Best footwear I’ve put on my foot!

I’ve mostly used my boots to go too and from the office. However I have not shied away from wearing them anywhere else. I have crossed creeks, walked beaches and hiked a few short trails. I wore these boots as my everyday shoes almost every day for 6 months but chose more appropriate footwear for serious hiking or excessive snow conditions. Whenever we get snow I wore them through the snow and they worked great. They have just enough water resistance that my foot wasn’t wet all day. I really loved how they would clean up really well when they did get dirty. You could get some mud on them, wipe em down and brush them up then wear them to the office next day. If a had a customer meeting I could throw some conditioner on em and shine them up a little.

I love the way this leather patinas, forms to your foot limits creasing. I struggled a little bit with one of the toe caps on one boot looking a little different than the other in the beginning. But, I knew the patina would set in an I wouldn’t notice. That held to be true. I also struggled a little with the first few discolorations and scrapes. I found that I tend to catch my truck door with my right foot when I get out. Oh well just part of the patina story. Over time I really felt that the scrapes, discoloration and dings mellowed out and formed a nice blend of colors. The overall color of the leather changed a little in the beginning and then seemed to find its happy place. I primarily used Venetian Imperial Leather Balm because it was supposed to change the color very little while having a little more wax and shine than the shoe cream version. I tried both and didn’t see too much difference. I conditioned as needed and a little more often than some recommend, but I like to keep the leather looking good and not dried at all. I found the frequency depended heavily on how wet the leather got but usually was 1-2 months as I think this leather tends to be a little drier than others. The break-in was nearly negligible for this shoe. I think it was because it fit me so well.

The fit and comfort was excellent in the 2030 last. The last tended to match the volume of my foot so I didn’t get any odd creases or weird hot spots. The stiffness of the arch support is really good, so much so that when I wear other footwear I tend to feel the lack of it. The footbed forms to the foot and you definitely get used to a little harder feel there.

I think the design and finishing are much better than any other footwear I have owned. The stitching is perfect and very fine. The materials are fantastic and robust for the most part. I only had two minor issues 1) the piping around the opening for the tongue seems to have some plastic coating that wears off. It doesn’t look terrible but I’d like to see something different. 2) the pad between the leather heel footbed and the insole doesn’t adhere to the footbed and it was sliding down. I removed the pad and everything was great. Just get rid of that thing.

I was skeptical that I would like this sole when I bought the boots. I really like this sole because it has good traction, doesn’t make you looks like a logger at your office, and doesn’t tent to track mud and snow (a couple stamps and snow is gone). The design also has a fair amount of cushion. I thing the wear is as expected to a little better than expected. I don’t think I will need a resole until maybe 1 year of wear the way it’s going.

I really enjoyed wearing these boots and don’t intend to stop wearing them. Then I will re-sole them and keep going. I’m really glad I did this! I will definitely be buying more Vibergs and will probably lean towards horsebutt.