Nicks
Heritage TankerPro
Nicks Handmade Boots
I'm a Doorguy/Bouncer for 20 years so I spend most of my time walking to work then standing outside through the night, checking ID's and managing crowd traffic for 6 to 8 hours a night and sometimes longer depending on holidays that equate to busy bar times. So that got me interested in the most comfortable hard-use boots available which eventually lead me to PNW boots and then Nick's Handmade Boots because they are the first to make a combat boot which had been my staple work boot because of the occasional need to wrestle unruly drunks. Anyway their Tactical Tankerpro is definitely my favorite Bouncer Boot and I'll go into more detail why if I ever post pics of mine but my hyper fixation on the highest quality boots lead me to drooling over 100's of boots from the last 2 years of patina thunderdome competition and dreaming of a tankerpro that could win or at least place with my high mileage and long standing hours of wear which lead me to designing these from available options. I originally planned on the 64 tan leather from Seidel but with Nix placing 2nd last year with a tankerpro in that, I was open to something different (also need to credit him for inspiring my metatarsal strap as a simpler design of his chicago screw metatarsal badge). Then Nick's revealed their double stuffed Mojave from Wickett & Craig and it was love at first sight 😍. Thankfully I had already ordered the boots (in January) so I was able to call their awesome customer service folks months later and have the leather changed to this new veg-tan, sunburst miracle (with an understandable upcharged🤭) and have a pair in this leather available for this year's Thunderdome. I think I also need to credit EDHblvd on YouTube for spreading the love of Nick's Prospector boot on the 11067 last and heavily influencing the function and look I wanted out of my Dome boots. The profile is just perfect to me (and seems similar to the patina project app logo) and the firm fit while still allowing wiggle room for my toes is ideal for my needs. So I dreamed up a tankerpro-prospector combination with a soft but double-layered toe to hopefully slowly develop some beautiful rolls while leaving all the toe room I want. Finally I went with the leather sole because so many more experienced boot enthusiasts consistently say they're the most comfortable and my fascination with the character Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings book had me hoping for something old-fashioned and even medieval while remaining fully functional. After viewing so many artist's interpretations of that character traipsing through the woods in his yellow leather boots 👢💛 I wanted a tanker that would be suited to his daily use.🤓 Bit of a journey but I think I covered all points of use and influence that went into these amazing boots, thanks for reading if you made it this far.
I based it off of how 2 other pairs of Nick's boots fit in 2 different lasts then community advice about how the 11067 compared to those.
I ordered it in January then changed the leather (with an upcharge for W&C veg-tan) when they announced the Double Stuffed Mojave. So I think I managed to get the Mojave in the competition before most others because of the pre-existing order.🤔🤓
Walking commutes to and from work and general errands. Long hours standing at work (checking ID's) and the occasional need to calm unruly drunks. These offer more support than I've ever felt standing for l9ng hours and power long grocery walks often carrying 60+lbs for miles at a time.
They formed and re-formed to my feet quicker than expected, and respond beautifully to an initial warm-up period every time I put them on. My care routine is mostly just a weekly brushing and in hindsight I could have paid better attention to the edges of the mid and outsoles and the heel stack but thankfully a little neglect offered no permanent damage. After adding the Tumaz lug sole and matching heel cap I cleaned them, applied some almond oil to some particularly dry spots near the arch behind my big toes knuckles, and gave them a heavy coat of smith's leather balm, leaving by my steam radiator for a day to let the leather soak up some goodness then brushed the heck out them the next day. I also treated the heal stack and midsole edges with Lincoln neutral wax/polish and am enjoying the results. The double-stuffed Mojave is probably my favorite looking (and smelling) leather and I am seriously impressed with its toughness and ability to heal scuffs and scrapes while taking environmental effects in stride and looking prettier for it. A lot of the initial yellow pigment did get hidden with wet weather and patina but later I found it pop back out in beautiful and surprising ways as the boots learned wear I normally bend and flex them. The break-in was easier than other boots mostly because of the leather outsole and they developed a feel I'd describe as a heavy-duty moccasin which trained the vamp and upper where their flex points should be fast and carried over to the new lug soles.
This has become my favorite last and probably the only high arch last I'll ever buy from now on. Once the toebox collapsed a little I gained all the wiggle room I could ask for in a work boot without sacrificing any support.
Impressive as always. I still want to try a pair of Frank's eventually but I am glad that my deep dive into PNW/stitchdown boots lead to Nick's being my favorite. And having handstitched the new soles on through their original machine stitch holes I'm very pleased with their attention to quality and precision.
I want another pair of them for dress and casual use that I won't tear through on the sidewalk in 2 seasons lol. I'm definitely going to be purchasing another pair with leather outsoles. The traction was different but surprisingly functional especially on wet bar floors and the comfort was probably the highest I've felt.
I'm a fan, I know they don't recommend a high arch last with a moderate heel stack but for my use it's really the best of both worlds. I do think when I attached the new tumaz lug heel caps I could have sanded a bit of a dogger angle on it but after the first 20 miles or so they seem to be wearing in just fine to allow a smooth step.
Nick's are my favorite and I'll probably be wearing tankerpros for the rest of my life. Something I've learned based on the design of wear the top buckle attaches, the 8" high tankerpros support my ankles like a 6" lace up and the 10" high tankerpros support like an 8" lace up. Worth considering for anyone looking to go laceless.