Georgia Boot Romeo Review: Can Cheap Boots Compete?

In twenty-three years of wearing work boots, I’ve never owned a pair from Georgia Boot, so I was excited to give their budget soft-toe Georgia Giant Waterproof High Romeo (GR500) a go.

Georgia Boot positions itself as a budget-friendly brand, with its most expensive models topping out around $260. For comparison, I typically wear pricier Red Wings, Thorogoods, and Danners, while the Romeo GR500 retails for only $140 — but can it deliver real value at that price?

I’ll evaluate the boot based on my usual criteria: construction and durability, comfort, and fit. I’ll also cover safety, though it won’t receive a rating. Let’s dig in.

Pros: What I like about the Georgia Boot GR500

• They’re lightweight, have zero break-in, and feel good on my flat feet.
• I like the aesthetics: it’s very rare for a work boot to also look totally acceptable as a casual boot.
• Soft and shock absorbent, and you can swap out the insole if you need to use your own or if you need to adjust the fit.
• It’s waterproof but it doesn’t look like it is; most waterproof boots are bulkier, and I appreciate the balance of design and function here
• Goodyear welt construction offers good durability and is rare for a waterproof boot.
• Steel shank improves the boot’s stability and limits sore feet
• No laces to get wet.

Downsides and dealbreakers

• No ASTM ratings, except for the steel toe if you get that boot: if your job requires other ASTM ratings, you’re out of luck.
• The welt is plastic, so it will be harder to resole this boot than one with a traditional leather welt.
• Less secure on the foot than a boot with laces (but this is true of any Chelsea, not just this one)
• Internal materials could be better, the mesh lining in the heel started fraying after 6 days.
• They felt quite stuffy, which is to be expected with a waterproof boot, but the product page insists they’re also breathable — nope!

How I Tested the Georgia Boot Romeo GR500

My job as a water plant operator requires several miles of walking each day across a wide range of surfaces, including concrete, tile, metal, grass, dirt, and even snow in winter.

I also wore the Romeo GR500s off the clock: I spent six consecutive days wearing them for all of my daily activities: walking, running errands, playing with my kids, and working outdoors. Why only six days? We’ll get to that later.

Georgia Boot Romero GR500 Specs

Safety Toe	No
Slip Resistant	Yes – not rated
Electric Hazard Rated	No
Waterproof	Yes, Georgia Waterproof System
Construction	Goodyear Welt
Midsole	EVA
Outsole	Oil-resistant polyurethane outsole
Shank	Steel
Height	4 inches
Country of Origin	Dominican Republic
Variants	GR530 (Steel Toe)
Sizes Available	US Men’s Full 7–14, Half 7.5–11.5

About Georgia Boot

The company was founded in 1937 and acquired by Rocky Brands in 2004, yet there’s surprisingly little about its history on the official website.

It’s worth emphasizing, though, that some people believe Georgia Boot make all their boots in the USA, but they don’t. Allamerican.org found that four models are made in the USA (with imported components) but the vast majority of them are made overseas.

My Romeo Chelseas are made in the Dominican Republic, which I was actually glad to see, because if they were this price and made in the USA? Well, there’s not much chance that they’d be very good!

Construction and Durability: Georgia Romeo GR500

• Goodyear welt (plastic welt)
• EVA midsole
• Slip-, oil-, and acid-resistant PU outsole
• Heel-to-toe drop: ~0.50 inches
• Heel thickness: 1.2 inches
• Pull tabs for easy on/off
• Rating: 2.5/5

Goodyear welt construction is considered the “gold standard” for a resoleable boot, and while you can debate the ins and outs of different kinds of resoleable boots, it’s fair to say that it’s the standard: if there’s one kind of boot a cobbler can resole (and that’s often the case), it’ a Goodyear welt.

However, the welt is usually leather. In cheaper boots like this one, the welt is plastic. This means the sole is still unlikely to delaminate or let water into the boot, but it’s a lot harder for a cobbler to resole it.

You might get one resole, or he might want to replace the welt. In any case, it’s not quite the same value proposition as your standard Goodyear welt — but hey, it’s a $140 boot.

There’s also an additional stitch at the front to help prevent separation between the outsole and midsole. Because I frequently work around chemicals, a slip and chemical-resistant outsole is a necessity for me.

Leather & Uppers

• Type: Full-grain, oiled leather
• Durability: Scratches fairly easily

The simple design uses just three panels of full-grain leather. It’s soft, pliable, and water-resistant. I measured the leather at 1–1.5 mm thick, which is about 1 mm thinner than Redback, a competitor I’ve tested previously.

When I asked Georgia Boot where the leather was sourced, they told me they were unable to provide that information. That’s pretty par for the course for boots at this pricepoint.

Each boot has elastic goring and two pull tabs secured with triangular stitching to assist with pulling them on and off.

The waterproof lining extends about halfway up the goring. I’m pretty happy with that, since a lot of similar boots don’t waterproof the goring at all.

Georgia Boot’s Waterproof System

The boots use a mesh liner backed with foam, which houses the Georgia Waterproof system. According to the company, it “keeps water out while letting air in. Your feet stay dry, guaranteed.”

I performed a five-minute submersion test, immersing the boots up to the midpoint of the goring — about 4.7 inches — and the system performed as advertised. My feet stayed completely dry.

That said, they’re wrong about the “letting air in” part. By the end of an eight-hour shift, my feet felt uncomfortably warm, regardless of whether I wore cotton or wool socks. These boots are noticeably less breathable than the Gore-Tex–lined boots in my rotation.

Sole

The “Giant” name refers to the oversized outsole. It’s made from polyurethane and is both oil- and slip-resistant. As mentioned, it’s glued to the midsole rather than stitched — not an unreasonable design feature at this pricepoint.

The shallow tread pattern measures 0.15” deep, which helps reduce tracking of snow and mud. The heel depth is 0.5”, giving the boot more of a wedge-sole feel underfoot.

The midsole is made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), a lightweight foam material. It’s glued to the outsole and attached to the upper.

These boots use a steel shank, which helps distribute weight and improve stability on ladders and uneven surfaces like rocks. Running from the heel to the midfoot, the main point of a shank is to keep the boot’s heel and forefoot from moving independently of one another, as this is a common cause of sore feet.

Sizing & Fit: Georgia Romeo GR500

• Rating: 5/5
• US sizing, true to size

I wear a 12D in Red Wing’s work boots and a 12EE in Thorogood mocs, and the GR500s fit very similarly. In other words, they fit true to size: while you usually have to size down for Goodyear welted boots, it wasn’t the case here. Go get measured on a Brannock device at a shoe store, and simply order that size from Georgia Boot.

If possible, I recommend trying them on in person at a local store to confirm sizing before purchasing.

Safety Features: Georgia Romeo GR500

• No ASTM ratings, except for the steel toe version of this boot
• Slip-, oil-, and acid-resistant sole — not rated, but I can attest

These are the only safety-related elements on the GR500. If you need protective toe coverage, the steel toe version, the GR530, meets ASTM F2413 standards.

Cost: Georgia Romeo GR500

Rating: 5/5

• $140 on Georgia Boot’s website and on Amazon (at the time of writing)

Sales are common, so it’s worth keeping an eye out — while writing this review, the GR500 was on sale on Amazon.

For comparison, Wolverine offers a similar style, the I-90 EPX Romeo, for $155 on their site — but at the time of writing, it’s $140 on Amazon.

Are the Georgia Boots Romeo GR500 Worth It?

I don’t feel comfortable recommending the GR500.

On paper, these boots have a lot going for them: they’re lightweight, waterproof, Goodyear welted, and include extra stitching at the toebox for added durability. They look good, and they’re priced lower than many competing brands.

However, after just six days of wear, the mesh at the heel of the throat ripped. That alone told me what I needed to know, but they’re also not breathable at all. I wouldn’t normally knock a waterproof boot for feeling stuffy, but Georgia Boot claim that the GR500 is perfectly breathable, and it isn’t.

For context, my Steel Blue Chelsea boots, which I’ve worn for over a year, have interior materials that have held up far better than the GR500’s mesh — but to be fair, they cost some $60 more than the GR500s.

With all that said, you may still want to try the GR500 for yourself. Georgia Boot does offer a warranty, and it’s possible I received an unusually weak pair.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I hope you found it helpful and informative.