Wested Boots - First impressions

[bearbeast]

A few weeks ago I finally decided that I will get some Wested boots, even though I had a fear of them not fitting well, due to all the sizing trouble I read about on here.

The shoes in my shoe rack range from size 41 to 44, most of the well fitting ones being around 43. So I went with size 43.

On Friday the boots finally arrived, after some days in the Customs. They definitely fit on my feet, but they seem a bit too big. About a finger fits between my heel and the boot.

I had time to wear them a bit on Friday, about an hour on Saturday, but Sunday was the true test: I took a longish walk through a arboretum, near my hometown, about 5-6 km. The boots, though large were quite pleasant for my feet. The only issue is that the top of the boot digs into the calves all around and quite painfully at the back. It is not nice at all, but I've had this issue before with army boots. I am writing this Monday morning, and my toes, heels, soles have no signs of pain or blisters. Except the boots digging into the calves, I am quite satisfied with them.

Some pictures, as I feel the post would be bland without it:









I am quite happy with the purchase and so far they are not falling apart. I want to get another pair for more formal occasions, as this one I plan to use to its maximum capacity until it's torn to shreds.

Cheers,
Bear

[bearbeast]

Small update for those interested: Three more days of using the boots sparsely: they seem to be loosening up somewhat. I can tie the shoelaces a bit tighter. Though they still hurt my calves, it seems more bearable.

[Illinois_Jones]

Usually people complain they're too tight, but I often find many of those people are also inexperienced with breaking in new boots with leather that stiff and don't know that they'll stretch to fit with time. But if you went down a size to shorten the length then you could end up with something truly too narrow since they don't offer wide width. If it bugs you or you feel some slippage -- also possibly part of the issue with your calf -- you could get some heel pads. And find where the creasing on the upper is from where it's hitting your calf and condition the heck out of it to make the leather more pliable while you're breaking them in. They also make pads for that.

They are a pretty stiff leather, especially for a more casual boot.

[bearbeast]

Thanks for the tips, Illinois_Jones! I'll try the methods if the boots are too uncomfortable. They are already starting to loosen up. I have been moving my feet and calves inside them as much as possible to hurry this up and it seems it has worked. I think your idea with the conditioner will be the final blow, to make them nice and soft.

In college I used to wear these heavy military boots. They were very stiff, I think much stiffer than these. But my feet seem to have soften up since then.

[IndyJedi]

Hi bearbeast,

I've had my eye on these and appreciate your review. How are the soles of the boots? Wested doesn't show a photo of the bottom of the boots.

[bearbeast]

Hi bearbeast,

I've had my eye on these and appreciate your review. How are the soles of the boots? Wested doesn't show a photo of the bottom of the boots.

Hi IndyJedi,

I took some pics, sorry for the dirty soles, I've been wearing the boots every chance I get the last few days.

https://imgur.com/a/DpmSVxi

They are made from quite a hard rubber, but I cannot yet vouch for wear resistance. There is almost no texturing to them, which makes them slippery on my laminated floors. Outside and on other media I have had no issues with slippage.

Any other questions, let me know!

[Thunderspy]

Can you score the soles a bit? I think that used to be fairly common practice.

[bearbeast]

Can you score the soles a bit? I think that used to be fairly common practice.

I would think so, but since I've had no issues outdoors, I will keep them like this for now. I only wore them inside when they were clean.

I think in winter I might need to implement the scoring... Otherwise, I'll end up on a natural slip and slide. I'll test them out on the icy roads first and see how it goes.

[IndyJedi]

Hi bearbeast,

I've had my eye on these and appreciate your review. How are the soles of the boots? Wested doesn't show a photo of the bottom of the boots.

Hi IndyJedi,

I took some pics, sorry for the dirty soles, I've been wearing the boots every chance I get the last few days.

https://imgur.com/a/DpmSVxi

They are made from quite a hard rubber, but I cannot yet vouch for wear resistance. There is almost no texturing to them, which makes them slippery on my laminated floors. Outside and on other media I have had no issues with slippage.

Any other questions, let me know!

Thank You
I have Todd's boots from his initial run and they have a smooth sole, so slick that I have to tread carefully on indoor tile or similar surfaces.

[bearbeast]

No problem! These are my first Indy boots, so I don't have much to compare them with. But I like them loads so far.

[bearbeast]

Two weeks update:

The boots have definitely loosened up and are quite comfortable. Sometimes I feel a small discomfort on my sole near the heel, to the outside, but that is mostly it.

As a test I had a day outside with my wife today. All in all we walked about 12-13 km. I felt a bit of rubbing on my big toe and on my pinky toe, but nothing unmanageable. I was still definitely able to walk. And leather shoes in general do this to my sensitive feet anyway. The only shoes I find fully comfortable are skate shoes. And even those leave my feet tired after long walks.

So I am really happy with the boots. Now lets see how much they...last! Pun definitely intended!

Cheers,
Bear

[tomek9210]

They look pretty solid, I hope they will last decades.

I have Todd's Indy boots from 2012. I wear them a lot, mostly in autumn and winter and this year I got them refurbished. After 10 years one sole gave up, so they got new soles, new hooks and leather got proper conditioning. I look forward to another decade with them. Pretty good outcome for a 'budget' Indy boots. I hope the Wested ones are as good as Todd's/

[bearbeast]

They look pretty solid, I hope they will last decades.

I have Todd's Indy boots from 2012. I wear them a lot, mostly in autumn and winter and this year I got them refurbished. After 10 years one sole gave up, so they got new soles, new hooks and leather got proper conditioning. I look forward to another decade with them. Pretty good outcome for a 'budget' Indy boots. I hope the Wested ones are as good as Todd's/

Thank you, tomek! I think it is really nice you refurbished them. Or that it is possible to do so. Many modern shoes don't allow this, it is ridiculous! I think Indy would definitely refurbish his gear a lot.