Grant Stone Chukka

I have an aversion to chukkas. They perfectly hit that awkward, in-between spot of neither a boot nor a shoe. And, believe me, I’ve tried – I started with Clarks Desert Boot, as so many of us have, and hated them. They never looked quite right, the last didn’t fit quite right, and the crepe on the damn too-long toe caught on everything. They left for Goodwill. Skipping half measures, Alden was the next attempt. These were better! They lost some of the problems of the CDB™, but they weren’t right, either. The look and fit still didn’t look or fit, for me. The Thunderdome was a chance to force myself to try again. Take a killer maker (Grant Stone), top-notch material (CF Stead Earth Commander), my favorite sole (crepe), and a heavy incentive to actually wear the boots? The result – a chukka pair that I actually like. I like to wear them to work. I like to wear them walking all over Seattle. I like to wear them on day trips outside the city. I liked them enough to bring and wear on my honeymoon, for god’s sake. Now that’s a pair to keep. I can’t say that I’m a full convert to chukkas. It took my a number of tries, but these are that Goldilocks pair. Maybe the best testament is this: in 2022, I bought both of my grail boots. Norman Vilalta Decons and EG Galways. Even so, I still reach for the chukkas at least an even portion of the time.