Nicks
Americana
Nicks Handmade Boots
I was looking for a boot that was an everyday boot that I could use for anything from going out to dinner, to hiking, to yard work and picked this make up off of kind of an iron ranger or a service boot style. I originally ordered a boot in roughly the same make up but in Wicket and Craig Double Stuffed natural after seeing last years winning boots and how they aged. After Nicks introduced the slate leather early last summer I thought I have 4 other pairs of brown or tan boots and wanted a color of shoes that I didn’t own. It was a bit of a journey as to weather I was even going to get these by the Oct 1 deadline but Nicks really came through and got them to me 1 week before go time.
I own another pair of Nicks Overlanders in an HNW last. I did call and ask about sizing and they confirmed the Americana would fit the same. No modifications to the last.
Ordering was super easy. Ordered online but made a change from Wicket and Craig DS natural to the slate leather after my order had been in for a couple of months with no issues. My order went into production but got delayed and I got a bit worried it wouldn’t even make it by the submission deadline. After calling in as well as chatting with the owner of Nicks via Reddit he said they would show up on time and they did about a week before the opening of the Thunderdome.
I used these boots for everything including yard work. I said from the get go I wasn’t going to baby the boots I was just going to wear them and see how things turned out. This leather is pretty phenomenal in terms of its support, its durability, and its comfort one it is broken in. Outside of everyday wear the single activity that I have used these the most for have been hiking. I went on at least one hike per month in them including day 1 for 5 miles or so. The most I did in a single day was a 13 mile hike. I live in the desert so there tends to be a decent amount of rock scrambling and the thing that surprised me the most was how easy it was to get scuffs and scrapes out of the leather with just a little brushing with a horsehair brush.
How it evolved has been completely unexpected. I went in wanting a color of boot that I saw aged amazingly in last years contest with the DS natural but then switched to the DS slate thinking I wanted a color of boot I didn’t own and it might have some of the same characteristics that DS natural had. What I didn’t expect was how quickly and how distinctly the slate went from slate/grey to slate/brown. Almost within the first couple of weeks. Granted I put in a ton of hiking the 1st month I owned them but the change from new to just one month of wear was almost shocking. Later on in the patina process with more wear it has gone to a slate with a lot of brown in it to in the last 2-3 months it has slate, brown, red coloring. The last thing I would have to say about the leather was how bomb proof and almost maintenance free it has proven to be. It is a really tough leather that scratches really easy but with just a little brushing you can’t even tell where you scratched it. I did a rock scramble hike in that 2nd month and scratched the ever loving crap out of the boots dragging them across sandstone and granted it took more than a little brushing but in the end you couldn’t tell I scratched them. I really wish I had taken a before and after photo. I almost thought I had permanently altered how the boots were going to look with those scratches. Break in was a bit rough. The leather is pretty stiff before it is broken in. It’s even stiff after break in the difference is that it has shaped to your feet and does soften up with body heat. Some of the rough break in had to do with how much hiking I was doing in them right from the get go. I think that first month I put in 50-60 miles of hiking not counting everyday wear. But once they were broken in they were like slippers in my feet. My care routine was based off of how last years winner described his care routine. Wiping down with a damp towel if needed and brushing everyday. I was pretty religious about brushing the boots every night with a horsehair brush until February where I wanted to see if I only brushed them once per week changed anything. After not really seeing a difference I didn’t brush everyday but did multiple times per week.
No issues with the HNW last shape. It was great for everything including long walks on pavement as well as hiking. I have a pair of whites in a 55 archease lasts that is almost too much for me.
Nicks builds a pretty bomb proof boot. Other than the 1/2 sole liner that started to come up just at the front when taking my shoes off on the right boot in the 1st month (I glued it back down and haven’t had any issues since) Everything has been rock solid from day 1.
For long walks on concrete or blacktop it kind of leaves me wanting a bit more cushion but for hiking it found it to be fine. I was really surprised how much traction the soles had. I have boots with v100 lugs on them and thought there was not way it was going to compare but I never had any issues with traction.
What an awesome thing footwear is. It is not only a needed thing just to get through your day to day life, it can help express your attitude and your personality. With handmade footwear it helps connect with our past and how humans have been moving through the world since our existence. Like a lot of things in my life I went in thinking things were going to go a certain way and have been pleasantly surprised with how things turned out. For this contest and this community this has been a ride and I can’t wait to do it again.