COMING SOON › Chukka Boots!

NEW HIKING BOOT

My new hiking boot I call a CHUKKA boot. The definition is an ankle high boot with lace eyes at the bottom and hooks at the top. It comes from the sport of polo.

That said, when I started selling the 10 inch Lamilite leather boots last year a number of customers inquired about an 8 inch boot. I had the factory make a pair for me and I have been wearing them off and on for months and now that the season is changing I wear them more often. The only difference from the original boot is the height. They are made with the same components; same quality leather, same weight of Lamilite, and the same Vibram sole.

What I have noted—and I believe several of the 10 inch boot owners have written to me of the same experience—when wearing either wool or cotton socks in the boots the moisture from our feet has not been retained within the boots. I wear the heavy weight Smartwool or the same quality from Cabela’s, occasionally also using the Lamilite socks which becomes more often as the temperature drops. At the end of each day my feet are dry, the socks are dry and the lining of the boots is dry. I am sure that there is very little moisture in the leather during the warm weather since leather is vapor permeable as the outside temperature or sunlight hits the dark surface of the leather it heats it so it dries relative quick.

I have been looking at the other hiking boots available, and aside from having Gore-Tex in them, they are made mostly from fabric. The fabric does not give the same stability as leather. The fabric boots allow the feet to move easily from side to side within the boot contributing to the “macerating” that Andrew Skurka wrote about happening to his feet while wearing La Sportive, Gore-Tex lined fabric hiking boots. The macerating took place over a three day period, not very long. During my years as a skier I was schooled to try on a variety of boots to make sure that my feet were solid within the boots so when I lifted my heals they did not come up first and then the boot which was also pulling up the ski. If your feet were not basically a part of the boots you would develop a blister. The same holds true for hiking boots and that can only be accomplished with properly fitting leather boots. In addition, there is significantly greater amount of ankle support with my leather boots than the fabric boots that also have a layer of open cell foam that contributes to the retention of moisture since foam is basically a sponge. The foam also collapses when pressure is applied further allowing foot movement within the boot. And of course when the fabric boot soles wear out, regardless of the condition of the upper, they cannot be re-soled. The soles are molded on to the upper: planed obsolescence. Since my boots have a sewn-on Vibram sole they can be replaced by any cobbler. My boots do not fit the category of planned obsolescence, just like my sleeping bags. In my opinion, the leather boots that are being made for me are the best fitting leather boots on the market—which also means the best hiking boot on the market.

Another aspect of leather boots are that they will form to your feet as they break in. The fabric boots never do.

From what I have seen the prices of the other brands are comparable to what I will be charging, but you get a whole lot more with a leather boot.

At this time I have ordered a production run of a size range from 4 to 15 in both regular and wide widths. The reason for starting with a size 4 men’s is to be able to accommodate women. A size 4 men’s boot will fit a woman with a size 6 women’s shoe size. The color is dark brown.

I expect the cost to be about $180.00 since these chukka boots are only two inches shorter. I expect that I will receive the first shipment about the first of November.

As soon as the price is firm I will post it with all of the sizes on the web site so they can be ordered. Whatever the actual price is, shipping will be free and a pair of 8 inch socks will come with each pair. As a bonus for ordering early, I will include a set of shoe dryers. At some point yet to be determined the shoe dryers will not be given as a part of the purchase of the chukka boots unless ordered separately.