My J Crew Red Wing Indy boots

[Pitfall Harry]

Over the past few days I was toying around with the idea of just saving my money up and buying a pair of Alden 405's. I thought about it but after learning that the Alden's soles can become very slick in certain weather conditions that are common in my "neck of the woods" I decided it wasn't worth it in the long run because I'd have to take the boots and have the soles replaced.....

I figured I had my new Rockports and those were good enough....

Then, I just happened to be over on Ebay a few nights ago and decided to do a search for boots and I came across a seller on there that had the J Crew Red Wing rugged classic boots for sale at a discount. I looked around and sure enough they had my size. So after maybe taking less than a minute to think about it I went ahead and bought them.

I've been "eyeing" these boots for quite some time waiting for the price to drop.....Well, they didn't drop as low as I would have liked but it was low enough that I couldn't let them slip threw my fingers.

The total cost was $150 and the color is Hickory. These are brand new boots and are not "factory defects".

I tried the boots on last night and they fit perfect, just a little stiff because they're new. They're very comfortable. The soles are perfect for all the places I want to wear these and I love the "worn in" look of the leather. And, yes.....the shoe strings need replaced for sure.

Sadly, to recoup some of the money I spent on these I decided to sell my Rockports. I don't really need two sets of Indy boots anyway.


Ok, here are some pics I took of them last night.

[Strider]

Love those soles. THanks for the pics and review, Harry!

[PyramidBlaster]

I've been eyeing these as well. How's the sizing? 'bout the same as other shoes? Those Farnums are sized a little 'weird'...And these look more like i'd actually go adventuring in them....

[Honolulu Jones]

I've got a pair of these coming as well (unfortunately not the discount version, but good on ya for finding that). Look like great boots -- thanks for posting the pics.

[Ozraptor]

So if the Aldens are so hard to wear due to lack of traction, how can Ford and his stunt doubles manage all the running, jumping and falling down?

[PyramidBlaster]

So if the Aldens are so hard to wear due to lack of traction, how can Ford and his stunt doubles manage all the running, jumping and falling down?

It's called, 'Movie Magic'....

Actually, the Aldens do fine....Just that I gotta have some traction on my soles...And these are just the ticket for me...

I'm not really concerned about the absolute minutiae of SA...My rig would be more of a 'practical interpretation' of Indy's rig...Not far off, just that I choose to adapt some items to suit practical use in MY world, as opposed to someone else's...

All right... Since these are closer to my ideal than even the Aldens at this point, they're about a cheap as i'm going to find before the premiere, and they're in danger of 'slipping through my fingers', I just pulled the trigger.

I'll still wear the Farnums, just as more casual/dress shoes...What they're really designed for...I needed a pair of brown shoes, anyway...And they can always serve as a backup...

Thanks for the tip-off, Pitfall!

[Mossyrock]

And, in case you were even remotely curious, here are the Red Wings and the Aldens together for comparison's sake... (Both with Alden laces.)

[Pitfall Harry]

My reasoning behind not buying the Alden's had to do with hearing how the soles reacted in wet or snowy conditions....We get a lot of that stuff here in Indiana and I just pictured myself sliding all over the place. So naturally I would want to have better soles put on them and that would jack the price up even more.

These boots work out better for me and are more practical.....plus I was getting a good deal on the price.

The sizing for these boots seems to be pretty spot on. I wear a size 13 and they fit perfect. Not to tight and not to loose.

[Honolulu Jones]

Thanks for the comparison pics. A lot more practical and still a pretty close match.

[Mossyrock]

Thanks for the comparison pics. A lot more practical and still a pretty close match.

No comparison in comfort, however... The Aldens are MUCH more comfortable. The Red Wings take a LOT of breaking in!

[Captain Ron Solo]

Harry,
I thought that I had completely missed out on the opportunity to buy that style of Red Wings. Could you pm me with the info on the seller of those boots? Those are awesome, and you're right. In snow/ice Aldens are not ideal. I got caught in Philadelphia a while back when it snowed, and my Aldens were the only shoes I had taken. I had more than a few close calls, but I never bit it.

Ron

[PyramidBlaster]

OK...My RedWing Ruggeds came in yesterday...And after a healthy dose of Dr. Jackson's to soften them up and darken them...Kiwi Brown polish to darken them more...And replacing the hideous laces with something a little more appropriate, here they are. I may go after them with some Cordovan after they break in a bit.

The Dr. Jackson's really did a lot to soften them up, and the thin gel insoles didn't hurt, either.....I'm pretty happy with these...I'll be happier when I can get the color a little darker. Right now they're kinda 'Pumpkin' in the sun...



Sizing was quite good...I'm used to a Timberland Last, and these are a little more narrow, but still quite comfortable. They are definitely quite 'Rugged', indeed....I ordered my normal size (12d), and i'm able to wear them comfortably so far with hiking socks and the thin Gel insoles. I just wish the existing insole was removeable, so I could put a real comfort footbed in them....Maybe they'll work loose on their own.

These will definitely be my 'real world' boots...But I'll evaluate them against my Rockport Farnums before the premiere to see which i'll wear....

[GoneSolo]

Are these steel toed?

Is it possible to add the speed hooks?

[Mossyrock]

Are these steel toed?

Is it possible to add the speed hooks?

Not steel toed. As for the hooks, the one cobbler I have asked so far said he couldn't do it. Don't lose hope because at least one person on this board has a pair with speed hooks...I've seen pics of them.

[Pitfall Harry]

PyramidBlaster, your boots look great. I'm not sure if I'll color mine like you did but mine are brand new and very stiff. What exactly is Dr. Jackson's and where can I get some? I'd like to soften mine up a bit.

[PyramidBlaster]

The stuff is called 'Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator'...It's been addressed around here before, most people seem pretty neutral to it...As opposed to Mink oil or something like that which are no-no's. I use Pecards as my regular dressing, but I use this stuff when I need to soften something up or restore badly dried-out leather. It's a cream that's highly penetrating.

They used to sell it at Tandy Leather, which is where I got it---It's still made, but Tandy (Leather Factory) no longer carries it. I'm almost out, so I may have to search for it soon, too...

UPDATE: I take it back. They do seem to still sell it. But they never seem to stock it in my local store....Here's a link.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/prod ... r=21978-00

Is it possible to add the speed hooks?

I'm looking into this, too. So far, all i've found are rivet-style, but I think they'd work. You'd just have to rivet them through the existing (large) lace hole...Here's a link to some.

http://www.eleatherworks.com/home.php?cat=687

I ordered some pull-the-dot snaps from them and they seem reasonable...They have an AWESOME selection of specialty hardware...

[Pitfall Harry]

I cleaned off the boots today and applied a little Pecards to them. It darkened the color up quite a bit. I REALLY like how they came out.


Here are some pics.

[PyramidBlaster]

Those are about the color of mine now---after two coats of Dr. Jackson's interspersed with brown and Cordovan Kiwi shoe polish...I love these boots!

I removed the gel insole and went to thick hiking socks and that was the trick for them---They're fitting really, really well now. I'm pretty much a lock to wear them to the premiere rather than the Farnums....

[Pitfall Harry]

I figured I had the Pecards on hand so I might as well try it and see if it would help soften up the leather some and it did. It darkening the color was an added bonus. Not that the original color was something that bothered me.

All it really took was a thin coat and maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

I'm REALLY glad I bought these boots.

[PyramidBlaster]

I'm REALLY glad I bought these boots.

Yeah...I second that. I was originally a little unsure if I was doing the right thing...Didn't buy them full price, but they were still a little pricey....The wife has been very 'patient' up to this point, and I was aware of tipping the balance...But I'm really diggin' them. Thanks again for the heads up....

[Strider]

Sorry to necro this thread, but have any of you that own these boots worn them to any real degree yet? I don't mean just with the costume, I mean serious wear? I put so much use on my boots that I am considering buying these because they are Red Wings.

I already own a pair of different Red Wing close enoughs, which I wouldn't mind getting re-soled and selling to recoup some of the cost of the J Crew Red Wing ruggeds, but the last pair of J Crew close enough boots I owned were the "vintage work boots," and they were absolute JUNK that just happened to look EXACTLY like Aldens. Great costume shoe to wear once or twice a year, absolutely TERRIBLE as far as taking wear and tear goes. Ended up selling them just for the money. I don't want that happening again, and I'd be just as happy getting my current Red Wings re-soled and just keeping them, but like the ruggeds' very close to Alden look. Since the ruggeds have the J Crew name attached to them, I'm skeptical because of past experience. Any words on their durability?

[PSBIndy]

Nice boots......close match to the Aldens. However, for me, they look too "rugged" for everyday wear....I think it's the lugs on the sole that makes it look too "lumberjack." I love my Rockport Farnums in that you can wear them with jeans or dressy slacks or chinos. However, I don't wear them much these days.....chukkas are just too hot in summertime.

[Indybantha Jones]

Nice boots, im going to have to search around for a pair

[dirtyepic129]

Just a quick note with my impressions in case anyone is looking into these. I finally got a 20% off coupon for JCrew a few weeks ago and ordered these.... paid $180 before shipping/tax. The reports are true .... very stiff and rugged, and will take a lot of breaking in. I've tried on some Aldens (though don't own a pair .... yet), and can confirm that while the Red Wings are comfortable, the Aldens take the cake. However, these are work horses and will stand up to some major damage. The leather (dark wood color) also looks great and they're being broken in.

I also saw that someone was concerned that they were a little too rugged and not for everyday wear. I recently have been wearing these to work with kahkis and have had numerous complements on how 'stylish' these boots were! Therefore, these aren't just for beating up.

Once broken in more (the weather is getting cooler!) I'll post some pics.

[Mossyrock]

I want to drag this one up from the depths and post an update. I have been wearing my Red Wings as outside work boots around the place since I got them, and they are standing up to the abuse very well...MUCH better than my Aldens would under the same circumstances. I will admit that I baby my Aldens, keeping them polished and wearing them to my cushy and boring office job nearly every day. The Red Wings DON'T get babied! In fact, they get abused. They have earned all of the dings and scars they have, and then some. Now, having said that, I am looking into getting the Red Wings resoled with vintage "Cat's Paw" soles and heels. While the traction of the Red Wings is nice, I get really tired of tracking @#$% into the house from the farm. The bottom line is that if I wear them outside, they HAVE to come off at the door, or I am tracking mud and "other stuff" on the hardwood floors. Mondo bad ju-ju....

I have a line on a shoe repair place in California that can resole them with Cat's Paws. I am also going to see if they can replace the top three eyelets with hooks. Stand by for news....