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hey folks my name is milo tash if you're new
here i make videos that take me outdoors and i can talk your ear off about high caliber gear
tools and equipment that go outside the binary and if you dig what you're hearing in
this video please like and subscribe it really helps me out today
we're gonna be talking about boots and specifically a boot that has rocked my
socks for the last four years let's get into it this is the red wing heritage men's six inch
classic round toe boot this boot has been on nearly all of my adventures in the last four years
and hasn't left my side or feet in all that time its soles have been repaired twice
it was conditioned by monthly and had a lot of miles put on them both worn
on the trail and on hard stone and wood floors it should be noted that i'm on my feet all
day anywhere from 10 to 14 hours and i'm the type of person who wears their boots spring
summer fall and winter no matter the weather a little background on red wing the company was
originally founded in 1905 in red wing as in red wing minnesota the company was created with the
intent to supply workers in industries like mining farming and logging with durable comfortable
footwear we've seen red wing grow steadily in popularity in mainstream fashion in more recent
years and this was largely in part due to a strategic collaboration with j crew in 2007 to
form the heritage lifestyle line which took the high american craftsmanship that red wing was
known for and modernized the look and feel for a new demographic of wearers it's the heritage
line that you'll see popular folks like jake gyllenhaal winona ryder tan france sporting why
am i crazy about this boot and why was i until very recently still wearing something this busted
up two reasons one i have zero arch in my feet this means that i need to wear a custom made
orthotic from a podiatrist that's hardened plastic designed to provide my feet with the arch they
so desperately crave i basically need that 24 7 or the entire alignment of my knees to my
shoulders gets messed up in the worst way possible very few shoes fit that insole this boot does
additionally the insole needs a hard sole to sit on top of none of that all bird no sock airsoft
cloud walker bs a firm sole means my insole can do its work correctly and my feet won't roll inwards
if you have flat feet truly give red wing a try number two red wing was the first company
i found and still one of the few that makes gender neutral inclusive sizing or used to more
on that on a moment okay so we're here today to showcase what i believe to be the last of its
kind a brand new men's size 6 red wing heritage 6-inch classic round toe boot it's
a mouthful this puppy was discovered on ebay and was advertised as unworn though i
did see a little bit of wear at the back heel i've owned both the mock toe and the round toe
and much prefer the feel of the round the solid rounded construction on the toe is easier on the
feet when you're breaking it in there's less seams to literally rub you the wrong way and it's more
streamlined and less boat-like plus there's less opportunity for water to sneak in on those wet
days the halfway up your ankle construction is great for your socks to peek out if you want
to cuff them or roll that pant leg long and your boot will slip under the cuff no problem
the traction tread outer sole is so comfortable much easier to break in than the vibrams though
i will say that they wear out much quicker too you'll see a chief complaint about red wing is
the break-in time and that's no joke my first pair of iron rangers from red wing took me a solid
year before i willingly grabbed them out of the closet to wear without wincing with the traction
treads being easier to break in but faster to wear out red wing has a stellar repair process which
i've used numerous times there's an all-a-cart option or you can go the premium repair package
route for 140 bucks they operate their very own repair shop in their manufacturing facility in
red wing minnesota which is where you'll ship your shoes after printing out their repair pdf
hand write on what you'd like done to your boots slip in a check and take out your insoles and
laces and off they go to redwing to get their welting replaced have their hooks repaired get
a new sole or receive a full reconditioning they'll even send you back a full bottle of
conditioner to keep them up in between repairs because i live an hour away from red wing
minnesota i get my back in about two days so why did i have to get this boot on ebay
somewhere after 2009 red wings cease making their boot designs in all sizes each shoe was
originally made from size fives to 14s give or take and weren't originally gendered these days
the shoes are separated into men's and women's sizes with size caps and you'll notice design
differences between the men's and women's cuts take for example the women's classic mocto
has a higher heel or the women's iron ranger has wider more stylistic stitching and more
delicate features in the neck of the boot i wear a men's size 6 and could wear women's 8
but the more feminine spin on the women's styles don't appeal to my style and a higher heel
would mess with how i fit into my orthotics men's sizing caps at size seven for the most
part oddly enough red wing keeps teasing me online with a seemingly random drop of assorted
one-off men's boots being offered in a size six but usually in not as popular colors and not as
popular styles i recently wrote into red wing inquiring if there was any rhyme or reason to
it and can totally follow up here if i hear back and lastly the men's classic roundtoe lineup
was discontinued and replaced with the rover series back in 2017.
you can still find it
in the women's styles and a few lingering colors at the time of this video but again the
heel is just higher than what i want it to be it kills me that i had to purchase this boot
somewhere other than redwing i want to support a minnesota-based company and not have to pay 80
for shipping on ebay for a boot that originally was made in this state just for it to come
back home to the state from god knows where so to end this video dear red wing please
make your style size inclusive again your boots are the cornerstone of my wardrobe and a
quintessential piece of gear that gets me through my day one step at a time from one minnesotan to
another i'd appreciate the absolute heck out of it.
