Aldens Arrive: Review with pics...

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Tue May 03, 2005 10:30 pm

Got 'em in a week. They're awesome! Excuse the pic quality; camera phone only way to post them.

side by side with J Crews (Rugged)...

First of all, these are stout boots, long and heavy. I was surprised. If I had ordered my regular size (10 1/2 D) they would have been too big. I went down half a size and up a tad in width to a 10 E. (I could probably fit comfortably in a 9 1/2 even) The J Crews pictured are 10 1/2. While the Aldens are shorter in height they are also longer, with a little extra room at the point of the toe. If you can't get your foot professionally measured, I definately recommend going down half a size .... at least.

Color: well you can't really tell by the pics how light they are. I know some are against it, but i'm probably going to pecard them or something to darken them. But ... there aint no way I'm distressing them. These babies are going to age on their own.

(Still can't believe I paid $300.00 *gasp* gor a pair of shoes).

Thanks to all you guys' insightful input on these boards I was able to choose ... wisely.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue May 03, 2005 10:45 pm

They look sensational, mate! Great purchase

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Tue May 03, 2005 11:04 pm

They do look great!

(Even though the pic quality stinks.

)
$300 is a lot for a pair of boots. As much as I would love to have a pair I don't know that I can bring myself to spend that much money on a pair of boots. ( Yes, I'm very cheap.

)

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Tue May 03, 2005 11:15 pm

Thanks guys!

Yeah, with these, and an Adventure Built in the oven its going to be a LONG wait for a digital camera.

ij1936 · Post by **ij1936** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:53 am

You will love these boots. Once you get used to the weight, I think you'll find that they're worth every penny. I've got a couple pairs and my tootsies just love to be in them! Believe me, once you're used to them, if you try to put on any footwear other than your Aldens, your feet WILL rebel! Your toes will be up in arms, your instep will outstep, and your heel will not heel! You have been warned!

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Wed May 04, 2005 9:45 am

Nice Aldens, Alabama! Once they break in, they'll be very comfortable. Keep in mind that until they're broken in, they'll be very stiff. And it won't take long to distress them naturally. Heck, I wore mine out of the store and accidentaly scuffed the toe on the curb! DOH!

And Weaver, I can understand being shocked at paying that much for a pair of shoes. I'd rather pay far less for shoes than that, too. However, my feet are such that if I wear poor quality shoes, it will do far more harm than good to me. My Aldens were equally an orthopedic choice and investment as much as they were an Indy gear buy. Having worn these shoes solidly since I've gotten them a year ago, I would gladly save up for another pair of these, even if they had nothing to do with Indy. But again, I wouldn't mind paying half that price for them, either!

bink

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Wed May 04, 2005 3:24 pm

My feet have seen and they have heard '36!

Bink, you're right, they're a bit stiff, but still WAY more comfortable than the J Crews right out of the box. I breakin' 'em in as we speak.

entrenched intrepidly behind my desk

I took a little treatment to them last night. (Note one treated and one as is for comparison)

It only darkened them a tiny bit, but it toned down the loudness (IMO) of the moc toe stitching ... gave them less of a bowling shoe look.

Scandinavia Jones · Post by **Scandinavia Jones** » Wed May 04, 2005 3:47 pm

Great looking shoes, 'Bama! Wear them in good health... and good thinking - do not distress them. Your feet and the ground will do that in time.

Re: the color - just use a dark brown shoe polish and you'll be fine. Here's a pic of mine, a good year ago, and now:

They will look the part eventually... and hey - they're comfy too!

Congratulations!

Richard~Buxton · Post by **Richard~Buxton** » Wed May 04, 2005 5:49 pm

Great looking pair of boots you got there. there on my next to get list, are they still the original colour though.?

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Wed May 04, 2005 11:41 pm

Scandinavia Jones wrote:Great looking shoes, 'Bama! Wear them in good health... and good thinking - do not distress them. Your feet and the ground will do that in time.

Re: the color - just use a dark brown shoe polish and you'll be fine. Here's a pic of mine, a good year ago, and now:

They will look the part eventually... and hey - they're comfy too!

Congratulations!

Thanks Scandy.

Those look great! THink I'll get me some of that DARK brown polish.

Cryptid~Explorer wrote:Great looking pair of boots you got there. there on my next to get list, are they still the original colour though.?

Thanks. Yeah, I think so, not that pumpkin color of a few years ago, though its kind of hard to tell from the camera-pics. You're gonna love 'em.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Thu May 05, 2005 12:32 am

The color looks pretty close to the original boots. Look at the pic from the boot page. Considering that Indy's are distressed and yours are new I'd say that the color is right on. Great looking boots by the way!

http://indygear.com/gear/images/alden_raiders.jpg

IndianaJons · Post by **IndianaJons** » Fri May 13, 2005 2:36 pm

Hi folks - I purchased 2 pairs of these Alden shoes back in 1990. I have worn them every school day for 15 years (I am a teacher and on my feet most of the day). I also wear them many times during the Summer. I polish them with brown or cordovan polish every weekend so they're good to go for the week, and each one gets stuffed with a cedar shoe tree as soon as the shoes come off at night. If I remember correctly, I paid about $190 per pair... but I justified the cost by thinking that such high quality shoes would last much longer than lesser brands.

I was right. My Aldens still look practically new (though I'm on my third set of heels by now). They are BY FAR the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, and I anticipate many more years of use from them. I get tons of favorable comments about them (including once from an emergency room doctor in Chicago, once from a very lovely young lady at a cafe in Venice (no joke!) and also EVERY time I go through the security checkpoint at the airport... that steel shank trips the alarm). I've never had any "Indy" comments about them, either... everyone just thinks that they're cool shoes.

Even at the current price of nearly $300, these shoes are a bargain. I see no reason to expect less than 20 years of wear out of a pair, which translates to less than 10 bucks per year for mine, or $15 per year at today's cost.

I am somewhat mystified at the never-ending search that some members of this group go through to find a less-expensive substitute for the Alden "Indy boot." Guys, nothing else is going to last like the Aldens! Accept no substitutes... What are you waiting for?... order some today!

Richard~Buxton · Post by **Richard~Buxton** » Fri May 13, 2005 5:02 pm

That's good to here, you'v had them nearly sixsteen years, and their still good to go. All probably be getting a pair this year.

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:34 pm

THese are up for sale in CLassifieds. viewtopic.php?p=159537#159537

Live and learn ... they're just a tad too long in the toe for me.

eddie vader · Post by **eddie vader** » Thu May 26, 2005 12:49 pm

Sorry to hear that they don't fit you. I had to drop a whole shoe size as well when I purchased Aldens. Good luck with your sale and I hope your next pair fit perfectly.

E. Vader

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Thu May 26, 2005 3:49 pm

I got my Aldens today, well sorta. There was a mix up and they sent me a 10.5 instead of a 12.5.

But Alden was very nice and told me I would have the correct pair by Tuesday.

As for the boot itself. Well, even though I couldn't even try them on I can tell you they are worth every penny. The quality is excellent; something I've only seen in other boots around the same price. I don't find them particularly heavy. Of course since they are 2.5 sizes smaller than my other boots maybe I should wait until I get the proper size before commenting on the weight. The color is excellent as well. They appear to be pretty close if not the same as the movie boots.

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Thu May 26, 2005 3:54 pm

Thanks Vader.

Weaver, do your boots have the size imprinted in real small letters on the top inside? Cause my shipping label read size 11, (which was wrong) yet they said 10 over a small E on the inside. (right/what I ordered)

Also, did you order your "regular size," or did you go a half size down?

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Thu May 26, 2005 4:04 pm

Yup, the size is printed in small letters on the inside of the boot. In fact, their kinda hard to see. I'm sure that after a few months of wear the type will be gone.

I actually ordered the size that I was measured for. All of my shoes are 13's because you can't get half sizes in most shoes or boots. My foot actually measures a 12.5 so thats what I ordered. I believe that the 12.5 will be ok. I plan on wearing a fairly heavy sock in them anyway. If its a little big it will be ok as it will give me room for an insole as well.

IndianaRedmon · Post by **IndianaRedmon** » Thu May 26, 2005 5:12 pm

I also received my shoes from Aldens this week. I was measured earlier this year for a pair of hiking boots, and from discussions on this site concerning these shoes I decided to order a half size smaller for the Indy boots. They fit up rather well, and I have already logged about eight miles in them to start breaking them in. Thanks group for all the input it really does help many of us.

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Thu May 26, 2005 5:13 pm

J_Weaver wrote: If its a little big it will be ok as it will give me room for an insole as well.

I wouldn't bet on it. There is not much room from the footbed to the uppers and with an insole, it makes your foot feel too smushed. Smushed, that's a technical footwear term.

I find that most of the gel type insoles are too thick. The only one that I have found that may be acceptable are the original Dr. Scholl's air pillow insoles. They are real cheap ones, I think they are like two bucks at Walmart.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Thu May 26, 2005 5:22 pm

Yea, I'm not betting on it. I've tried those gel insole too and they are too thick for most of my shoes. I'm sure a heavy sock will probably be enough. From what I hear the boots really don't need an insole anyway.

Richard~Buxton · Post by **Richard~Buxton** » Thu May 26, 2005 9:27 pm

Well, everyones getting their Aldens. I think i'ts time for me to get mine.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Fri May 27, 2005 4:12 pm

Well, I've got my boots! I was absolutely shocked when they arrived today. As you know I accidently received the wrong pair yesterday. I called Alden and they said no trouble, well get the right pair out to you today and have UPS pick up the others. I about had a heartattack when I got the boots today. Alden sent me the correct pair overnight!

I really can't reccomend Alden enough. Yes, their expensive, but they are worth every penny. As for the quality, see my post from yesterday. As for the fit well, their great! They are somewhat heavier than most other work boots of similar style. I'm so glad I got these instead of a pair of close enough boots!

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Tue May 31, 2005 10:51 am

Yup, I recieved the wrong size on Thursday. (not my mistake, but Alden's) I called Alden as soon as I got them and told them the problem. They issued a call tag for UPS to pick them up. Alden then sent the correct pair to me Next Day Air. Thus I had them an Friday! Talk about great customer service.

Here's a pic, well sorta.

Tex, I hope you don't mind me barrowing your pic. They looked just like this out of the box.
New

I put a coat of brown polish on them juts to slightly darken them and to cover the stitching.

Indiana Aidil · Post by **Indiana Aidil** » Tue May 31, 2005 10:56 am

I've also got my alden!!! When i opened the box i was shocked because the boot was quite large. But it fit me perfectly. My toe end just past the stitches and the width is okay for my feet to move around a little bit. My boot also has enough room in it especially the heel. I think the outsole that makes the boot look quite bulky. What do you guys think? I will post some pictures tomorrow.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Tue May 31, 2005 1:16 pm

I think the Aldens are quite sharp looking for a work boot. Of course its all perspective. If you wear boots a lot, you won't find much about the boots shocking; other than the comfort. However, if your not a boot person then you might be surprised about how heavy built the boots are.

I just love mine.

Indiana Aidil · Post by **Indiana Aidil** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:13 pm

Here are my boot pics.

I agreed with you..it's all perspective. Now i've get used with the look of my boot and realize it's not as big as i though. I put pecard on them last night and it has darkened a little bit. I really love this boot.

taikonaut · Post by **taikonaut** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 3:42 am

I use to have a pair of shoes like that given to me by my brother back in the early 80s and I hated it because it was not the fashion trend of the time.

bastoon · Post by **bastoon** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:33 am

your alden looks "MA-GNI-FIQUE !!!" indiana aidil !!

Just a question for all of you : i command my alden a few minutes ago (it's 12h30 in France) via internet and receive a confimation of my order and an automatique response of alden that said : " OUT OF OFFICE ! There will be no email response available until Monday, June 6th. "

What does that want to say ?

Indiana Aidil · Post by **Indiana Aidil** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:38 am

Indiana_Tone wrote:Glad the boots turned out to fit you, Aidil! I know you were concerned there for a moment. See? It all works out!

J_Weaver.......oddly enough, my new boots looked just like the other boot in that pic you posted. Glad you're enjoying the Aldens. Now. New pics of you out in those hills with the Aldens on. Right?

Yaa..i'm glad it all work out! The boots is not so heavy but quite stiff. I hope the break in period doesn't last me long.

Ohh..by the way..if i put pecard on the stitches will it do any harm to the stitches?

Indiana Aidil · Post by **Indiana Aidil** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:57 am

Thanks bastoon! Hmm...i think maybe the shop are close or there's no one on that day to take your order and they will process the order when they get back on Monday. Be patient. I had to ordered mine twice because they can't shipped to Malaysia and i had to shipped the second order to US and wait a month for my friend to bring the boots to me. I'm lucky because they have my size in stock. Hope they have your size in stock too.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:46 am

Indiana_Tone wrote:J_Weaver.......oddly enough, my new boots looked just like the other boot in that pic you posted. Glad you're enjoying the Aldens. Now. New pics of you out in those hills with the Aldens on. Right?

I'll be going to Glade Springs WV in a couple of weeks. I know my Aldens are going with me. I'll see if I can get some pics then.

Alabama Jones · Post by **Alabama Jones** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:50 am

After a couple of weeks wearing the ALdens to work I finally decided to take them offroad on a hike up Grandgather Mt. Though I found myself sidestepping mudpuddles, I must say they did surprisingly well with grip and when they hit rock they sound just like Indy in the temple and when he's following the letters in Last Crusade.

They got scuffed up pretty good, but feel like they have more character now. I'm going to use some Melatonian and Pecards and keep wearing to work.

Really hard to see in the small pic here... Yeah, I know that shirt is really blue.

My teenage daughter joined me.

She had just seen National Treasure so we talked about the Knights Templar and The Holy Grail. It was a wonderful day!

Oh, and I went backpacking on The Appalachian Trail a week or so ago and due to rain, I wore my J Crew Ruggeds. They did great! ONe of my buddies had a pair of the Redwing close enoughs (he's not a gearhead) and he slipped and fell once and complained of soreness. I Had no problem in the Crews. After a coating of polish and pecards, a thorough soaking, and lots of hiking and climbing they look very Indy-ish. I highly recommend them when they appear at the sale price!

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:59 am

I've done some hiking in my Aldens too and I've found the sole to be pretty nice. They provide much more traction than I expected. Of course all of this has been "on trail", so I don't really know how they would perform in a more rugged enviroment. I guess I'll still have them resoled at some point this summer.