Red Wing 8111: Mens Heritage Iron Rangers 6" Amber Harness Boots (11 D(M) US Men)

I first was introduced with Red Wing in Leuven, Belgium, me an my roommates went there for the weekend. This city is small so it is possible to see all the highlights in one weekend. And so we did, after a couple of walks my feet were sore like H. When I complained about my 'walking shoes' being totally rubbish my roommate showed me his footwear. He was wearing an awesome brown leather shoe. I quote him, 'When I turned 18 my dad came to me and told me that, now I have become fully grown up, a real man needs real boots. So we went to Amsterdam.' That is were he bought his Beckmans Cigar colour. I thought they looked awesome and more important; They were handmate and great quality footwear. After he told me the price I was astonished. I had never bought shoes that I expected to wear for more than one year. So I talked to my dad and he told me to do it. So after saving up for a month or three I was finally ready for my first pair of Red Wings. After trying some different sizes and in-sole combinations, I ended up with a size 8,5 Iron Ranger in Amber Harness (8111). I wear a medium size in-sole, because my feet are overly flat. So therefore I had some spare space to fill up. The first week of breaking in was, to be honest, pretty heavy. My feet ached the first days, but after that week my shoes started to accept me I guess. The following month I wore my IR's five days per week, which resulted in a pair of boots that are now perfectly formed to my feet. I try to wear them in all occasions so I beat them up pretty good. The guy who helped me choose my best fitting pair of IR's told me to only condition them twice a year. I am reading tons of reviews where people condition their boots every two months or so, as I mentioned already I am not experienced with leather boots so I have no idea what method of conditioning is preferred. Apart from that I am very happy with my IR's they look awesome in combination with almost every pair of trousers so that is nice. I hope they will age well and I am already looking for my second pair. I think I will go for the 875 Moc Toe. An aged 875 looks great! If you have any questions or tips for me feel free to comment!

While slightly treacherous in ice and/or more than a half inch of snow, these cork soles get a solid grip on wet surfaces. They take quite a while to break in, but the comfort is impossible to beat once they're there. On several occasions, these boots have taken me in a single day from Union Square to the Upper East Side and back home again--nearly a nine mile walk! I have had these boots for 5 years and it seems reasonable to expect that I'll have them for the rest of my life. I recommend buying true to size; even though they certainly do run large, it's advantageous to fill the gap between foot and shoe with very thick socks.