A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!
Guidelines:
Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!
Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.
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Oh, you're in luck. The UK makes the most durable boots on the planet
I'd recommend the Euro Safety Boot as a starting point.
Stick to anything with the "vegetan micro" uppers. It's the synthetic leather that the luxury yachts and cars switched-to decades ago, because it's wayy more durable than leather. And (nearly) zero maintenance.
Here's a review of their airseals after 7 years of abuse.
They look pretty good, there’s an ankle boot that looks about right, but unfortunately they don’t have them in my size at the moment. I’ll ask them when they’ll be back in stock
I don't know how available they are in the UK, but I'm a big fan of Danner boots. Most, if not all of their styles are available in wide, a lot of them are recraftable so the sole, shank, heel counter, and liner can be replaced either by sending them back to Danner or by a competent local cobbler. They have a lot of options and I'm pretty sure at least one of them is somewhat similar to a classic timberland.
I have a pair of Danner lights with some hard miles on them hiking and close to daily wear. I got about 4 years out of them before it was time for a resole and the uppers are still in pretty good shape, and I expect to get at least another 4 years out of them.
IMO, no shoe is truly BIFL if you wear them regularly, especially anything that's going to get put to serious use and abuse. Keeping them clean, the leather conditioned, letting them dry and rotating your footwear will go a long way towards extending their usable lifespan, and getting quality recraftable boots, while a bigger upfront cost, will save you money in the long run.
IMO, no shoe is truly BIFL if you wear them regularly, especially anything that's going to get put to serious use and abuse.
I think it's at least possible in a Ship of Theseus sense, if you want to have a cobbler keep replacing individual parts.
I doubt that it'd be economical.
quality retractable boots,
I think Danner calls it "recraftable". Each item on their website has a page and in the details it will list if the footwear can be recrafted. A few of their shoes cannot be (but a lot can).
I think RedWing also has a repair service (for Red Wing + Irish Setter brands), but it's a little more confusing about which of their models can and can't be resoled.
Yeah, autocorrect was doing me dirty there
Damn. I came in here to recommend Danner and their the top post! Fantastic boots. Much better than all other brands and I've tried them all. Just keep the oiled and don't let the leather get dry of oil. They last years and only get better with age.
Have a look at Hanwag Doublestitched. In general look for welted / resoleable / doublestitched construction. Depending on your age you can expect the uppers to last the rest of your life if cared for, but not the soles. It may run expensive, but consider how long it's amortized over, see also Vimes Boots Theory.
They look pretty good, thanks
I quote Vimes in this quite often!
Grenson, the Radley WP boots look great and are basically what everyone wishes the Timberlands still are.
There is a guy on YouTube who cuts boots in half, (Rose Anvil) a good option for research. I think I heard about Grensons from him.
Edit: I’ve just seen Trickers do boots, if you are near Northampton that may be a good option although they are expensive, they will list your lifetime and your children’s. I’m still wearing my Trickers Oxfords I bought 25 years ago.
Jim Green boots are a good option, particularly for wide toe box in some of their lasts. No shops for trying on though. But they are made with quality leather, and they contribute to a good cause.
Their boots are made with stitch-down construction, which can be resoled by any cobbler.
I have a pair of Jim Green Chelsea's I really like. I have normal width feet (or maybe narrow) and the wide toebox is overkill for me, and maybe because of that the break-in was brutal and very long, like 6 months before my feet stopped floating and I stopped getting blisters from wearing them for too long. But they're comfortable overall, durable seeming, waterproof enough, look good, and seem to be made of good materials and easily repaired
I'm researching building my own because I'm so fed up with only being able to find garbage. Good luck in your journey. I haven't built my own yet, but all I lack is the time to focus on a project.
Have a look at what solovair does. They are the cooperative that own the original Doc Martens factory and make them as they used to be.
Unfortunately that means a limited sole life and no ability to re-sole. I still tried to like 'em, but I got a pair that had one whole side of the vamp stitched on with no inside thread. Just empty loops of the outside thread interlocking with nothing.
Replacement pair was murder on my pinky toes. Narrower in the toe box than Docs, with a significant ridge from the glued on welt.
I ended up giving them away.
I've heard good things about Altberg. Apparently they make boots for the police. I heard of them from a friend who was on the police, and loved her boots so much she sprung for their bespoke service.
Had their hiking boots, but I’ll have another look to see if they do a daily
Not the kind of boots you're looking for but just thought I'd share a related user experience:
My Haix Airpower P3 combat boots lasted me 20 years. They possibly could have been re-soled but I replaced them with a new pair recently and I went with Haix again because of my history and positive experience with them. Now I got the Black Eagle Athletic 2.0 in green.
I’ve got Hiax chainsaw boots that’ll probably outlast everything else I own, so yeah, they’re brilliant
Also, take a look at Rose Anvil's channel. He cuts work boots in half and discusses the build quality.
Back when I was still buying things from the US, I got a pair from the Thursday Boot Company. Definitely solid, functional, well-built, and stylish.
Probably nowhere to try them on, but they were great on returns when I ordered the wrong size.
I don't have a good suggestion for you, but I do have those Timberland boots. Timberland really is a fashion choice above all. Their products don't really stand up to rough use.
I had a pair of Hanwag hiking boots for 30 years. When they finally died mid-trail, I did enough damage to them getting back to the car that they couldn't be resoled. After trying every other boot brand on the market, I tried on a new set of Hanwags and felt like I was putting on some comfy old slippers. (With great support and solidity).
I expect these to last as long as the last, by which point I'll be in my late 80s, and hard-pressed to do any more hiking.
Altberg boots https://altberg.co.uk/ are the best boots I've worn, and they're made in the UK and Italy. They even have a resoling service.
My hikers are Albert’s, and the have taken quite the beating, I just never really thought to look at their daily boots