Nicks Handmade Boots
Urban Logger
55 Last
UK Brannock: 10EE HTB/12 HTT
55 Last: 11.5EE
Seem to fit fine!! We'll see, though, that break-in is supposed to be super hard. At least that's what I've read on some reddit stuff. And watching YouTube.
From NICKS HANDMADE BOOTS
I am a 100% Disabled US Navy Veteran, who is the son of a sailor who served for 30 plus years. I always thought that when i enlisted, I would also retire after 30 plus years, too. I was still 17 years old when I enlisted, and being 6ft 4, I was ready for my adventure to begin. I married my high school sweetheart before my first deployment, and that was that. So, in boot camp, we were issued chukka boots, and we used them for everything. I grew fond of them with a lot of love, polish, and elbow grease they looked cool enough for us who only had a little bit of money. I couldn't afford any more boots to love while in the Navy because of two young kids and a wife, but the seed was planted. 25 years later and Red Wings were the only brand that I knew, so when I saw the RoughNecks, I loved them. I really like thick midsole and a vibrnam V100 sole. Then, after much research on how nice boots are made and what makes the price and why they are so expensive. Nicks handmade boots were the winner! They have the most available leathers to choose from. They have the most styles of boots to pick from and many ways to customize your boot order. I almost got the Americana got the Americana, but the sole was not rugged enough, and definitely not the super beefy midsole and the Vibram V100 soles that the Nicks handmade Urban logger has. Each of my boots must weigh in at 4 lbs of leather each!!! These are the bosses of boots!!! And I love them...Also I still don't have money for buying them straight up, but I did use the shop selection at checkout to break up the payment into smaller little chunks that I can manage. This is why my wife relented and caved in. She doesn't believe in me having these boots since I am retired and handicapped. I know that she is right, but you know what the kids say, YOLO!!!!!
Nicks has the most amount of different types of lasts that I know of, I read the different types of them and what sounded most like my feet, and also what I was going to be doing in the boots.
It's not hard if you know what you are looking for. The type of leather was the hardest thing!! My phone's online order site didn't show the various types of leather, so that blew!!! But when I saw Greener Pastures' color, I knew that was my pick. The only thing that I'm waiting on is the free boot cleaning kit, and it's on backorder right now.
Everything that I have done, I was wearing my Nicks!! And as I have been breaking them in, the leather is softer and sofer. The wildest thing is that I have started to get a spot on my toe that's next to my big toe. I think that it is because I need a little bit more of an insole. Nicks has been awesome to me in every way!! I will buy again, if my wife lets me.
I didn't really have a tough break-in for this boot. Believe it or not. I have developed a spot on my right toe that's next to my big toe, and it has been rubbing it since day one. My whole boot is a little bit bigger than I expected, but when I put my insole in from Nicks, that should totally remedy the situation.
Okay, so the fit... I always have been 12 wide on the brannock device, so as per Nicks, I just sized down a 1/2 of a size. I honestly could have done a full size. But my feet swell during the day off and on, so I was totally happy with the length. Now, I have never had a custom last on my feet, other than the typical boots from the mall or some on-line stores, wide width, so this was totally new to me!! I like the 55 last overall but I was poking around on the Reddit Nicks handmade boots page, and there was a dude on there explaining about how his boot was bigger in ball/arch area than he wanted it to be. And I realized that I also ran into that problem. I have a high arch foot also. So, the owner of Nicks suggested that one of their insoles with the built-in arch would be a great help to him. I also reached out to Smowe and told him that I was experiencing the same issue with my feet. They are the bosses of customer service and boots if you ask me!!!
The Urban Logger from Nicks handmade boots is the hands down winner for looks and build quality for an American Boot Maker. I think even over Whites, Frank's, WestCo, and whomever else that I'm forgetting right now. The Urban Logger is a pair of brutal shit kickers if there ever was one!! All that leather is heavy. If my legs worked better than they do now, I could kick a pumpkin into space, but no, they do not work better, and I'm an older man who still values top-quality things. Like the PNW boots are made perfectly by American workers' hands. Jim Green is fast becoming a favorite of mine, I have a custom pair of Cape Buffalo Hide Stockman Chelsea boots with a leather footboard and double layer leather midsole, and a pair of Numzaan "Chief" boots either pair was under 200.00 plus shipping!!! Just an incredible deal, their price is creeping up little by little as they're getting more traction in the USA boot market. But overall, it's still a huge bang for your buck. Well, okay, so far, I've just been wearing the USA Made Nick's Boots every day for a month so far, right? Well, I think part one of the break-in is supposed to be done. In the next couple of months, the leather midsole should start to conform to my feet. The design of this boot is perfect for me. It is suitable for various occasions such as travel and vacations, but also everyday wear to. The construction is the bomb, and the double row of stitching makes me feel like the outsole will never come loose!! I love my boots!!!
The sole is perfect for me, and being 6ft 4 and 260lbs, I tend to wear thru soles pretty quickly. Fall and winter are coming for us all, and having proper shoes and boots is a must-have. The grip from the sole that conquered Mt. Everest is the best I've ever used. The compound is durable and soft enough underfoot that you can kinda "feel" the ground you're walking on. As I wear them in, they should get better and better.
The heels of the boots are made of high-quality veg tanned leather and are topped with the Vibram black V100 Montagna heel. outsole. I have never had a logger heel before on my boots, and wow, guys, after getting used to them, I was pleasantly surprised! I think that the heels help me stand more upright than when I'm not wearing them.
This is the first time that I've been able to get the boots I always wanted. Nicksboots.com has a deal with the Shop App that you could break-up the price of the boots every month, and this is how I was able to get them. My wife doesn't share my feelings about the boots at all, so this was the only way for me to get them. My first choice was the Americana, but not enough midsole and the outsole was not rugged enough. So I looked around and found the Urban Logger! Carl Maralski (sp) did a couple of videos on this boot a while back, and it hooked me up on the line. The Logger is way more rugged than the Americana, so when I cleared it with my Wife, boom I MTO'd that S.O.B. I was so looking forward to getting these boots on my feet. When they finally came I was so happy that I almost felt a tear welling up in my eyes. That's when I knew that I had made the perfect decision to get the boots of a lifetime.