Too old for laces too young for velcro, I'll be wearing tankers for the next few decades.

TomBombadome3 months ago
Nicks Heritage TankerProNicks / Wickett & Craig Double Stuffed Mojave
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Use & wear

Wet Conditions
Snow
Hot Temperatures
Cold Temperatures
Physical Work
Leisure
Travel
Extreme Conditions

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.

Leather

Nicks / Wickett & Craig Double Stuffed Mojave
Care Routine
Color Change
Durability
Break-In
Patina Process

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.

Fit

11067 Last: 9.5FUS Men's Brannock: 9.5F (NICK'S)
Arch
Toe Box
Instep
Comfort
Length Feels Right
Volume Feels Right
Ball Feels Right
Satisfied with the Fit

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.

Craftsmanship

Nicks Heritage TankerPro
Construction
Finishing
Durability
Clicking
Hardware
Stitching

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.

Sole & heel

Leather SoleLess than a day, current sole
Durability
Traction
Comfort

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.

Moderate Height Block HeelWorn for less than a day, current heel
Durability
Traction
Comfort

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.

Final thoughts

Would Recommend
Good Value

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.

Written by TomBombadome
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