Fantastic boots, overbuilt for what I do!

I love Western packer and cowboy boots, but have no need for their features. I very rarely ride horses, and spend more time in lecture theatres than cattle sheds! The red and black was chosen as I wear a lot of red and black clothing, and wanted something that would compliment well.

I bought the lasts from Lisa Sorrell and followed her guidance, but went up a width fitting.

I've done everything in this pair from attending family weddings to hiking, but the bulk of my time I was wearing them for university, walking between lectures and (rarely!) going to workshops.

I carefully clicked the hide so that I'd have nice tight grain in the areas that needed it, and used looser grain in the reinforcement areas- the lineman patches, back strap and counter cover. This performed as I expected, giving me nice rolls in the vamp but plenty of that gorgeous suede texture on the sides and up the back. About once a month they got a deep clean and mink oil, which did a good job of keeping the puddles out and the leather soft

The higher 3/4" heel took a bit of adjustment, and whilst I don't love it for walking on concrete, it's excellent for long days standing still on my feet. I did wear them with cushioned insoles, as the arch and heel of the boot is solid leather all the way through making it prettt hard. This is a change I'm making in MK2

This was the first pair of boots I made of this pattern and last, so there's a few modifications to make! Increase the eyelet gap at the bottom, and extend the eyelets towards the toe more- almost a semi-LTT design. I'm going to combine the counter cover and back strap design, as the seam joining the two was a weak point, and partly because it was a very thick area for my 80 year old singer sewing machine to sew through.

The sole has been pretty grippy, but has worn down relatively fast.

I love these boots, but they are built much heavier than I need for my application. A thinner midsole, insole and cork through the whole footbed will make them much more wearable. I designed these boots when I was landscaping full time, and wore them when I was studying full time. I can't wait till I can wear them for work again!