I initially didn’t want to buy new boots just now but I wanted to check out new brands for a future buy. I was very interested in Truman boots to be honest but the import and additional taxes were just too much. That brought me on the quest to find high quality leather boots made in Europe. I found many makers but sadly the variety is not as great as in the US and Mexico especially in the work boot category. So many of the ones I found just didn’t scratch the itch I was looking for. Then I found Urban Shepherd and it was exactly what I was looking for from the style to the way they are made and of course the price was Sweet as well. The thing is I’m a black boot guy and every time I want to try something different I just love black the most. Urban Shepherd had only one black boot though but luckily it was exactly what I wanted I wanted something with a commando sole to have something more ”off-road“ worthy and everything else was perfect as well the leather midsole and height. I might add some speed hooks in the future but I wanted to try them as shipped first.
The online store has a sizing recommendation and a table with lengths for the different sizes. I used that and the size worked out great.
I bought these online at their own store I had some questions for customer support beforehand but they were answered very quickly. They were on sale for 233.71€ and shipping was 20€
These boots were part of quite a few adventures. I’ve visited castles, explored cities and medieval town centres. They have been worn on many day hikes and short stoles and they encountered basically every condition I could come up with, form sandy beaches to wet grass to muddy puddles and ankle deep snow.
I only waxed these once when I entered the dome, other than that I only brushed or wiped them down with a wet towel if they needed it. Break in was pretty average. The upper broke in rather quickly because the leather is pretty soft and supple but the thick midsole took quite a bit longer. Breathability is great it regulates the temperature quite well. The only problem area is the toe because the vamp lining leather is not that great at wicking away sweat. Flipping the lining would have definitely been better but I do have pretty sweaty feet so that’s also why. Durability is great we have lots of thorny twines growing low to the ground and they can chew up boots pretty bad. These made me feel really confident walking through them and they protected me well, nothing went through or compromised them in any way.
I definitely could have gone half size up in these but I made it work. Sadly this was the largest size available but switching to half insoles worked wonders. Due to this fit at the toes is definitely snug but ist still comfortable even though I usually don’t even like if my toes touch the sides in any way. The heel is very well shaped and fits perfectly. Instep is pretty low which is perfect for me as well as the quarters for my skinny ankles.
The design is in my mind rather unconventional because the upper is very light weight and built for flexibility while the sole is extremely beefy and tough. They skipped some of the reinforcement on the eyelets and the collar but this hasn’t compromised the durability as far as I can tell. Finishing was beautiful the welt joints we’re basically invisible and every stitch was perfect. Edge finish was one of the best I’ve seen on new boots. Clicking was good as well but I got unlucky with some grain break on one vamp. The hardware wasn’t great however, the eyelets sliced through laces like butter even after filing them down. So I just changed them and that was that.
The Vibram 2040 Fighter sole works great and it doesn’t look as rugged as it actually is. It’s the same compound as the v100 lug so it’s kinda slippery on wet smooth surfaces but everything else is great. One thing that I noticed is it doesn’t seem to tack mudd as bad as the full lug.
These boots are absolutely stunning, they are one of those things were the honeymoon phase doesn’t really stop. Even though they have their flaws I absolutely would buy them again. The value you get with them is hard to beat for 250€ with shipping. I’m also pretty blown away by how these aged it’s a lot more dramatic than I expected.