Used daily for everything from my walking commute to work (2.5 miles or 4 km roundtrip), leisure, mild alpine hikes and dog-walks, the RDT Roots are happy dress up or down. They’re shrugged-off rain, snow, forest mud, travel & accompanying scuffs with impunity, brushing back to a nice rich/deep shine ready for the office or an evening out.
The Brown horse front leather is as sturdy & hard-wearing as you could wish for and will last for many years. It’s eaten up daily bashes and scuffs and brushes back up to a mahogany colour which has become richer and darker over time. A tough candidate for a “Patinating” competition to be sure! Break-in was surprisingly easy but the Munson last is a great help in that respect, conforming to foot shape without any hotspots. My daily care has been limited to brushing and then a monthly clean-up, + conditioning every other month (Venician cream and Saphir Renovator).
I love the Munson last! I’m a bland 10.5D on the Brannock, with a high arch and instep (so hi-volume) and some degree of toe-splay. I find a number of last that “should” fit, give too little room for my toe-splay, but the Munson is a fantastic fit and I now have at least 5 or 6 boots on the Munson. Given an average of around 10,000 steps per day I wear the infamous Darn Tough boot socks and find the combination super-comfortable. No added insoles. The instep, heel and arch are all comfortable. Overall - highly recommended!
The design is definitely on the chunky side of things, but I can’t faulty the question the construction and finish throughout. I have the sense these are potentially multi-generational boots, though I doubt my daughter’s feet will permit me to pass them to her, but we’ll see! The leather is very nice, with some striations nicely visible on the vamps (so good clicking, to my somewhat amateur perspective). Hardware has all functioned perfectly… the smallish eyelets and speed-hooks required lace under 4mm but 180mm long, which took a bit of finding, but as mentioned in my earlier comments I ended up with a second pair of stitched calf-leather laces which really add a certain “je ne said quoi” to the whole look.
Durable & great in town - very comfortable for 20,000 step days! However limited traction for hikes and any form of slippery surface.
Loved the journey in these boots, they’ve been bullet-proof and fun, elegant but tough, robust and a pleasure to wear! A quality investment and a pair I’ll find regularly in my circulation and that match to a wide range of clothes and styles. Worth the initial cost, and with the Japanese Yen at historical lows, they are relatively good value at present. Highly recommended!