This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. Learn more on my Private Policy page.
a double row stitch down boot that's
durable comfortable and costs well under 200 this is the jim green african ranger welcome i'm
Carl Murawski and this is the channel that helps you own less and own better and it kind of looks
like i'm wearing underwear from the 1700s it's not though i swear this is a henley you know i am
proud to have been the first person on youtube to cover jim green but to be fair it wasn't because
i discovered them i learned about them from a friendly commenter who said hey you gotta check
out jim green they're almost kind of like the red wing version in south africa if you go in
the comment section of almost any of my videos you'll find a plethora of information down there
so many people are so smart and willing to share their knowledge and experience that oftentimes
that's where the real value of these videos is so go ahead down there and and look in the comments
section of almost any video people will call me out if i'm mistaken or maybe overlooked something
not one of us is smarter than all of us and it's a great resource well jim green has been promoting
their african ranger quite a bit lately and i was lucky enough to snag a pair in the crazy horse
leather so let's jump right into the construction these boots are made from 2 to 2.2 millimeter
which is actually 5 to 5 and a half ounce leather which is double layered in the toe heel and eyelet
areas for durability jim green recently changed tanneries and is using a south african tannery
in the cape region using locally sourced hides they feature double row stitched down construction
and jim green does their double rows very tightly together in anticipation of future
resoles they have a steel shank for support heavy duty hooks and eyelets soft fully gusseted
leather tongue and padded collar for comfort and most importantly a soft wedge sole which is quite
low profile compared to the typical christy wedge it's important to know why these boots
were created as i think it really frames in why they're special and clearly states their value
proposition so from the jim green website fifty percent of rangers don't have access to sufficient
boots and gear and over forty percent are required to purchase their own boots with the future of our
wilderness areas in the hands of those with boots on the ground jim green footwear and the game
rangers association of africa have come together to make sure this issue is addressed inadequate
gear for rangers leads to a low morale and affects rangers well-being with rangers being on the front
line of our conservation areas a quality pair of boots is essential for everyday tasks we put out a
survey to rangers from across africa and from that pulled together various focus points as to what
is needed in the ultimate all-round ranger boot from that we give to you the african ranger a
boot designed by rangers for rangers the boot is designed with three main focus areas comfort
and durability while at an affordable price so these really aren't work boots like the
razorback and they're not truly hiking boots like the jim green monster they're somewhere in
between to be completely honest as an american from the suburbs i'm not entirely sure what
goes into being an african ranger all i know is it sounds cool as hell chances are that you'll
be wearing these in your own concrete jungle or small town or whatever so how does the african
ranger fare in other conditions well we should judge this boot based on its claims of being
comfortable durable and affordable there's no doubt that these are comfortable boots like my
razorbacks the toe box is low and wide for my hobbit-like feet this is wonderfully comfortable
but your mileage may vary depending on your foot shape the soft wedge sole is a real home run and
i found it to be not only comfortable but actually quite grippy on most surfaces it's contoured
and low profile so even though their aim wasn't aesthetic it sure looks great and it flexes
very easily i think this is the real secret ingredient in these boots the rubber compound
is soft but not too soft and it's actually made by jim green in south africa not vibram or an
external company the padded collar is standard fare for hiking boots and it makes walking all day
in these things a breeze no issues with break-in at all they're ready to go right out of the box
now these two components make the boots feel more like a sneaker than a boot at all the one place
that jim green has strategically cut costs is the insole now to be fair they have improved it quite
a bit compared to the original fiberboard version and you could definitely run these as is but next
to laces the insole is probably the easiest thing to change out on a pair of boots and slipping at a
pair of super feet insoles or something like that will make a huge difference this is also where you
can kind of address some of your own needs so if you need more arch support or heel cushioning
you can do that with specific insoles if they had to cut a corner to keep the price low i think
this was a smart place to do it durability now double row stitched down construction is what
you get on the toughest of tough work boots from the likes of whites and viberg and nicks and
drews and franks and all those companies the african rangers feature a 360 degree stitch down
construction since there's not a nailed on heel moreover the insole is secured to the upper with
a double stitch 2.2 millimeter braided nylon cord and the toe the heel and the eyelet areas use
two layers of leather without doing long-term testing on these boots though i will continue to
wear them it looks like durability is not going to be an issue and if history is any indication
with my razorbacks jim green boots take a beating and they just keep asking for more they're tough
little buggers the jim green african rangers cost 169 dollars with a 10 premium for the crazy horse
leather that you see here that is a price well below that of comparable boots it's actually kind
of difficult to find boots which compare directly with these the clark's desert boot for 150 comes
to mind but it's more of a casual stylish boot than the african ranger the red wing work chukka
is a hundred dollars more than the african ranger at 279 dollars the rhodes tracker is a great boot
for 198 and that's getting a little bit closer but i think it's more focused on style than anything
you could consider hikers from danner or solomon as potential options but those are not really
resolvable and oftentimes more expensive so yes jim green nailed the affordability jim
green also donates a pair of their african ranger boots to a ranger for every 10 boots
sold it's clear that this is a cause that they care very much about and overall i think jim
green met each one of their claims very handily this is a boot which truly embodies the function
before form attitude and they're not the prettiest boot out there in fact i'm gonna go out of the
limb and say that these might be the ugliest boots that i own they're made in a way that a tool
of the trade usually is with a focus on durability and functionality rather than aesthetics the
leather is decent but clearly work boot grade it's stamped and sewn together the way most
factory boots are without edge treatment or high stitches per inch it looks like it was pieced
together in sections and that eyelet segment is quite the eyesore but these characteristics are
kind of what make the african ranger what it is this is the amc eagle it's a four-wheel
drive station wagon which was sold from 1980 to 1987 powered by a 2.5 liter
four-cylinder or a 4.2 liter six cylinder they were the only four-wheel drive passenger
cars produced in the us in their time so you could pretty much go anywhere in relative
comfort in a car that got decent gas mileage they promised passenger car comfort four-wheel
drive capabilities and affordability compared to their suv and pickup truck counterparts
sound familiar the eagle definitely won't win any beauty pageants but they offered a list of
features which was hard to find back in the day and their utilitarian looks is all part of their
funky charm the same can be said for the african ranger for a reasonable price you can go almost
anywhere on or off-road in relative comfort and because of those traits to me their looks are
an endearing reminder that function follows form with these boots instagram snobs be damned now i
really think that these boots will find homes that where people are gonna love them outside of the
african ranger community if you're somebody who just needs some comfortable durable affordable
boots and you kind of live an active lifestyle or even if you just want something to use
out in the yard or go for the occasional walk something that's going to be an alternative to
your sneaker maybe this is the first boot that you own or you never really needed any but now you're
looking at these i think they're just a fantastic option plus you could feel good about
the fact that they are donating one to you know an african ranger for every 10 that
are sold that's that's pretty damn cool they're not going to stand in for your pacific northwest
high octane work boots the same way that an amc eagle won't stand in for a full-size pickup truck
that's really not what they're intended to do but in their all-around intended purpose i
think that they would find homes on the streets of new york city in the bush of the african
wilderness or here in the suburbs of connecticut they're really great boots so anyway go and
snag yourself a pair i've left a link in the description below you can go and get some and
enjoy and if you'd like to see more videos on boots like this i've made you a whole playlist
right there in that playlist you could find stuff that i've covered from jim green before some work
boots some casual boots i kind of put together a bit of a mix for you if you sort of want to go
around and see what your options are anyway guys thank you so much for watching i really do
appreciate it and i'll catch you next time
