Teach me about cowboy boots.

[Duelist]

First, if you’re cool with a newer brand, look at Tecovas. They seem solid for the price, and have clean, classic, simple designs. My girlfriend loves hers.

That said, I don’t own any. When I tried on boots, I hated the feel of the sticky leather against my bare calves. Is it typical to wear super high socks with cowboy boots, or do most folks just not mind that sticky leather feeling?

My socks go above the boot tops, regardless of what type of boot I’m wearing. Right now, my only “cowboy” type boots are Ariat lace-up, with a walking heel (that has a spur ledge for some reason). I like them better than any more riding type boot that I have tried. But I bought them after I got out of the Army, so I was used to wearing combat boots, and just didn’t feel confident in slip-on boots.

Might need to go try some boots on.

[Poconnor]

Duplicate

[NGP]

Id skip the Ariats and Justns and look at Double H, Anderson Bean, or Olathe, slightly more expensive but built infinitely better.

My preferred brand and store: https://www.pfiwestern.com/boots/cow...ean-boots.html

Here's a decent overview of the the different heel, toe, and sole options, https://olatheboots.com/our-boots/cu...e-heel-options

[GyroF-16]

I’m no expert on boots, but this is my experience in the last 5 years or so...
On the advice of a friend, bough black Ariat classic ropers to wear for work (flying airplanes). Once they were broken in, I liked them so much that I bought a brown pair to wear when I wasn’t working. Unfortunately, my feet are fairly wide, so after about 18 months, the black boots (EE width) developed a crack/split/hole near my little toe. And the brown boots stretched so much that they felt “sloppy” with little lateral support.

Then bought some black Justin ropers with leather soles. Once I endured the break-in, they fit very well. Again, I got a light brown pair to wear on my own time. And got some fancier, taller-shafted black Justins with a Vibram sole to wear in the winter months. I’m about 2 years into the Justins, and remain very happy with them. Each pair cost between $120-$180, and some were made in USA, others in Mexico- I don’t remember which at the moment.

Hope this is useful.

[BehindBlueI's]

I need a 5E width in most lasts, a few 4Es will work. HH was about my only option when I wore cowboy boots. Keep in mind I'm about 20 years out of date, but HH ran wide and the square toes worked for me.

[willie]

Many brands are made in China. Chippewa is a US company that still makes some product versions here. You might call their customer service for details. People with a very high instep have difficulty wearing western boots. I strongly recommend avoiding leather soles. They will have poor traction and no absorption of impact stress found in synthetic soles.

[GNiner]

I grew up on a ranch working cattle from about age 7. Keep in mind how you will ultimately use the boots. Vibram and other traction type soles are not for real cowboys. Stepping in cowshit daily and sitting on horse with your boots in the stirrups are where leather soles shine. Easy to scrape the cowshit off at the end of the day, and easy to come off the saddle in a hurry if you need to. If you intend on doing a lot of walking or hiking, go ahead get the Vibram soles. Most working cowboys I grew up with had a couple of pair of "working" boots that you didn't mind getting muddy, shitty, etc during the day, and a separate pair of really nice boots to wear to town on Friday night that would never see a drop of cowshit.

[Old Man Winter]

Boulet makes some really nice boots for the money. Lucchese has a wide range of options from mild to wild. Paul Bond Boots will custom make a boot to your spec and foot measurements. I've had good experiences with all three options.

[UNK]

Find a good boot store and go there. You really dont know what fits you best till you try them on. Like someone else mentioned they are leather soled and slippery. If I was planning on getting them resoled then I would buy them from a company that offers resole in a reasonable amount of time. A sturdy leather boot will last a long time. Dont have any experience with the exotics. Also pay attention to the heel height. there is a style, roper or originally a wellington, that has a lower heel.

[RoyGBiv]

Find a good boot store and go there. You really dont know what fits you best till you try them on..

This.

If your back is bad, Ariat has some great soles. They have a great mail in refurb vendor too.
My Luchese's feel like slippers.