A Red Wing Retrospective

For many of us, Red Wing (particularly the Iron Ranger) serves as the gateway drug into this hobby. I never expected my first pair of welted boots to spark what became an adult scavenger hunt for rare and interesting footwear. But despite the numerous pairs that have cycled through my collection (some far more expensive than these), this pair has stayed put. And likely always will. Calling them a "starter boot" feels like an understatement of just how strong a value proposition they offer. Excellent materials and unmatched quality of construction at this price point. Red Wings are the mid-90s base-model Lexus of the boot world. Relatively affordable with some (but minimal) flash, built with an unwavering commitment to quality and function. Rock-solid dependability. You can upgrade, sure, but that's a matter of choice rather than necessity; you could be perfectly content owning these as your sole (ha!) pair of high-end welted footwear for life. I picked these up from the flagship store in Minnesota during one of the toughest professional stretches of my life. In hindsight, I think planning that drive and debating which model to buy helped pull me through some of the worst of it. Since then, they've been everywhere with me: on trips, through milestones, through change. They don't see much wear these days, maybe a few times a year. But I still like having them prominently displayed on my footwear shelf as a quiet reminder of where all this fun (see: insanity) started.