Re-birth of my boots

“As some may know I am not a fan of hiking boots. I havent worn mine in 3 years and was ready to give em away. I then got to thinking it'd be nice to have a nice pair of quality boots for hiking,work and whatever else. I spent sometime shopping and was disappointed as to my choices,either to heavy or too much padding, nothing worked. So I broke out the old boots at work today and wore them for my shift and realized that they werent as snug as I thought,though the tread was quite worn but for an 11 year old pair of boots not bad. I recalled a co-worker got his boots streched once. I called a cobler (yes there is one by my house) and for $6 he'll stretch em till next thursday, about 1/2 size which is perfect. I also opted for a new set of vibram soles. So for $65 I'll have my old boots back in action. Oh yeah, they are Danner Mountain Lites with goretex. The leather is in great shape so I prolly have years more to go with them. I am glad I bought a quality boot years ago.”

“What a great post!”

“...from a great guy”

“aw shucks (blushing and kicking his toes)”

“I really love the idea of bringing hiking boots back from the dead. And I love the idea of keeping local cobblers in business.

But what I really loved about Birch's post is how he decided to get rid of his boots and then, next in the logical progression, decided to stretch and resole them at a cost of $65.

Yes, said the alcoholic, I'll quit after the next three beers.”

“RL, Sass and I went boot shopping last night and I was shocked at prices. I spent quite a bit on the pair I have but they have a lifetime warranty. $150 doesnt buy much these days.

What really motivated me to resurrect my boots was thinking about how much waste I already create. I coulda bought a clearance pair of nikes for $60 but I knew they'd be garbage in 1-2 years. I am trying to buy better quality and keep stuff for much longer. Plus I really dig the old pair I have, lots of fond miles. I felt they deserved better.

The cobbler is a nice guy. His shop stinks of shoe polish and leather,very cool.He fixed a pair of Sass' boots sometime back. Best part is he is walking distance (2 blocks).”

“You'll be outstanding at the Christmas Dance.

LOL.”

“My boots were lookin' pretty ragged, and I waxed 'em up with that beeswax stuff for boots. Man! Just like new!!”

“Hey Birch - I have a pair of Lowa's that I love to death. We had a wet river crossing on a Buffalo River Hike Christmas 2002 and they got soaked from the inside out. I had them drying by the fire and then some TT-er who had over imbibed (I can't remember who right now) kicked them into the fire. They were gore-tex too! Did you know gore-tex burns fast? LOL!

Anyway, I went to the Lowa website and looked up repairs and they mentioned two cobblers so I tried the one in Seattle. His name is Dave Page, Cobbler. Anyway, he did an awesome job! They feel real nice, no rough spots on the repair job and with rush shipping and all the repairs it cost me 52 dollars and change. Not bad at all!

I think repairs at a reputable cobbler are clearly a viable option given the outrageous cost of a new pair of boots.

Glad you had a positive experience like I did!

Tex”

“Tex, I have seen Dave Page advertised at our REI store. 52 for a burnt pair of boots isnt bad at all,LOL.I hope I am as happy as you are.”