5 Things to Look for When Buying a Pair of Boots

When a man decides to buy a pair of boots that can look good with any outfit, survive a downpour, and age beautifully, they’re often in for a rude awakening: high-quality boots cost hundreds of dollars, and there are so many aspects of a boot to take into account before pulling the trigger.

I know from experience. I spent most of my life living in the tropics. When I moved to Manhattan, I was completely unprepared to navigate snowy sidewalks, let alone in shoes that worked with business casual outfits.

Was I meant to know anything about leather? How do I know if they’re water-resistant? Which ones look better as they age?

Now, I have over a hundred pairs of boots and have made a ton of videos about boots. So, I’m listing the five things most important things to keep in mind when looking for a pair of boots. Wonder no more. Here’s what to look for in a pair of boots.

Wonder no more. Here’s what to look for in a pair of boots.

Key Takeaways: How to Buy Better Boots

1. Know the leather: Choose brands that tell you which tannery produces the leather and its type.
2. Transparent marketing: Look for brands that tell you the construction, country of origin, and materials they use to make the boots.
3. Buy repairable & resoleable boots: Look for Goodyear welts (stitch down, Blake stitch, Blake rapid, and hand welts are also good).
4. Leather midsoles, insoles, and outsoles: Boots with leather inside signal a higher quality.
5. Look for a shank: If your boot has a heel, get one with a shank. It’s better for stability and durability.

[Skip the line: see my top picks for the 10 best boots on the market!]

Brand Name Leather

• If a company names the tannery, that’s a good sign.
• Disregard marketing terms like “genuine leather”
• Avoid bonded leather

It’s hard to get a crash course in leather, partly because a lot of different tanneries use different terms. But, put simply, the more information a company provides about the leather, the better quality the boot.

These are all really good tanneries: SB Foot, Lefarc, Siedel, Horween, Badalassi Carlo, and CF Stead.  There are a lot more, but the point is that “full grain leather” isn’t a great signifier or quality. It’s better than the term “genuine leather” which is meaningless.

Basically, you want the company to be forthcoming about where the leather comes from. That, to me, is a better sign of the leather’s quality. When I first started out reviewing boots, I recommended buying “full grain leather,” but now I think that’s just too vague, and there’s a lot of great leather that’s not full grain.

Chromexcel, perhaps the most popular boot leather, on the pricey Viberg and Alden boots.

What is Full Grain Leather?

Full-grain leather is very hard-wearing and durable, but it’s not the most important quality indicator. Plenty of leathers aren’t full grain – like rough out or suede – but they are still very good quality and hard-wearing.

I would say look for the tannery first, and then if the boot brand doesn’t specify, then look for the term full grain, which is pretty good at telling you that it will be okay leather.

A lot of brands will contrast “full grain” with “corrected grain,” the latter is often demonized, but that means the skin has been buffed to remove some or all of the bumpiness of the skin. Sometimes, they shave off too much leather, and it’s too thin and plasticky (like Doc Martens boots).

Still, many high-quality full-grain leathers are slightly corrected, like Chromexcel, probably the most popular and beloved boot leather in the US.

Leathers you want to avoid are bonded leather, made from shreds of different leathers all stuck together, and genuine leather, which is the cheapest and least durable.

[Compare the differences between chrome tanned and vegetable tanned full grain leather!]

Prioritize Transparent Brands

• The more information, the better
• Avoid brands that don’t state the boots’ construction

You can’t gauge the quality of a boot if you don’t know the details about the boot.

It makes sense if the brand doesn’t tell you what kind of leather they use, which tannery makes the leather, where the boot is made, or the type of construction, then I always think they’re trying to hide something.

A good example here is Portland leather. This boot is everywhere on Instagram.

Their Breaker boot is a good-looking boot. But on their website and product page, they don’t tell you this is cemented construction, which means it can’t be resoled.

Now, if they were forthcoming with that, I wouldn’t have a problem with it because it is a very inexpensive boot, and the price matches the boot’s quality. But when they’re not telling you these sorts of things, like they’re not really forthcoming with either how it’s made or where it’s made, that sets off some alarm bells for me.

So, I want transparency from the company.

Resoleable & Repairable: The Goodyear Welt

You want to look for resoleability, and for a lot of people, that’s the number one thing to look for, and there are very good reasons for that. Resoleable boots are more durable and last longer because you don’t have to toss them out when the sole eventually wears down.

With sneakers, they’re glued on. You’ll often get a Blake stitch with dressier shoes and boots, which means they’re stitched on. Goodyear welts have both the upper and the sole attached to a layer of material (usually leather) that sits between them. The process leaves a telltale line of stitching running around the perimeter of the boot.

Not only is it much easier to resole, but the welt forms a tight seal that makes for a very water resistant shoe. Variations include storm welts and split reverse welts, which are ever so slightly more water resistant, but your regular Goodyear welt should keep your socks dry, and it’s seen by many as the best way to sole a boot.

A Goodyear welt isn’t the only resoleable construction, but it’s the easiest for most cobblers. Stitch down, Blake stitch, hand welted, and Blake rapid are all resoleable. You should just note that they are harder to get resoled.

It can be done, but there’s a good chance you’ll have to mail your boots away if they are anything other than a Goodyear welt. But you should still get those boots. Those are still good quality, and they still can be resoled, just a bit more inconvenient.

[Learn more: The Pros and Cons of the Goodyear welt.]

The Dainite outsole seen in the Viberg Service Boot, Oak Street Trench Boot, and others.

A Leather Insole, Midsole, or Outsole

The boot’s construction is really important. I want a durable and comfortable boots. I want at least one layer of leather in there. A lot of the boots that I really like have either a leather insole, midsole, or outsole.

A lot of people don’t like leather outsoles. But, my point is that some brands will experiment with different materials for the insoles and midsoles. They’ll use modern synthetic materials that wear out a bit faster but are more comfortable and combine these with more durable materials like leather.

So, for instance, traditional boots are made of mostly leather; the insole, midsole, and outsole are all leather, and a lot of purists really like that.

Some brands, like Thursday, experiment with an EVA foam insole, which is something you’ll find on sneakers. It has better shock absorption, but it still has a leather midsole.

Other brands will have a leather insole, and they’ll have a leather midsole, like Red Wing, for instance. They do that on their Moc Toes.

But I want a leather insole or midsole because that molds to the shape of your foot over time and produces a more custom fit as you wear the boots. Because the big benefit of boots is that the more you wear them, the better they fit.

So, the most uncomfortable day in a pair of boots is your first day in them.

The Outsole

The type of outsole is going to depend on your use case. A cowboy boot will need a different outsole than a logger or a work boot.

And it comes back to transparency. Does the company tell you about the sole, or is it missing from the specs?

Many companies default to Vibram or Dainite, a popular British sole usually on boots over $350 a pair. But many less expensive footwear companies like Thursday and Meermin have nearly identical outsoles that function about as well.

If you want grip and a sleek boot, find a recessed rubber stud. If you don’t care about formality, you can always opt for a chunky Commando sole like the one on the Truman Java Waxed Flesh. Want to go in the other direction and have a totally flat, old-fashioned sole? They’re increasingly rare, but you might want to look for a neo-cork sole like the Alden Indy, which offers more grip than leather.

[Learn more: The 6 Kinds of Boot Soles You Should Know About.]

The Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill

The Shank

This doesn’t make it onto many lists of the most important boot features, but plenty of folks consider it the most important. A shank is a strip of hard material between the layers in the sole in the middle of the foot. It helps protect the foot from punctures, provides stability to the boot, and helps with arch support.

Shanks help to contribute to a boot’s longevity: as the boot ages, it’ll start to lose its structure, but a durable shank helps to slow or prevent the boot’s disintegration. Shanks are traditionally steel, but some companies offer them in more airport-friendly fiberglass, leather, or even wood.

There is an asterisk for this rule.

When a boot has a wedge sole, bookmakers will often not include a shank because you don’t have the heel and the forefoot on really separate bits. It’s flat here, so this is plenty stable enough without a shank.

Even this exception has an exception; Grant Stone put a shank in their wedge-soled boots because even when it’s a wedge sole, some people can tell when there’s no shank, especially as it wears down. That’s kind of a more niche view that some people think a wedge sole should have a shank.

But a general rule of thumb is if it’s got a heel, it should have a shank. It may not be such a big deal if it doesn’t.

The White’s Service Boot (seen here in Cinnamon Waxed Flesh leather) contours the foot more closely than most other brands

Bonus: The Fit

Fit seems obvious. Like, who isn’t trying to get the best-fitting boot? But these days, many boot companies, like Thursday Boot Company and Taft, cut out the middle man and sell their boots directly to consumers. You save money, but you also need to know your boot size.

There are a few ways to prepare: walk into a shoe store and find out your true size with a Brannock device, the contraption that sizes your feet correctly, and make sure to get your length and width. Then, find out the boot’s size; most boot companies run at least a half size large, so while my true size is 11.5, I’m an 11 in most of my boots.

One benefit of direct-to-consumer is that it allows brands to make a wide range of widths. Grant Stone, Adelante, Alden, and Thursday all have boots for wider feet. Adelante can make boots for very narrow (c width) and very, very wide feet (EEEEE width).

Finally, inquire about the last, the foot-shaped model bootmakers use to build boots. Every last is different. (And, often, a closely guarded secret.)  Reach out to the company and search on forums like the Goodyear Welt subreddit to find out how the shoe fits.

Do you prefer the feeling of a boot that gently cradles the foot, holds it tight, or offers room for your toes to wiggle? Do as much research as possible, and find companies with free exchanges in case the fit isn’t right.

[Learn more in my ultimate guide to how boots should fit!]

Red Wing makes their Blacksmith boots with tough, oil-tanned leather.

Wrapping Up

Finding solid boots is more complicated than you might think. Save time and money and get a boot with brand-name leather, a Goodyear welt, a shank, and leather in the insole or midsole. But the most important signal is transparency. The best brands are proud of their craft and make robust boots that look good, and age well. To find one that suits your needs, check out my reviews page.