Post-Rebuild Review: Nicks MTO

These boots have been put through their paces over 2 years. School, work, hikes, and through all imaginable weather. Near-daily wear from April 2024 to December 2025, followed by 2-3 times weekly from then onward.

The Italian Brown Cypress quickly became one of Nicks’ best sellers shortly after its release. I got it on the first limited run they ran if I recall correctly, and it’s only gotten better over the years. Color has evolved into a deep, reddish brown that’s particularly striking in the sun. It’s quite water resistant and has strong pull-up. Started out quite stiff but has grown very soft.

These have moderate arch support and a relaxed fit in the forefoot, which is expected given that the ThurmanNW is a Munson-inspired last. They’re snug in the waist and heel. Don’t alter sizing from your typical Nicks size. Originally they were rather heavy, but have become considerably lighter after being resoled by Unsung House.

Craftsmanship was rugged and durable as expected on the original build. I’d say the general cleanliness of the midsole and bottom finishing was drastically improved by Unsung House. Some of the upper stitching from the original build became loose and required extensive flame-locking, which eventually looked rather messy. I had Unsung fix some of these sections. The original eyelets also loosened up a tad over the years, likely due to extensive wear and conditioning, so I had these tightened as well.

Hard-wearing. Self-explanatory.

I was frankly a bit disappointed by the 700 V-Bar on the original build. It had good traction initially, but the lack of depth to the tread resulted in it wearing smooth fairly fast. This may have been due to very frequent wear the first year I had the boots, but I think a shallow tread may necessarily be a bit problematic.

The 430 thus far seems as though it’ll prove useful for hikes and also seems more flexible than the 700, which I appreciate. How comparatively fast it wears down will be hard to determine as these boots are now part of a bigger rotation than existed at the time of my original purchase.

If you’re a PNW enthusiast, you’ll of course appreciate a Nicks MTO. I wanted to transition these away from being the workhorses they originally were to somewhat lighter and sleeker boots post-resole. That’s why I had Unsung use a thinner midsole and rebuild the heel without leather stacks. May not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they meet my needs.