Frost Waxed Commander = Weathered Heavy Metal Silent Film Smokescreen

These boots were on my feet daily through the full range of life as a design-build professional and “casual” traveler. They spent most of their days in the office with occasional field observation of highway construction. They traveled far—dusty elk camp packing through the Weminuche Wilderness near Pagosa Springs, chimed with the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Munich, sailed the Danube River through Austria, trod along cobblestones at various Christkindlmarkts, whispered through abbeys and cathedrals during ports of call, dined along the Nyhavn Copenhagen canal, hiked trails and waited patiently during skiing at Monarch and Copper Mountain—before settling back home along the Katy Trail.

Over six months, I let the the leather age naturally through various seasons with only regular brushing. This wasn’t my first experience with resilient waxy commander, and it proved as tough as expected. The top of the vamps saw a bit of wax transfer mid-dome from the Obernauf industrial strength boot laces as life was hard on the original thin cotton laces. Otherwise, I refrained from any full or deep conditioning. They’ll receive more conditioning care post-dome including edge treatment.

As my first GS boots, I consulted for fitting advice and initially chose a 10.5D. Length was spot on, but my high instep caused initial pressure. A quick exchange by the awesome team at GS to an E width solved it completely. Solid fit from there—no hot spots and my feet never registered a complaint; I was off and rambling in the dome with thin wool socks under the cap toes.

The stylish design drew me in immediately: low to moderate profile, subtle cap toe, clean side vamp, and snug form-fitting heel. As a meticulous, semi-dark OCD personality, I can confidently say the construction and finishing are impeccable.

The lug rubber sole and heel provided steady, confident footing while rambling across various surfaces—from slick flats to rocky / asphaltic inclines. Gait was comfortable and predictable and I never felt outfoxed by precarious terrain.

This was my first completed dome, shared with my three boys—all in GS boots—which made it especially rewarding to experience this journey alongside them. And if you followed any one of us you likely saw a few pictures of the four boots together. It was a pleasure lacing up the GS frost waxed commander cap toe boots daily, even though several pairs of quality boots were screaming to escape the sliding doors of my boot closet. The waxed frost patina evolved from a dolphin blue grey to foggy steel-brown charcoal ash, and settled into various hues of smoky iron and weather barn wood, showing their namesake frost though surface scuffs and scrapes.