Portland Leather Boots Review | When $168 Is Too Cheap

What do you get when you want a boot and you want to pay so little that you don’t care if it’s resoleable?

You get Portland Leather Goods — or their sub brand Patina — and the ubiquitously advertised Breaker Boot.

Stridewise is a website about casual stuff that lasts a long time (welcome!) and a good example of that is good boots. And Portland Leather Goods is very deliberately targeting the industry juggernaut Thursday Boot Company with their Breaker boot, an item that’s unbelievably similar to Thursday’s seminal Captain boot in terms of aesthetics, market placement, and marketing strategy. If you’ve seen one online, you’ve seen the other.

One article says Portland has hit $100 million in sales, which includes the bags that launched the brand, so I had to give the Breaker boot a try. I wore them for three weeks to bring you this review — and yes, the pull tab broke on week two of wearing them. 

Portland Leather Goods Boots: Pros and Cons

If you’ve got somewhere to be, here’s the breakdown of my time in the Breaker boot.

Pros

• Extremely inexpensive
• Decent leather that ages quickly for a rugged, beat up look
• They sell their seconds with minor defects at a discount, which is nice to see
• Lightweight and flexible, due to construction being more like a sneaker than a traditional boot
• Versatile look that works better with modern styles (like tapered pants) than bulky work boots
• Very water resistant; I splashed through puddles with dry socks
• Good shock absorption

Cons

• Durability is questionable; they can’t be resoled, the construction isn’t stitched, and the leather is thin
• Sole isn’t very tough; it’s chipping away after three weeks, which is doubly bad for a boot that can’t be resoled
• Pull tab broke on week two
• Not transparent; their site doesn’t disclose the boot’s construction, place of manufacturing, leather origin, etc.
• They’re just carbon copies of Thursday’s Captain boot, which is much better made for just $30 more

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend these boots when you can get an identical boot for $30 more that’s better in every respect —  and I have even more alternatives for under $200 at the end of this review.

The “Why” of Portland Leather Boots

The standard for constructing a good boot is the Goodyear welt, which makes it very easy to resole and give you many years of life from your beloved beaters. But Goodyear welts are expensive: usually a pair of boots made this way cost at least $300.

Thursday Boot Company rejuvenated the industry by managing to make Goodyear welted boots for $199, and also by popularizing this dress boot/work boot hybrid look that’s casual, but has an almond shaped toe and streamlined look that makes it easier to wear smart casual and easier to pair with slimmer fitting pants than typical work boots. It’s a look that Portland has mimicked to a T.

Now, generally speaking, a resole costs $100. Maybe $150, maybe less, depending where you live.

So Portland has a simple proposal: what if guys want boots that look like Thursday and don’t care if they’re built like Thursday, they’d rather just pay even less? What if the average shopper doesn’t actually care, or doesn’t think it’s worth it, if their boot can be resoled? And the ancillary stability and comfort from a welted boot’s construction doesn’t matter either?

That’s Portland’s gamble and if you think I’m being cynical with this angle, that’s exactly what the founder said on the Full Grain Podcast. (Minus using the word “Thursday.”)

We’re not doing a recraftable boot because I’ve worn both and I liked the other one better. That’s number one. Number two, it’s a better price. Number three, I tried to talk to the market out there, and other than people who are nerds about boots, no one even knows what the hell it is.

And… I mean, that’s true. Most guys don’t think about resoling their footwear.

Portland Leather Boots’ Marketing

But they should still make it clear on their product page! The website doesn’t say how they’re constructed, even though the fake welt they put on these (the sole stitching around the boots’ perimeter) would suggest they’re welted.

Rather, the site emphasizes they’re “artisan handmade with 183 detailed steps” and they’re

made by 3rd generation family owned bootmakers; designed in Portland Oregon.

That semicolon is a nice little sleight of hand there hoping you’ll think it’s made by bootmakers in Oregon, but they’re made in Mexico. And there’s nothing wrong with that; Portland just isn’t very forthcoming what this product actually is and they like to market it as the best boot on the market.

They also, as you can see in these e-mails, don’t say where the leather is made. They describe it as made from “premium US cowhides,” but that doesn’t mean the leather is tanned in the USA. Given its price, it’s almost certainly tanned where the boots are made: in León, Mexico.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making boots in Mexico. Some of the best boots on Earth, like Viberg challenger Unmarked and iconic cowboy brand Chisos are made in León. 

Just be honest with your marketing and tell me what I’m buying, please.

Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the leather and how it stacks up to its competitors.

Patina Boots Leather Quality

• 1.65mm thick
• Ages very quickly; in a way that looks good, though
• Origin unclear
• 6 colorways available

The brand is called Patina, a word that refers to when something ages in a beautiful way, like well loved boots or jeans. When you’re buying leather boots that can’t be resoled, then you must be really leaning on the leather quality, right?

So where’s it from? I dunno. Like I said, they don’t tell you who makes the leather. 

This leather I got they call Canyon, and it’s actually fine. It’s thin, but it’s fine. It’s got a fair amount of oils and waxes in it so when you fold it, the leather lightens as they move around the leather, an effect called pull up. That’s generally good for water resistance and for suggesting the leather doesn’t need too much care and conditioning.

It is thin, though. At 1.6 millimeters, it’s about 30 percent thinner than what you’d get on a pair of Red Wing’s boots (2 to 2.2 millimeters) and it’s also significantly thinner than Thursday’s leather (~1.9mm).

But to be fair: the Breaker isn’t really sold as a work boot. The leather doesn’t have to be that thick. And the boot’s not expensive, so I’m not upset about the leather uppers. 

As you can see from my pictures, even with just a few weeks of wear the Breaker boots look quite… old. Boots made with better leather take a longer time to look so beat up, while these look a year old after a month.

Now, they are sold, or rather they should be bought, as your kick-around, throw-away boots. So, to be honest, the leather looking all beat up nice and fast is probably going to be a draw for a lot of guys. They aren’t dress boots. Just note that leather this thin, and won’t last for many years of hard wear.

Then again, they’re casual city boots and can’t be resoled so… I guess that doesn’t matter? So long as the soles are tough enough to last a while. They are, right?

Portland Leather Boots Construction

• Cemented, so glued more like a sneaker than a boot
• Can’t be resoled, which is fair for the price
• Sole isn’t durable though

If you can’t resole it, will the sole at least last a long time? It’s thick and luggy, so it shouldn’t wear down for ages anyway, right?

Well maybe if you’re getting like a Vibram commando sole but this is Portland’s own sole and if you look closely…

It’s already getting chipped away after just a couple weeks of wear, so. It’s not a great sole. 

The boots are pretty water resistant, to be fair. I stood in a puddle in them for a full minute and they kept my feet dry.

That said, given this construction isn’t that durable, I have a hard time saying they’ll be water resistant for as long as you own them, because they’re glued together. There’s less of a guarantee that they’ll be this watertight in a year. 

Portland Leather Boots Comfort

• Lightweight and flexible 
• No break in

The comfort isn’t going to be boot-like over time either. Why? Because in addition to the leather upper being very thin, this is a cemented boot without a leather insole — it’s leather topped foam — and there’s no cork under the insole like you find in traditional boots.

Without those things, the fit isn’t going to improve that much as time goes on, which is a big perk of boots. 

Now, they are lightweight as a result of all that cost cutting in the construction.

• My Nicks boots weigh 1,200 grams
• My Red Wing Iron Rangers weigh 890 grams
• My Thursday Captains weigh 800 grams
• These Portland boots weigh 640 grams

I imagine, as the CEO said himself, most guys won’t care about the lack of cork and leather underfoot, they’ll just be glad they’re not too heavy or too expensive. It’s important to keep things in perspective for their typical customers and not judge them the same way we’d judge an $800 boot.

Portland Leather Boots Sizing

• Order half a size smaller than your sneakers
• Ignore Portland’s advice to order your true size, you’re sizing down

I’ll touch on sizing before giving final thoughts: their site says to go true to size and it is wrong. My true size is 11.5, I told them this, and they said they’d send me an 11. It fits me well, with ample room in the toes and a good thumb’s width at the end of the boot.

There are no wide sizes at the moment either, but with a company this big, I’m sure they eventually will.

Note the sizes run from just 7 to 13, which is relatively limited as well. Again, I imagine that they’ll have more sizes as time goes on.

Are Portland Leather Boots Worth It?

• $168

The price is very low at $168.

Here’s the thing: the price isn’t that bad for what you’re getting. I just don’t know why you wouldn’t spend $30 more to get a Thursday boot which, while not the fanciest heaviest thickest boot on the market, gives the precise same aesthetic with tougher leather, more leather options and sizes and widths, and you get cork and leather midsoles that will provide better comfort over time. Thursdays even have shock absorbing foam in their boots as well.

Like, Portland is fine for the price. Thursday is very good for the price. And the price is just so close to Portland’s, I think you’re better off getting the more durable and otherwise-identical Thursday.

Hats off to my pal Rose Anvil for finding this out when he cut their moc toe boot in half: Portland don’t have a leather midsole. They have a fake leather midsole. It’s basically painted on.

Add that to the fake welt around the perimeter, the company being cagey about how the boots are made, where they’re made, and where the leather comes from…

It’s one thing to have a cemented boot. That’s fine, the price is fine for what it is. It’s another to position it as premium and hide or obfuscate all your product details. And at $168, it’s just $30 more to get something that will definitely last longer and be more comfortable from Thursday.

Portland Leather Boots Alternatives

Given how damn similar the two boots are, there’s no escaping the Thursday comparison. But here are some other boots that are better made than Portland that you might consider.

BLKBRD Shoemaker

Made in India, when they’re made with local leather BLKBRD’s boots are under $200 and handwelted, which is similar to a Goodyear welt but done without machines. It’s more laborious, some say it makes a better boot, and it makes the value for money astonishing. Their service boots the Luchador and Dixon are what you’re after, and they have boots with American leather like Chromexcel at around $300.

Beckett Simonon

The Dowler boot is a little rounder at the toe but about the same look, and it’s Blake stitched so it’s resoleable, if a bit less water resistant. They’re $259 but with the discount code “STRIDE” it drops to $207. Unfortunately, you need to wait a few months for them to be made for you.

Stacy Adams

The Madison is Goodyear welted for $150, although the leather is very shiny and chromey. 

Golden Fox

Their Boondocker is $130, Goodyear welted, and pretty damn comfortable. (Read our Golden Fox review.) You might not be able to resole them given the welt isn’t leather, but the construction quality is still higher than Portland.

Jim Green

These ones are under $200 and resoleable, they just don’t look anything like Portland’s. Check out our review of Jim Green to learn more; if you prefer a nice wide toe, these could be up your alley.

Wrapping Up

I did have to have that section of alternatives in this review to make it clear that there aren’t only two boots (Portland and Thursday) in this price bracket. But if you’ve looked around, you’d agree that those are the only two brands with this aesthetic.

I say, pay the extra for all the benefits of Thursday boots.

And Portland Leather Goods: fix your f****** pull tabs.