I wore these everywhere during the dome, they were my main boots for 6 months. I wore these in rain, snow, and mud, on the playground with my kids, on long dog walks, hikes, and everything in between. At times these felt a bit too “refined” in certain situations, but overall these were a lot of fun to wear and looked good with just about everything in my wardrobe.
This was my first time wearing waxed flesh, and by far the best part of this pair. I loved the contrast black reverse waxed camel tongue. They were fairly soft from day one, but softened up quickly. After the first handful of wears, subtle patina started to show at creases and high friction areas. I loved seeing how the waxes and resin wears away and nap starts to come through. By month 4, these really started patina nicely, with defined contrast areas. I wore these pretty hard, and never got tired of seeing more character develop with each new wear. For care, I did nothing but brush vigorously after a few wears, and occasionally put shoe trees in them if I wasn’t wearing them for more than a day or two (which only happened a few times over the course of the dome.)
Fit on these were decent, not perfect. Like all 2030, there’s minimal arch support, which I I don’t mind. I found these only got more comfortable with wear, and within the first month, really seemed to mold to my feet.i always wore these with medium weight socks. I found them quite comfortable with good support and ball placement. The ridgeway soles are kind of stuff but overall they were fine. There was some slight rubbing on my toe next to my pinky on my left foot. This pair confirmed that half down is definitely the right size (these were full down).
Like all Vibergs, these are really solidly made. Qc was really good on this pair, with no noticeable issues. Design wise, waxed flesh is an interesting choice paired with small 9-eyelets. The rugged and beat-uppable leather are almost at odds with the more dressy feel of the small 9-eyelet setup, but in the end I felt it worked pretty well.
I’m no ridgeway hater, but I did sort of wish these were on Dainite from a design perspective. Stiff but still comfortable, especially over time. I barely made a dent and I’m still a ways off from needing a resole. I will say the ridgeway heel is great in rain, but terrible in snow. They collect snow and build up in the heel so that it feels like you’re walking on high heels. Not a fun experience.
I really liked this pair and will continue wearing these in the rotation. I love the patina they’ve developed and I can’t wait to see how they look a year from now. Just a great rugged pair perfect that I don’t have to worry about (and often look forward to) beating up.