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April 11, 2005
The Make-Up of a Boot
The Make-Up of a Boot
Regardless of the style, boots are far from simple. Boots have a lengthy construction time, often necessitating dozens (if not hundreds) of individual steps until they are fully made. For instance high quality hand crafted leather western boots can have about 300 individual steps from the time the leather is cut for the boot until the boots are inspected and boxed. This can mean dozens and hundreds of people are often involved in the production of every single boot. From stitching up vamp (front) of the boot to the counters (back) of the boot to attaching the outsole (bottom) of the boot: boots take teams of specialists. This can make the labor costs of producing a boot quite high. But, the cliche "you get what you pay for" really applies when it comes to western boots. The same is true for work, motorcycle, casual and fashion boot styles. If you'd like to learn more about what goes into the making of a western boot we recommend reading Art of the Boot by Tyler Beard and Jim Arndt.
Material
Leather is often the choice of material for boots. Because leather is known as a luxury material, leather boots and shoes are considered high quality, durable products. These aren't tennis shoes! Thus, the brands found on BootBarn.com take their product quality and functionality very seriously. Leather is prepared in a number of different ways from suede to distress to rough out. Each prepared style gives the boot quite a different look and feel. Add on to the obvious fact that besides cowhide, leather can come from a variety of sources from pigs to snakes to birds to elephants.
Main Boot Components
Outsole
The Outsole is simply the bottom of the boot and gives your feet some "grip". The occasion that you wear boots and the style will greatly influence what type of outsole is on the boot. For western boots, you generally have leather or rubber-like outsoles. Leather outsoles are for traditionalists and are good for dancing. The general trend for western boots is heading more and more towards rubber. Two reasons are rubber generally tends to last longer and it is making the boots less expensive. Don't forget the new cushy crepe outsoles of which the material allows extra comfort for standing and doesn't slip as much when riding on horses.
On work and motorcycle boots the outsole will likely be a rubber material that has special trends and properties depending on your needs. For instance a work boot may have an outsole that is specifically designed not to track mud and dirt or it can be designed to be slip and oil resistant. There is no standard tests that brands use to determine if a boot is slip resistant, oil resistant, water resistant, etc. Generally, brands use their own standards to determine if a boot meets one of the above requirements.
Insole
Insoles give your feet a little cushion to add some extra comfort. Different brands use different insoles. Each brand offers the latest technology and patented designs for their insoles. Sometimes insoles will be just a light EVA pad to cushion and form to your feet or it will be a multi-layered signature system by a leading brand name. There are many who prefer not to have insoles and often remove them. We don't recommend removing a boots insoles. Just remember, insoles are not required on boots, but they do help provide some extra comfort.
Construction
Construction often refers to how the outsole is attached to the boot. Outsoles are generally either pegged (or nailed), sown or cemented onto the bottom of the boot. Outsoles that have been cemented or directly attached to the boot are generally more flexible to begin with, but often these boots can not be resoled. Often outsoles that have been welted or pegged can usually be resoled.
Shank
Shanks aren't needed in every boot. Depending on the need, boot makers insert a "shank" in the middle of the bottom of the boot to give it extra form and strength. The shank is usually a small metal, plastic or fiber piece of material that gives extra form and strength to a boot. Boots that have shanks are not as flexible on the outsoles as those boots that don't have shanks.
Heel
Adding height and style to a boot, heels range from less than an inch to many inches. On western boots cowboy heels are slightly sloped and are generally 1 5/8" in height. Roper and Walking Heels are usually a bit larger at the base and slightly smaller with a flat, uniform slope. Occasionally work boots will have an extra padded heel to prevent slipping, while fashion styles may have small treads on just the heel for the same effect.
Toe
Toes can mean style or function. For example western boots are typically either a narrow toe, medium round or wide round toe. Narrow toes give a unique style and look while wider toes offer more room or comfort. On the toe some boots can even have a small stitch pattern referred to as a medallion and can have a toe rand (metal piece) at the tip of the boot. Motorcycle boots are generally round or square-like (snoot or snip). Casual styles can be all of the above and more. When it comes to work, extra functions such as safety and non-safety apply. Some prefer non-safety toe to comfort and a lighter weight boot. Yet, some professionals need the extra protection of safety toes. Safety toes have a small steel plate or composite plate on the top of the toe region of the boot. These toes pass the ANSI test, meaning that the toe can withstand 75lb impact & compression up to 2500lb.
At Boot Barn we generally give our online shoppers the ability to search by category, down to the very boot features that we've discussed above. For example, if you are looking for a narrow toe western boot, they'll be a category (click here)
Or if you are looking for a leather outsole on a western boot, they'll be a category as well (click here)
Have a comment? We'd like to hear from you!
Posted by BootBarn Moderator at April 11, 2005 01:50 PM
Comments
What's the difference when you put Leather type: Leather or distressed leather easily showing marks or full grain leather... I've heard full-grain leather is the best, but I don't think Chippewa offers full-grain leather, their boots say "leather." Can you shed some light on this??
Posted by: Carlos at June 10, 2005 11:16 PM
HI
my hubby bought boots about 15 years ago and we had "jewelry" attached to them. This consisted of silvertone tips on the toes and a silvertone piece above the heel. As I am buying him new boots now what do you call those silver things??? How can I find them???
PLease let me know as soon as possible
thanks Susan
Posted by: Susan at July 16, 2005 08:39 PM
Hi Susan,
Thank you for your comment. The silver pieces that you are inquiring about are called boot tips and heel caps. Here is a link to the Montana Silversmith site so you can see what they have available:
http://www.hascoind.com/MontanaSilver/boottrim2.htm
Thank you for your interest in BootBarn.
Posted by: Moderator at July 19, 2005 08:30 AM
Hi,
I am looking for a pair of boots to wear but have large mucsular calfs. Therefore I can't wear most boots, I have been told that there are companies that make the wider mouth boots but don't know the name. I also don't know if I'm describing the boot opening correctly. Is there a term that would designate a larger opening in the boot??? Do you know who makes them and where I can find them???
Posted by: Dakota at November 5, 2005 10:38 AM
Hi Dakota,
Thank you for your comment. I believe what you are referring to is the shaft circumference. I don't know of any companies that specifically make boots with larger shaft circumferences, however, if you like a particular style, we can always check what the shaft circumference is on the boot. Circumferences will vary depending on the boot and the size. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions at Custserv@bootbarn.com. Thank you for your interest in BootBarn.com.
Posted by: Moderator at November 7, 2005 10:14 AM
Thanks for all the information you posted. I'd like to see two sections on here, however. One for the American West Trading co. brand, and a section for tips on boot care. I bought a pair of the American West distressed leather boots yesterday at my local Boot Barn. I love them.
Posted by: Alan at January 16, 2006 06:54 AM
I cannot find any good brand boot that is extra wide. I wear a 11 EEEE or triple E. Any suggestions were to look??
Posted by: Kenney Slatten at January 27, 2006 03:49 PM
Hi Kenney,
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, I only found one boot on our site offered in 11EEE. It is by Justin brands, black Spanish kipskin boots. You can view them at the following link:
http://www.bootbarn.com/itemsearchview/view/view/view/view/3508/last_updated/limit:42!!!width:Wides!!!sizes:11.0!!!brand_id:25!!!type:men
Hopefully, these will work for you. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you for your interest in Bootbarn.com.
Posted by: Moderator at January 27, 2006 04:26 PM
What is a "Dogger Heel"?
Posted by: Tom at February 6, 2006 12:07 PM
The thing that irritates me the most is that there is not a standard set of guidelines/descriptions for heels of cowboy boots. I know there are walking heels and cowboy heels,.... but then you go to some places and they start talking about a " J " or some other letter heel or they call it something else all together. and i have no idea what the height or shape of the heel is. When you talk about a narrow toe or a round toe, I know exactly what you mean, but heels are all over the place.
Is it just me?
Posted by: Phil at February 17, 2006 08:31 PM
Hi! This may sound like a dumb question, but since I am I'm going to ask it anyway. When considering people who want to dress their boots up a little, do you find that there are more people that simply add Toe Tips, or do you find more people who add both Toe Tips and Heel Guards or as some people call them Heel Rands? I'd appreciate it if you could give your opinion. Thanks alot!
Posted by: estreetbill at August 2, 2006 02:42 PM
Hello,
Thank you for your feedback. When considering people who want to dress up their boots, we find that it is all personal preference. There's really not more of one thing than the other. Sometimes people want only the toe cap or only the heel guard or sometimes both. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you for your interest in Bootbarn.com.
Posted by: Moderator at August 15, 2006 01:09 PM