Red Wing Exos Lite 1-Year Review | The Perfect Warehousing Work Boot

Combining the flexibility of a light hiking boot with the durability of a work boot, Red Wing’s 8-inch waterproof Exos Lite is designed for guys who need to move swiftly and securely in demanding environments.

As an art warehouse tech, I need stable shoes that are supportive and provide adequate protection, but I don’t need a ton of technical features or resoleable construction weighing them down or adding to the cost.

Given that works of art simply do not come in any standardized sizes, loading a truck or container with this stuff is a task that benefits from nimbleness. A tight space, such as the back of a box truck or a storeroom filled with odd-sized crates, quickly becomes an obstacle course for the art handler.  

If your job is anything like warehousing and requires a lot of walking or moving briskly or even the occasional sprint, this boot may serve you well.   

Editor’s Note: Red Wing no longer sells This boot. The Exo Lite 2453 with a BOA self-lacing mechanism is available on redwing.com.

How I Tested Red Wing’s Exo Lite Work Boots

Before I get into the details, let me describe my line of work and the nature of the environment. I used these boots for 10 months of 40-hour work weeks.

I’m a warehouse tech in a facility that stores fine art. My footwear should be comfortable for the hours I spend walking on a concrete floor and should offer protection against any of the safety hazards typical of a warehouse environment, such as slipping or potentially toe-crushing mishaps with heavy objects.

Pros:

• Lightweight. At just over 3 lbs, this boot offers quite a lot of comfort and mobility.  
• Meets ASTM and Canadian standards for various hazards: resistance to punctures, slipping, and electrical hazards.
• Unusually flexible and light for puncture resistant boots
• Tastefully designed modern boot.
• Arguably tactical; designed to be reminiscent of hiking boots

Cons:

• Hard to buy; this is scarcely available (even online) outside of Red Wing Shoes stores.
• Longevity. The durability of this boot scales with its lightness. This really is a light-to-medium-duty boot.    
• Price. You can get more for less from other options. 

The Concept: Red Wing Exos Lite

• Hybrid light hiker work boot
• 8-inch Waterproof, CSA Safety Toe Boot

These aren’t advertised as such on the Red Wing website, but I’d go as far as to say that these could fit in the “tactical” class of footwear that has emerged in recent decades. 

It’s easy to associate Red Wing with “heritage” footwear but it seems they have also had reasonable success bringing modern hybrid work/hiking shoes to market. The Tradesman is a previous-generation realization of this concept and is still available presently.

A cursory glance at other last-gen models shows that this company has been around the block when it comes to bridging the gap between walkable and work-able. The aptly named Exos Lite is a recent development in the Red Wing lineup that emphasizes extreme lightness and mobility.

The Design: Red Wing Exos Lite

• Sporty, somewhat tactical
• Cemented construction, not easily repairable or resoleable
• Minimal break in

This is a modern boot! Part work, part hiking, part — dare I say it — cool.

Other cemented construction, non-resoleable boots by both Red Wing and other manufacturers tend to have a chunky form factor, to which Exos Lite 2455 is a stark contrast.

The upper is constructed of multiple panels of middling leather, which holds up well enough to light to medium work. There isn’t an exterior heel counter but rather a lower panel that extends from the heel to the ball of the foot. The wearer’s lower calf is covered by a soft mesh material. The lightweight, somewhat thin leather and segmented paneling equate to a minimal break-in time. 

The Vibram sole, as advertised, is freakishly lightweight and has the look and underfoot feel of a sneaker sole. Again, these are a far cry from previous generations of clunkier boots. The aluminum safety toe is accentuated by a synthetic-looking toe cap that admittedly looks better in person than in product photos and adds a suitably industrial motif to the product. 

Other models in this product line include style 2453 with a BOA self-lacing mechanism; style 2454 is a 6-inch boot in brown color.

Sartorial Considerations: Red Wing Exos Lite

• Modern-looking
• Somewhere between tactical and light-hiking boot
• Minimal branding & all black is suitable for uniform requirements

For the trend-conscious, there’s an argument to be made that the combination of a hiking-inspired sole and work safety specs qualifies this product as GORP. Recent offerings in the upmarket, quasi-practical boot scene exemplified by upstarts such as Gardenheir, or any number of established brands on REI can lend to the wearer the suggestion of a lifestyle of gardening or mushroom-foraging.

But if gnomecore isn’t your shtick, or if blue-collar cosplay suits you more than the notion of carrying around you the air of an aspiring homesteader, then the all-black 2455 provides a veritable alternative with industrial-punk ethos at a comparable price.

In this sense, the RWS 2455 (Red Wing Shoes 2455) is something like the grown man’s Doc Marten’s 1460. Indeed, if the 1460 was considered materially advanced, comfort-oriented footwear six decades ago, then the same could be said of the Exos Lite in the present day. 

The 2455 is an entirely black design with minimal branding. RED WING is embossed on the tongue, and the same is woven in red on the back pull loop, though this will likely be concealed by the wearer’s pants. Aside from a Canadian Safety Standards badge, there are no loud graphics or visual branding to be found on the boot, giving it a stealthy appeal that product lines such as Timberland PRO just don’t hit.

The blacked-out appearance and quiet graphic design make the boot suitable for uniform requirements or personal style preferences you may have. If you’re in a warehouse for a shift or a rave, it’s plainly a cool boot. 

Wearing Red Wing’s Exos Lite

• Lighter than Red Wing’s older WORX product line
• Less foot fatigue and discomfort
• Combines comfort with safety

These aren’t your grandad’s jump boots, nor are these your dad’s civilian steelies. They’re so much more. I’ve heard workers who have worn steel toes of yesteryear describe the heaviness of those older boots, and some of them simply don’t elect to wear safety toe boots for this reason. For comparison, I had been wearing much older Red Wing steel-toe boots from their generic WORX product line.

The difference in weight and the accompanying fatigue and discomfort I felt were night and day. Now, I still have a young man’s set of joints, but I understand how guys get up in age and decide they’re going to go out on the floor or the dock in NIKE Airmaxes just out of comfort. But I think with the present technology in footwear, we can have both comfort and safety.

There is a degree more flex to the sole than the older boot I had been wearing. This feels great on the ball of the foot at the flex point, but if you’re like me and you have flatter feet, when the sole also twists laterally, this compromises arch support. For flat or fallen arches, I recommend pairing with a rigid or semi-rigid insole such as those by PowerStep to maintain comfort. 

Still, Exos Lite is a boot I don’t need to change out of after my shift to go run up the stairs to catch the 7 Train. The boot feels athletic, and out of all the footwear I own presently, I’d pick these if I were to go hiking tomorrow.  

Fit: Red Wing Exos Lite

• True to size, maybe a half size down for some feet

My feet fit into the boots snugly at the store. They ran true to my size and had an appropriate amount of room for my toes.

Now, after 10 months of wear, I feel the boots have expanded somewhat, perhaps owing to how little resistance the materials offer. This situation can be remedied by applying a combination of tongue and heel padding. In hindsight, I might have given a half-size down more consideration. 

The Exos Lite is available in D regular, EE wide, and H wide.  

Waterproofing: Red Wing Exos Lite

• Red Wing’s proprietary waterproof lining

My workplace stays dry for the most part, but they’ve kept me dry during rainy NYC commutes through pooled subway stations. At 10 months after purchase, I gave them a dip in a simulated puddle (a bucket of water), and the insides still came up dry.  

So long as water is incidental rather than the norm, I expect these boots to hold up against leaking and slippage.

Durability: Red Wing Exos Lite

• Lacks durability for the sake of lightweight materials
• Soles are wearing down after 10 months

In this department, the Exos Lite has made some compromises for its namesake lightness. The leather upper has taken a few small gouges and held up, but I understand why the designers settled on a rubber toecap to bear the brunt of most impacts.

Overall the materials of this boot do feel on the tier of a sneaker, as I mentioned earlier about the ultralight Vibram sole. While this is good for comfort and mobility, doing light-to-medium work day in and day out will take its toll on the Exos Lite.

After 10 months of 40-hour weeks, I resorted to using Shoe Goo to mitigate the wear on the soles. This always makes me feel like a skater kid, but I’m sure this will keep these boots viable for at least past the year mark and probably longer. 

More Durable Exo Lite Alternative

Wrapping Up Red Wing Exos Lite Review

Much like a pair of running shoes, you’ll wear through these with regular usage, and they aren’t resoleable. While you’re wearing them, they’re as comfortable and functional as you can get from a boot.

They’re a little overpriced, but perhaps the surprisingly cool and street-friendly aesthetic — or their ability to double as hiking boots — makes that worth it.

In short: if you’re someone who prefers wearing sneakers but you need to protect your feet, these are perfect. Less so if you value durability and repairability.