Red Wing 1907 One-Year Review: Patina, Sizing & More

Hey everybody, I’m Patrick from Rocky Mountain Style and I’m sharing a quick, one-year review of my Red Wing Classic 1907 Moc Toe boots.

They’ve been my second or third most worn pair of boots over the last year and they’ve certainly experienced enough wear to pick up some attractive patina and for me to be able to assess how the boots’ fit and comfort changes over time as well.

I’ve gotten a few comments on my YouTube channel asking why I chose these over other popular boots, so I wanted to show them off, talk about how they’ve aged, and chat a bit about why I picked them up.

It’s worth noting that while I’d consider myself a veteran boot owner and have enjoyed many different brands over the years, these are actually my very first pair of Red Wing Heritage boots.

And I’m a huge fan.

Pros & Cons

Here’s my breakdown of what I liked and didn’t like about the Red Wing 1907 Moc Toe.

What I Liked

• The Look: The chunky, classic work boot style looks fantastic with everything from jeans and a t-shirt to a heavy jacket.
• Leather: The Copper Rough and Tough leather is one of my favorites. It’s beautiful and has a ton of character right out of the box.
• Comfort: Once broken in, these boots are incredibly comfortable for all-day wear.
• Value: These are actually well priced for an American-made, Goodyear welted boot and for a Red Wing boot, because you get “free” insoles and spare laces
• Insole: Unlike most Red Wings the insole is removable if you want the extra space, if you want to use your own, or if you’d rather wear in the non-synthetic insole.

Downsides, Not Dealbreakers

• The Break In: There’s a decent chance you’ll have sore feet for the first few wears. Bring sneakers when you leave the house in case you need to change!
• Only Available in One Leather
• Not Versatile: I love these because they’re both casual and high quality, but some folks only like to spend this kind of money on something they can dress up — and this cannot be dressed up!
• No Speed Hooks, which outrages some folks. Your cobbler can put them on if it’s a big deal to you.

How I Tested

I wore these consistently for one entire year — OK, 50 weeks — for day-to-day activities and casual outings.

As I work a desk job, the soles haven’t seen heavy wear, but the footbed has nonetheless molded to my foot’s shape and is producing that special kind of boot-comfort that only gets better.

An Overview of Red Wing

For those new to the brand, Red Wing is a family-owned business that dates to 1905, starting in Red Wing, Minnesota, which is the source of the company name.

They released the iconic 877 moc toe in 1952. While I’m not sure if it was the first moc toe with a wedge-style sole, Red Wing’s 877 (and 6-inch 875) are 100 percent the boots that popularized the style with the working man and, later, fashionistas.

In 1987, Red Wing bought the local tannery S.B. Foot Tanning Company, which made the company more vertically integrated, helped control the price of the product, and helped make their quality control more consistent.

Red Wing launched its Heritage offshoot in 2007, after a successful “lifestyle boot” partnership with J.Crew.

A Closer Look: One Year of Wear

I’m really happy with how these boots are turning out after a year.

The boots are holding up incredibly well. I haven’t had any issues with the stitching, the welt, or any other part of the construction. As you can see, there’s not much wear on the soles.

I’m pretty easy on my boots, and since I work a desk job, even the days I wear them don’t add a ton of mileage. The gusseted tongue is in great shape, and the eyelets aren’t causing any excessive wear. All in all, they’re in very good shape, and I hope for the year-two update, there will be a lot more wear to show.

The most noticeable change is the dark coloration that has developed, especially around the ankle, although the dark gray, or maybe blue-black color near the heel isn’t a feature of the leather aging.

It’s from rubbing against my raw denim: my pants hit about midway up the laces because of the way I cuff them, and any guy who likes raw denim has probably had the same experience. It’s so common they call it “crocking”: indigo transferring off your jeans and onto your boots. (Or your shirt, belt, underwear, socks, etc. Crocking!)

I think it looks really neat and distinctive.

Red Wing’s leathers are great for guys who love patina: desirable effects of aging. Leathers that are geared toward work, as opposed to dressier wear, tend to be packed with a lot more oils and waxes to improve the durability and water resistance.

The oils and waxes move around as you wear the boot and create a great two-tone effect.

On camera, the leather pulls more of its orange and brown tones. In person, it looks a little more amber, with some red and mahogany. The grain break is a little more pronounced on one boot than the other, but that’s expected and not too bad.

Construction

• Wider, deeper last than other moc toes
• Removable insole
• Extra water resistant kind of Goodyear welt

The 1907 is built a bit differently from other Red Wing Moc Toes, which contributes to its unique fit and profile.

The Last

The last (called the “number 45 last”) is different to their other moc toes (the “23 last”) because the 1907 has a removable insole that they needed to make space for. So it’s deeper and wider than the Classic Moc‘s 23 last, and it has less toe spring as well.

The insole is removable, which is unusual for Red Wing. The last gives you enough room to swap out their insole for your own if you need one, which is a huge deal to a lot of guys with foot problems.

You can also lose the insole altogether if you instead want to wear in the classic, stiff, vegetable tanned leather insole that sits beneath it. (Note that the break in will be tougher if you do.)

The Welt

The 1907 features a split reverse storm welt, and it’s controversial.

Boots like these are resoleable because the upper and the sole, instead of being attached to each other, are attached to a strip of leather called the welt. If that strip of leather is a little wide, it can be curled up onto the upper on the outside of the boot. This makes it a little bit more water resistant (good for storms), even though Goodyear welts are already plenty rainproof.

Red Wing sometimes get into trouble because they sometimes call it a Norwegian welt (a different and more complicated build) and because the storm welt-y bit of leather running around the boot’s perimeter isn’t actually part of the welt.

Some people, like our pal Weston in the video above, will even say the 190’7’s mutant “storm welt” doesn’t add any of the extra protection from water or muck that the brand claims. Others, like Mike at the Iron Snail, did find it to be more water resistant than the average Goodyear welted boot, but you need to understand: it’s not a waterproof boot, anyway.

If it’s Goodyear welted (and it is), it won’t be waterproof but it will be waterproof enough for navigating a storm. They’re not-not water resistant.

The Leather: Copper Rough and Tough

First and foremost, the deciding factor for most people buying a boot like this is the look, and the leather is central to that. This Copper Rough and Tough leather is one of my favorites. It’s a beautiful, pull-up leather with a lot of character and depth of color, even when brand new.

It shows wear beautifully. You can already see all sorts of depth and color variation — a rich, oily appearance that’s a mix of brown, orange, and red tones — after just a year of regular wear. As mentioned, it appears more amber and mahogany in person than it might on screen.

Red Wing Heritage’s leathers include a “Rough and Tough” collection (editor Nick has a grey pair) and it’s actually nubuck, meaning the top layer has been sanded away just a little bit. This doesn’t affect durability and it enhances the velvety look and feel of this still-very-tough leather.

Leather Care

I wanted to mention that I’ve conditioned these boots once in the last year. They were starting to look a little bit dry, so I decided it was time.

I used Bick 4 because I didn’t want to darken the leather too much. I know that may not be optimal for everyone, but I wanted to keep the color as close to the original as possible.

The conditioner made them appear a little darker for a week or so, but after wearing them a time or two, the color went right back to how it looked before.

Bick 4 is known for not changing the look of your leather much; if you instead would like to really bring out the character and speed up the patina a little, get Venetian Shoe Cream.

Fit & Sizing

• My Brannock size is somewhere between a 10.5D and an 11D. I bought these 1907s in a size 10D.
• Go a half size down from your Brannock measurement
• Remember you’ll probably wear thick boot socks; size accordingly
• The initial fit was snug.

Getting the right size in Red Wings can be tricky, so here’s my experience.

My pair is size 10. My Brannock size is somewhere between a 10.5D and an 11. The guys in the store tried to get me to go down to a 9.5. They even had me try on a 9 first, but I couldn’t even get my foot in them. Size 10 is perfect for me: they’re not tight. If I wear them with thick socks, they are the perfect size.

For comparison, I wear Thursday Diplomat in size 10.5D, Thursday Captain in a 10D; Grant Stone Diesels in size 10E, loafers in size 10D; Truman Boots in size 10.5D.

Style

I have other wedge sole moc toes, like the Thursday Diplomat in black, but I was a bit disappointed in that color. It was shinier than I wanted; I should have gotten their Black Matte leather instead of the one called Black.

Many modern moc toe boots, like the Grant Stone Brass Boot, have a sleeker look with a lower-profile toe box. But I already have sleek boots. The 1907 had the chunky look I wanted.

Red Wing moc toes looks really good with jeans and a heavy jacket, or just jeans and a white t-shirt in the summer. I think these boots really take the cake for casual boots; the chunky look and the contrasting wedge sole make them easy to dress down without looking cheap.

The boot comes with both standard taslan laces and leather laces. The included leather ones were a bit dark for my taste, almost black. I’m looking forward to breaking these in even more with some new laces.

Price

• $349.99

The Red Wing 1907 Classic Moc Toe retails for $349.99. With a product like this, the price won’t change if you look elsewhere unless that particular retailer is having a sale. But the margins are thin with USA-made boots like this, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Red Wings on sale unless they’re seconds.

The 1907 model specifically refers to the boot in the Copper Rough and Tough leather. However, the bestselling 6-inch Classic Moc (without the storm welt) comes in at least eight options, including the famous 875 in Oro Legacy, Briar Oil Slick, Black Prairie, Hawthorne Abilene, and a new, really intriguing Black Cherry color.

Conclusion

That’s the one-year update on my Red Wing 1907s. They are living up to the hype and have earned a permanent spot in my rotation.

If you prefer the leathers or the look of Red Wing’s Classic Moc, and if you don’t need the room for an insole, you should get the Classic Moc.

But I appreciate all the completely unique elements of this singular Red Wing boot.