S.B. Foot Settler

The leather is classified within S.B. Foot's smooth-finished leather category and shares care requirements with other premium dress leathers including Featherstone, Pioneer, and Chaparral. Settler has been primarily used in limited edition and regional exclusive Red Wing Heritage footwear releases, with color variations including Walnut, White Ash, Burgundy, and Brick. The oil and wax combination provides water resistance and durability while developing rich patina characteristics through extended wear.

Settler leather is distinguished as a heavyweight, full-grain leather that maintains the complete natural grain surface without correction or buffing. The leather's defining characteristic is its unique oil and wax treatment applied during the tanning process, which creates enhanced performance properties while preserving a naturally distressed appearance. Unlike pigmented leathers, Settler retains all natural beauty marks, including scars, scratches, fat wrinkles, and grain variations that contribute to each hide's unique character.

The leather exhibits pull-up characteristics, a property of oil-tanned leathers where stretching or bending reveals lighter tones beneath the surface. This pull-up effect becomes particularly visible at creases, folds, and high-flex areas, creating natural color variation that emphasizes the leather's organic structure. The smooth surface maintains a slight waxy feeling, a tactile property resulting from the wax treatment during finishing. This surface character contributes to the leather's water, stain, and perspiration resistance while providing the distinct luster that defines Settler's appearance.

The leather's finish allows for regular polishing, setting it apart from roughout or matte-finished leathers. When polished with boot cream, Settler develops a radiant finish that enhances its natural depth and color variation. The combination of oil tanning and wax finishing creates a leather suitable for both heritage work boot applications and dress boot constructions, maintaining substantial feel and protective properties while offering refined aesthetic characteristics valued in premium footwear.

S.B. Foot Tanning Company manufactures Settler leather at their facility in Red Wing, Minnesota, using specialized tanning techniques that distinguish this leather from standard oil-tanned or wax-finished varieties. The company sources steer hides from United States cattle, with premium Burgundy Settler specifically made from the top 5% AA grade Texan steer hides. The production process maintains traditional oil-tanning methods while incorporating a distinctive wax treatment phase developed for Settler's unique characteristics.

The tanning process begins with fresh-prepared hides called wet blues, which acquire their characteristic blue tone from a high-exhaustion chrome tanning process. These wet blues provide a stable, pliable foundation for further treatment. Upon arrival at the tannery, hides are re-wetted and shaved to achieve uniform thickness before placement in large wooden drums for the oil-tanning phase.

During drum processing, hides soak in a specialized mixture of tree oils and tanning agents. The extended soaking period allows deep penetration of oils and tannins into the hide structure, providing full-thickness coloration that helps conceal future scuffs and maintain consistent color appearance as the leather breaks in. What distinguishes Settler from other S.B. Foot oil-tanned leathers is the addition of wax during the re-tanning stage, creating the foundation for the leather's distinctive surface characteristics.

Following the initial drum processing with wax integration, the hides undergo softening and oiling operations before final color pigment application. This multi-stage approach creates Settler's characteristic depth, with color built in layers rather than applied solely to the surface. The wax treatment contributes to the leather's smooth, slightly waxy surface feel while enhancing water resistance and creating the material's distinctive luster. The final finishing produces a naturally distressed appearance with visible grain character and color variation inherent to full-grain leather construction.

S.B. Foot maintains quality control through inspection at multiple production stages. The decision to leave Settler unpigmented preserves the natural characteristics of premium hides while requiring careful hide selection to ensure appropriate grain quality and minimal defects. The resulting leather maintains its structural and aesthetic properties through decades of use, with proper care allowing Settler to develop even, attractive patina that enhances rather than obscures the leather's natural character.

Settler leather requires regular maintenance to preserve its oil and wax content and maintain its protective properties and distinctive luster. As a smooth-finished leather suitable for polishing, Settler benefits from care products specifically formulated for dress and premium heritage leathers. Red Wing recommends boot cream for Settler, Featherstone, Pioneer, and Chaparral leathers, grouping these materials due to their similar construction and finish characteristics.

Regular cleaning begins with removing surface dirt using a dry cloth to wipe away loose debris. For routine maintenance, warm water and a soft bristle brush effectively remove accumulated dirt without stripping the leather's protective oils and waxes. This water-and-brush method provides sufficient cleaning for typical wear conditions. When leather becomes heavily soiled, Red Wing's Leather Cleaner may be applied with a cloth or brush, then wiped away with a damp cloth. Following cleaning, the leather must dry completely before conditioning to ensure proper product absorption.

Conditioning maintains the leather's oil and wax content, which provides both protective properties and the smooth, slightly waxy surface feel characteristic of Settler. Red Wing Boot Cream serves as the primary conditioning product for this leather type. The boot cream formula combines precise blends of neutral and colored waxes with lanolin, preventing leather from drying while building the polished, radiant finish that enhances Settler's natural luster and depth. Application involves using fingers, cloth, or sponge to spread a light, even coat across the leather surface, paying particular attention to seams and welt areas to promote structural integrity and flexibility.

The frequency of conditioning depends on usage patterns and environmental exposure. For typical wear conditions, conditioning every few months maintains appropriate oil and wax content. Footwear experiencing frequent wetting or harsh environmental exposure requires more frequent conditioning, as moisture exposure depletes the leather's protective content. However, excessive conditioning should be avoided, as over-application can saturate the leather and interfere with natural patina development through wear.

For additional protection, Red Wing Leather Protector may be applied by lightly misting the leather from six to eight inches away in a sweeping motion. This treatment provides a shield against dirt accumulation and moisture penetration while maintaining breathability. When properly maintained with regular cleaning, appropriate conditioning, and protective treatment, Settler leather develops even patina that deepens color and enhances grain character while preserving the material's structural integrity and water resistance through extended use.

Settler leather has been used primarily in limited edition and regional exclusive releases within the Red Wing Heritage collection, appearing in both classic work boot and dress boot constructions. The leather's refined finish and distinctive luster make it particularly suitable for heritage models that bridge functional work boot heritage with contemporary style applications.

The Beckman boot appears in multiple Settler variations, demonstrating the leather's versatility across color options. The style 9023 features Walnut Settler leather, a naturally distressed full-grain leather finished for distinct luster and smooth appearance. Originally released as a Japanese-only limited quantity offering, the 9023 pairs Walnut Settler with a layered leather Roccia outsole providing rubber traction for traditional style and reliable grip. The style 9022 utilizes Brick Settler leather in the same Beckman construction, featuring the 6-inch round toe silhouette built on Red Wing's last No. 8. Both Beckman models in Settler leather are now discontinued, with examples primarily available through secondary markets.

The Munson Ranger represents another significant application of Settler leather across multiple color variations. The style 8011 features White Ash Settler, a light-tan leather with tints of fawn and copper that creates distinctive appearance compared to standard Red Wing Heritage colorways. Built on the Munson last developed by Dr. Edward Munson in 1912 for military footwear applications, the 8011 combines White Ash Settler with Brown Nitrile Cork outsole and Goodyear welt construction. Originally a Japanese exclusive release, the 8011 later became available to European Red Wing Shoe stores, maintaining its status as a regional exclusive product.

A limited edition Munson Ranger produced specifically for the European market features Burgundy Settler leather, created from the top 5% AA grade Texan steer hides using the distinctive wax-integrated tanning process. This special release demonstrates Red Wing's approach to regional market offerings, with leather selection and colorway development tailored to specific market preferences while maintaining S.B. Foot's manufacturing standards.

The Work Oxford style 8052 represents Settler's application in a low-top heritage work shoe construction. Featuring Brick Settler leather on a Nitrile Cork outsole, the 8052 is built on last No. 8, the same last used for the Beckman and Iron Ranger styles. This oxford design draws inspiration from the first classic oxford style Red Wing designed in the 1950s, originally advertised as "a shoe for work and play" that combined casual styling with sturdy durability. The full-grain finished Brick Settler leather proves well-suited to the Work Oxford's polishable dress-casual aesthetic.

The concentration of Settler leather in limited edition and regional exclusive releases reflects both the leather's premium positioning within S.B. Foot's product range and its suitability for special offering boots where distinctive appearance and refined finish serve as differentiating characteristics. The leather's ability to develop personalized patina through wear while maintaining polished appearance makes it appropriate for heritage footwear designed for long-term ownership across both rugged and refined wearing contexts.

Settler leather availability has been primarily limited to specific Red Wing Heritage models released as regional exclusives or limited editions, with most applications now discontinued from current production. The leather's status as a special-offering material reflects its positioning as a premium option within S.B. Foot Tanning Company's leather range, typically reserved for boots targeting collectors and heritage footwear enthusiasts rather than general production runs.

For consumers seeking finished footwear in Settler leather, the secondary market represents the primary source, with models including the Beckman 9022 and 9023 and Munson Ranger 8011 appearing occasionally on resale platforms. The original retail positioning of these models, with the Beckman 9023 selling at $359.99 during its limited U.S. availability, established Settler-leather footwear as premium offerings commanding higher prices than standard Heritage line models. The discontinuation of most Settler applications and the regional exclusive nature of many releases contribute to limited availability and collector interest in existing examples.

For leatherworkers and small-scale bootmakers, direct availability of Settler leather as raw material through craft leather suppliers is limited compared to more widely distributed S.B. Foot leathers such as Harness or Legacy. The leather's primary production for Red Wing Heritage applications rather than broader leather goods markets restricts supply channels for individual craftspeople. Custom leather requests may be submitted directly to S.B. Foot Tanning Company through their website contact options, allowing specialized orders to be evaluated by their technical team, though minimum quantities and lead times would apply to custom production runs.

The limited availability of Settler leather reflects intentional positioning as a special-release material rather than a core production leather, with applications chosen to create distinctive offerings within Red Wing's product strategy. This approach maintains Settler's status as a noteworthy leather choice when it appears in new releases while preserving its association with limited edition and regional exclusive products that appeal to collectors and enthusiasts seeking distinctive alternatives to standard Heritage line options.