Lately, I’ve become increasingly obsessed with Roper-style cowboy boots, and when I heard that Rhodes makes a wedge-soled offering called the Roper Boot Caliber, I had to try them out. Rhodes is the in-house boot brand of Huckberry. They make everything from sleek Chelsea boots to rugged cowboy boots, but do the boots live up to the famous quality of Huckberry house brands like Flint and Tinder? That’s what I aim to find out. In this review, we’ll cover how these wedge soled western boots are built, comfort, sizing, and whether or not the Rhodes Roper boots are worth it. But first, here is a q ..read more

Looking into how to clean cowboy boots properly? Good on you. No one wants to accidentally ruin their boots while trying to maintain them — or from not trying to maintain them at all! From accidentally darkening the leather to over-conditioning or drying out already dry leather, there’s a load of common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of cleaning cowboy boots safely, starting with figuring out the way to clean and care for different leathers. Boot Care Tips: Your Cowboy Boot Care Game Plan Know your leather. Check the product’s we ..read more

Some time ago, I learned about Goral, a small shoemaker in Sheffield, England, that makes resoleable sneakers with high-end leathers from tanneries like Horween, Maryam, and CF Stead. Their new project? The Sharman, a more luxurious version of Dr. Marten’s combat boots. (They don’t use the word “Doc Martens” in their marketing, but it doesn’t take an advanced degree to work out what this boot’s tagline, “The DM Killer,” is referring to.) The premium components used to make these luxury “Docs” cost maybe double that of the Made-in-England (MIE) Dr. Martens, and the MIEs are the premium versions ..read more

I’ve wanted a pair of Moon Boots since high school when a cool girl from New York City moved to my town and had a mid-calf, furry pair that was the envy of the entire 9th grade. But I didn’t get a pair of Moon Boots in high school, so instead, I wore this kind of sad pair of indoor slippers that had a similarly bulbous shape but literally no rubber or waterproof material to speak of, even on the soles. Unsurprisingly, those turned into mush under my feet after just a few weeks of Boston winter wear. Undeterred, I kept wearing them until the bottoms literally disintegrated beneath me. And it wa ..read more

Key Takeaways: Silverland Lumberjack Our reviewer works in metal fabrication and welding and recommends these boots for anyone looking for comfortable and durable work boots. The Made-in-the-USA Silverland Lumberjack combines traditional Goodyear welt with modern materials like poron and EVA and the option of a steel toe. The downside is the synthetic welt makes it hard to resole, but the Silverado is priced appropriately. It also isn’t waterproof; if that’s important, check out Irish Setter’s Wingshooter ST. Silverado Boots aren’t as well known as brands like Thorogood or Red Wing, but maybe ..read more

It’s just a belt. Until it breaks. When I needed a new belt, I followed advice from fellow Stridewise writer Daniel Pati, who wrote an essay about the mistake of assuming all belts are the same. They’re not.   Using his criteria, I landed on Satchel & Page, a Brooklyn-based outfit that painstakingly developed some of the most highly regarded vegetable tanned leather on Earth. They sell two belts — a thicker, casual one and a slimmer, dressy one — in brown and black. To really try my hand at learning the ins and outs of good belts, I bought both. Here are my lessons from ..read more

Whether you’re looking for business casual shoes or something to slip on with shorts and a linen shirt, look no further than the loafer. But with so many types of loafers, how do you get the best ones? Loafers are easy to dress up but casual enough to wear all summer. They’re a great option for guys who don’t want to stop wearing quality leather footwear because they’re in shorts or lightweight trousers, and they’re often more comfortable than boots and oxfords because of their different construction method. (More on that later.) But there are more types of loafers than you might expect ..read more

Australian boot company Blundstone makes good value, water-resistant, slip-on boots. In their native Australia — a country that seriously loves Chelsea boots —  they’re affectionately called Blunnies and are some of the most popular boots for working folks. If you live in the United States, you might have never heard of them. If you have, you’re probably more familiar with their everyday 500 or 550 models. But Blundstone also make Chelsea boots that are intended for work and with my Blundstone 490 review, I aim to help you decide if it’s among the best work boots. I’ll rate the constructi ..read more

They look cool, sure, but a massive draw for guys shopping for boots is their longevity. That’s why a common question people ask when searching for the best boot brands is, “Which boots can be resoled?” The short answer is that you can more easily resole footwear with the upper stitched to the sole, as opposed to cemented boots where the sole is glued on. But it’s not quite that simple; there are many different ways to stitch a sole to an upper, which affects how easily a cobbler can resole a boot. We met up with expert cobblers and leather sandal makers Trenton and Heath Potter (@TrentonHeath ..read more

I am not an Uptown Girl. I’m not even a Downtown Girl. I live in Brooklyn. But sometimes, I like to throw on some cosplay, jump on the A-train, and head to Manhattan, where I can pretend to be the kind of fancy lady Billy Joel might sing about. And in this case, likelier than not, I would complete my sleek Manhattan ensemble (all black, naturally) with a pair of Thursday’s Uptown booties. These heeled leather beauties are effortlessly chic but still comfy enough to hit the streets for extended periods of time. And when she’s walking, she’s looking so fine… Let’s get into my Thursday Uptown boo ..read more