the professional hunter (canvas uppers).
I ordered direct from Russell's website. I tried using their foot scanner, but found the measurement chart more accurate. I'm 10.5-11 on brannock and 10D ended up fitting well. I had a slight existential crisis during month one - the uppers only had about a quarter inch gap where my ankle hits my foot. I was worried I sized wrong and the leather would stretch over time and touch. Five months later, the gap is the same and hasn't been an issue. I used a thick tongue guard the whole time. Until the heel counter broke in, I did have a hard time seating my heel and felt like my foot was sliding forward. But this has gone away. Comfort and feel - the soft leather combined with the true moc construction feels unlike any other boot I've worn. It's soft, but still reassuring under foot and you can feel the hug from the moc. This has made them the most comfortable boots I've ever owned.
The vamp, moc toe, and uppers are all hand sewn. I couldn't find any unacceptable stitching. The confluence of the moc with the vamp and upper is at least a couple layers of leather and is quite thick. The mid sole is ever so slightly starting to separate from the sole. I will be watching this over time.
Good traction with a lower profile lug pattern. Not as aggressive as a V100 in appearance. Good traction in the snow / ice.
Good traction with a lower profile lug pattern. Not as aggressive as a V100 in appearance. Good traction in the snow / ice. I pushed these pretty hard side-hilling some slopes hunting. Traction was not an issue.
I really enjoyed wearing these boots over the last six months. The softness under foot of the true moc construction combined with the subtle timberjack leather took me a while to gain confidence in the boots. I have pushed them to the limit both on and off trail and they've proved worthy. Functionally, they really are a jack of all trades, master of none boot. In my most hairy tree felling spots, I'll wear my 10" PNW boots. In my most business casual outfits, I'll wear my 6" service boots, on my longest back packing trips, I'll wear hiking boots. But what's amazing is, these boots can do all three (just not as well). There is compromise. The leather is soft, so they lack some ankle support. The sole is less aggressive than a V100, so they're slightly less grippy. They have a lug sole, so they're slightly less dressy. However, the result is a very versatile boot that works well in most situations. These are, however, absolutely the master of comfort. If you're looking for a one boot collection/go-anywhere-do-anything, these would be a great place to start. One final thought - the history of Russell Moc is so cool. I'm super happy to see the brand under new management and making a comeback.