White’s Springdale Review: The Ultimate Work-or-Play Boot?

White’s Boots, the legendary Pacific Northwest boot brand, is known for its hardy, tank-like work boots. (And its not-ASTM-certified-lifestyle-boots-you-could-still-do-some-work-in like the 350 Cruisers and MP Shermans we’ve reviewed.)

The company has built a solid and well-deserved reputation for making tough footwear for tough environments, including widely used and respected models for logging, firefighting, and warehouse work.

They found success making boots with laborious, handsewn stitchdown construction, but in recent years, they jumped into the Goodyear welted boot game so they could offer footwear at lower prices, such as the popular Perry Moc Toes, the Millwood work boots, and the newest addition: The Springdale.

It’s a round toe, wedge sole boot built on a logger last with premium leather options, positioned as a boot for work or play. As a sheet welder by day and casual boot enthusiast by night, I think I’m the right guy to assess how this boot performs on and off the clock!

How I Reviewed These Boots

White’s positioned the Springdale as a daily grinder that’s ready to tackle shop projects or explore ghost towns out west. While I didn’t go exploring ghost towns, I wore them on several trips to Disney World, around town, and to work.

When it comes to work, I’m a welder and metal fabricator, so the Springdale definitely got in plenty of real world testing to see if it really can tackle shop projects. At the time of writing this review, I’ve had the boots for about 5 months.

White’s Springdale Leather

• From Milwaukee’s famous Seidel tannery
• Six leather options: five hot stuffed leather options and one oil-tanned
• Leather thickness 2.55mm (5-6oz), about 20% thicker than Red Wing

White’s went all out on the leather, offering two types of tannage from Seidel Tannery, a tried and true company out of Milwaukee that has been producing specialty leather since 1945 through four generations of family ownership.

They’re not as well known as Chicago’s Horween, but Seidel tends to be preferred by brands geared toward work boots. Popular clients include Danner, Truman, Nicks, and Oak Street Bootmakers.

Seidel’s Leathers

Constant innovation and a willingness to make small batches of unique tannages, like the hot stuffed Double Shot leather, sets Seidel apart. They hot stuff the leather, similar to how Horween produces their Chromexcel, but the second treatment infuses more oils and waxes.

The other leather option is Tobacco Stampede, a durable and tough oil-tanned leather, which means that extra oils are added with the goal of making the leather extra water resistant and low maintenance.

Something leather nerds will love is that all the Double Shot choices are teacore, meaning the the dye isn’t struck all the way through the hide. The color is only on the outer layer, and as the boot is worn, the natural lighter brown color of the leather will become more visible. This contrast is considered quite desirable by fans of casual boots.

The Double Shot, hot stuffed leathers come in five colors: Natural, Burgundy, British Tan, Brown, and Black, and the one oil-tanned option comes in Tobacco Stampede.

Personally, I went with the British Tan Double Shot because I thought it would age better than the darker color choices. It’s a darker brown than the “Dark Brown;” I’d describe the British Tan as the color of tea mixed with a hint of burgundy.

The Springdale’s leather is thick enough to be reassuring without being so cartoonishly thick that actually wearing the suckers is near impossible.

At 6 to 7 oz, or 2.55 millimeters, the leather is also quite thick. Your average heritage-style work boots, such as Red Wing’s Moc Toes, are closer to 5 – 6 oz, or 2 to 2.2 millimeters. The Springdale’s leather is thick enough to be reassuring without being so cartoonishly thick that actually wearing the suckers is near impossible.

White’s Springdale Construction

• Goodyear welt construction
• Leather welt
• Vibram Christy crepe outsole
• Leather shank
• Leather lasting board

Whites make the Springdale using a Goodyear welt construction, which most any cobbler can resole.

Again, White’s are well known for their stitchdown construction boots, but they’re more expensive to produce. By releasing Goodyear welted models, White’s is able to sell American-made boots like the Springdale for under $400.

White’s chose a Vibram Christy wedge sole, a popular choice for high-quality boots that’s softer underfoot than polyurethane-based wedge soles.

From there, you have a rubber midsole, leather welt, leather shank nailed in place with cinch nails, cork layer, and leather insole. The heel counter is full-grain leather, and the counter cover is made of the same Double Shot leather as the upper.

The combination of vegetable tanned leather insole, rubber midsole, and Vibram wedge outsole makes the construction here very similar to Red Wing’s Moc Toe, except that Red Wing doesn’t put shanks in their wedge soled boots. Plus, I know from experience (see our White’s resole video) that White’s uses more leather and cork than Red Wing.

White’s Springdale Comfort, Break In & Fit

• Built on White’s C461 Logger last
• Comfortably snug at the ball of the foot
• Shallow toe box
• Removable Ortholite insole
• Boots will break in faster if you wear them without the insole at first

The C461 Sprung Toe last, named for its sharply upturned toe design, has an unusual fit and until recently was only available for custom orders and on White’s Oxford-style shoes.

Originally designed by the Buffalo Shoe Company to prevent loggers from getting snagged on branches, the last is snug at the ball of the foot and has a shallow toe box that tapers up, allowing wiggle room. It accommodates people with higher insteps and has a similar arch profile to the 55 last, though not as high as a 55 or my JK Forefronts.

The arch support is good, and those with high arches shouldn’t find the Springdale flat. The turned-up toe design makes walking easy and natural.

The boots were initially stiff around the ankles, likely due to using the leather laces instead of the synthetic ones. The ankle area and laces broke in quickly, but the leather lasting board took longer. After two months of intermittent wear, I removed the Ortholite insole and wore the boots directly on the lasting board. After a week of daily wear, the lasting board broke in, creating a good foot impression. The visible nails are cinch nails for the leather shank and won’t be felt.

Once broken in, the boots are very comfortable. White’s designed the Springdale to be worn with removable Ortholite insoles for customized fit and comfort. You can switch to a different insole or remove it to stand on the leather lasting board if you prefer that more “traditional” feel of pure leather underfoot.

Unlike Red Wing Heritage boots, which would be too tight with an added insole, the Springdale’s last has space for you to customize your experience with a preferred insole or no insole at all.

White’s Springdale Sizing

• Go a half size down from your Brannock
• Measure girth at the ball of the foot and find the corresponding width on White’s website
• D and EE widths available

White’s online sizing calculator suggested a size 10.5, a full size down from my Brannock size of 11.5. I don’t recommend following their advice.

I instead went down half a size to 11, which was the right call. Width-wise, the calculator was accurate. Based on my foot girth at the ball of my foot, they recommended a standard D width, which is what I wear in most boots.

White’s Springdale Price & Value

• Well priced for a USA-made boot
• Practically the same price as Red Wing; cheaper than Truman
• High quality leather uppers and a Goodyear welt mean you’ll get many years out of the boots

Priced at $360, the Springdale is only slightly more expensive than Red Wing Heritage boots — these days, their flagship Iron Ranger boot will run you $350.

The Springdale is $100 cheaper than most Truman Boots, another PNW brand that builds Goodyear welted boots.

In terms of value, you are getting a boot with high quality, unusually thick and durable leather that will undoubtedly last for years — and it’s actually easier to resole than their stitchdown models.

In my personal opinion, the Springdale is higher quality than Red Wing but it’s sold at Red Wing prices. So, do I think the Springdale is worth it? Yes! Very much so.

Working in the White’s Springdale

• Durable & hardy
• All day comfort
• Great for shop environments
• Lacks safety features like steel toe

White’s claims that the Springdale can handle shop projects, and I put this to the test in my metal fabrication shop. The boots are super comfortable, durable, and offer great arch support. The wedge sole is ideal for standing and walking on concrete floors all day, especially because they’ve added a shank to help with stability and limit foot pain.

The Springdales are also pretty breathable due to the lack of leather lining, which is beneficial in hot, humid conditions. As I expected, the extra oily and waxy leather needs very little maintenance relative to Horween leathers, which are more geared toward aesthetics.

However, the boots lack a safety toe and an ASTM safety rating, which disqualifies them for some jobs. Check with your employer about safety requirements. For workplaces with relaxed safety standards — the kind of job that recommends boots because they’re simply more comfortable for spending the day on your feet — the Springdale is a great option.

Final Thoughts

I think White’s did an excellent job at making the Springdale a true daily grinder that can handle almost any task, and in my opinion, it’s a breath of fresh air in the Moc Toe-dominated wedge sole boot market.

I personally love mine and have zero doubts you’ll love them too! Whether you’re looking for a boot that can handle some hard work or just a good-looking casual boot, the Springdale has you covered. Just make sure you don’t need ASTM certifications for your footwear!