Fit like a glove and getting better every day!

Where do I start...? I literally wore these every day since day one of the 'Dome! I wore these all through cherry and apple harvest, working long hot days in the field. They were worn in the fabrication shop welding, the wood shop sawing, and working on the motorcycle in the garage. I brushed them almost every night, wore them to BBQs, fancy restaurants, two weddings, and to the gym. I also brought these to New York for a produce show, Iceland for an adventure, and Italy for a week of feasting and walking 50k steps a day (ouch). I cleaned them in the hotel sink every time I was on vacation and needed to take Dome photos abroad. Every day means every day. At around 90 days in It's no longer a decision what to wear, it's just footwear. It's like they're a part of you. At 120 days in they're fully broken In and they don't hurt after a long day standing the whole time. At 6 months they're like tennis shoes - very supportive and thick, badass tennis shoes... Wait, no - tennis shoes are stupid. They are just the best footwear money can buy and there's no going back to lousy footwear... Ever.

Initially it was more supple than I was used to with the Seidel leather, and a lot shinier than I was expecting. It seemed wrong wearing them out in the field at first, I knew I was going to beat the hell out of them and I didn't know what to expect. Break-in was not too bad, probably a solid month of normal stubbornness while the creases and rolls were forming. I noticed that they were easy to scratch, and equally easy to buff out. The first couple months I started noticing counter-pocket wear from getting in and out of the pickup 50 times a day. It's shocking how easy these scratches buff up with a horsehair brush. I use the nylon brush occasionally as an exfoliating brush to bring the oil to the surface, followed with a buff with the horsehair brush - you don't even need to add conditioner (Thanks Wranglerstar for the tip)! It's really amazing how cool this leather is. I was a little nervous going into winter here in Washington State, because we get quite a bit of snow and salt and wet muddy weather and I didn't want to use any heavy waxes or oils on this particular pair of boots. Somehow I lucked out and dodged the need to waterproof wax these boots. I figured it would be better for the patina, and for the breathability if I refrained from applying Sno-seal like I have done in the past for my winter boots. I did break down at the end of February and add some Venetian shoe cream, and had a mild panic attack when all of my patina disappeared... I felt like all my hard work just disappeared. But when I got my brush out and went to town on them, and got my DSLR and a nice lens out, I realized how genuinely deep and rich the patina is on this black leather. It's not just a simple as tonal differences, it's a combination of scratches, creases, oil accumulation, and softening of the leather. Makes you feel like a nerd staring at your feet all day!! Also, the vibram wedge sole has a pretty tight cell structure, and doesn't really stain that bad from dirt, mud, and wet winter weather. A little bit of dish soap and a nylon brush and warm water and they clean up beautifully. (The Christie wedge of my previous Danner's boots seemed to be a very difficult one to clean.)The vibram is higher density, longer lasting, and better looking in my opinion.

I'm conflicted on this question... The fit is great, after all this time they have really molded to my foot and feel amazing. In the beginning, the HNW last caused me a lot of heel fat-pad-pain, as they didn't support my arch hardly at all. All of my down pressure went to my heel bone, and they were very painful from mid-morning to evening. That pain lasted many months. The trip to Italy where we walked our asses off was particularly brutal in these boots. It's not the boots fault, but how my foot is shaped, I have really flat feet and need arch support. I would definitely recommend a different last for people with flat feet like myself. HNW might look cool, but it's my last pick for a last based on my experience. Honestly the only thing that kept me in the race was the thought of winning the thunderdome! Every day that I had foot pain I had to remind myself how awesome it is to be a part of this community, and to even be in the running. That kept me going and kept me focused. After four or five months, the pain subsided and they are much better now. I imagine it's the midsole that needed to form to my pressure points.

Overall, the boot design is fantastic! I believe they have a celastic toe insert, because the toe shape has kept its form very nice. They still get the rolls above the toes, which is an acquired taste in my opinion. I love the two-tone of the back stay and vamp. The brass is great, the natural colored midsole, and brown laces. It all adds up to a very unique boot that lands in the middle of functional-casual and timeless classic. Whoever this Zuriick guy is, he's all right with me!

Much better than the Christie wedge. Easy to clean, comfortable, super lightweight, easy to fly with, and surprisingly long wearing. Wore these things everyday during the Dome, walked a lot of miles and they still have a ton of life in them! Surprisingly comfortable for how little traction they have. As long as you're not climbing steep dusty trails, they perform well.

Gratitude! Thank you to all the judges, content contributors, photographers, sponsors, patina project dudes, and anyone else I'm forgetting. This has been so much fun and taking my footwear experience and photography to the next level! Looking forward to doing this for many years to come. You guys rock and roll!