The end is nigh…Patina Thunderdome 2024

Overall the 2040 has been an awesome boot to break in. I’ve hiked in them up mountains and visited shrines in Japan in ankle deep snow. And they have performed in all conditions. I have only experienced some heel pain on one occasion after the in initial break in and that was during the aforementioned Japan trip, but I think it was because they got a bit wet and the leather hardened up a bit after drying. And also because of my own anatomy. (Bony bumps on my heels. ) They have been extremely comfortable for the most part and especially now after having been fully broken in.

Break-in was easy for the most part. Hero pain is the only thing I experienced, but again, I have bony heels. So not entirely the boots fault. The color on these changes drastically in different lighting. Sometimes medium brown, sometimes very orange. In general I’d say they have darkened up quite a bit with wear. They have also become more fuzzy as the wax has worn off. The right boot in particular has become much fuzzier compared to the left boot. I plan on waxing them with Venetian Leather Balm after the Dome finishes. Haven’t done much for care other than brushing them when they get scuffed. Which is pretty noticeable. The scuffs stand out quite a bit but are easy to brush away with a horse hair brush. I had initially planned to wax the fuzz away at some point but opted to wait until after the dome was over, since the area I tested it on changed the color quite a bit. I’d rather wait until after the dome to do the rest of the boot.

The 2040 is my favorite Viberg last. Though I have only ever tried a used 2030 prior. But the 2030 just didn’t feel right on my feet. Maybe it was because they were used and already broken-in by someone else, but I also am not a fan of pointy toe boxes. The 2040 is much more aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. I also much prefer the arch support of the 2040. I guess it’s not the kind of arch support you’d get with Nicks or Whites with a million layers of leather in the foot bed, but the narrow waist of the 2040 seems to provide arch support by the way they hug your feet at the waist. Works for me anyway. The heel as mentioned before is the only area in which they were uncomfortable in the beginning and then again after a ton of walking and hiking in snowy conditions in Japan. I think several other factors contributed to this and is not necessarily an issue with the boot.

Pretty much everything on this pair is impeccable. The only critique I might give as far as clicking is it seems as though the leather on the right boot may not be quite as thick as it is on the left boot. The right boots creasing is much sharper than on the left which makes me think the leather wasn’t quite as thick or perhaps not as rigid. Maybe on account on what part of the hide it was cut from. It kind of annoys me how asymmetrical the creasing is, but it’s impossible to predict these things and at the end of the day pretty meaningless. It’s just aesthetically a bit annoying to me.

Really pleased with the Goodyear soles. Tons of life left in them. Even the heels have a lot of life left in them which would be totally decimated by this point if they were Alden Thomas heels. Daily wear, in various environments and conditions. The heels are the only areas that show any wear at all. I will say hiking in snowy conditions did become uncomfortable. The snow compacts into what feels like golf ball sized clumps on the heels. But I doubt the conditions in which this occurred will happen very often to be worth mentioning.

Same experience with the Goodyear commando sole as described already.

If you have the coin, and can justify the cost, I’d wholeheartedly recommend these boots to anyone. They are well-made, with top-notch materials. Can’t say they’re a good value since many other makers out there these days making great boots at much lower prices. If you’re into cameras at all, I feel like there are a lot of parallels between Viberg and Leica. Many cameras are just as good at much cheaper prices than Leica, but once you’ve held and shot with a Leica, there’s just something about them that you can’t describe that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I feel the same with Viberg. Arguably there tons of other bookmakers out there that are just as good but they don’t have that indescribable feeling you get with a Viberg. Maybe that’s just marketing at work deep in the subconscious mind, I don’t know, but I will say these won’t be my last pair of Vibergs.