Wolverine 1000 Mile Review | Are They Tough Enough?

Founded all the way back in 1883 — way before the mutton-chopped comic book character — Wolverine has a long history that includes a stint developing pigskin gloves for the U.S. Navy during World War 2. In the 1910s, Wolverine developed an unusual method to process shell horsehide into soft, pliable leather and launched its iconic 1000 Mile boot. Though now made from full-grain cowhide, the boot remains an enduring icon of American footwear.

Endure might be the most appropriate sentiment for these boots. As the name suggests, and Wolverine clearly states on their site, the boot should provide a thousand miles of wear. Does the craftsmanship really hold up?

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Wolverine 1000 Mile Pros & Cons

In a hurray? Here’s a rundown of what we liked and didn’t like about the 1000 Mile.

Pros:

• Comfortable, relatively easy break-in period.
• Classic, versatile design suitable for casual wear.
• Goodyear welt allows for easy resoling.

Cons:

• Leather sole offers poor traction, especially on slippery surfaces. (until you scuff it up)
• Quality control issues like loose threads and scratches.
• Lacks arch support and a shank for added structure.
• Prone to scuffing and requires regular conditioning.
• Flat waxed laces
• My Chromexcel leather wrinkled

Wolverine 1000 Mile First Impressions

Straight out of the box, is a good-looking, classic all-rounder: not too boxy, not too sleek, not too formal, not too casual, not too rugged boot. They’re handsome without looking like dress boots.

They strike a middle ground, making them a solid choice for a guy’s first pair of quality Goodyear welted boots, which seems to be their target market. Priced in the $200 to $400 range for beginner buyers, they aim to check as many boxes as possible. While not particularly exciting, they undeniably look good.

The shaft has “Wolverine 100 mile” etched into it — a nice touch — and the leather is a waxy-looking Chromexcel from Horween. The leather is about two millimeters thick, clearly built for durability with triple stitching along the vamp, a classic Goodyear welt, and a tough Vibram heel. However, the leather sole suggests they won’t perform well on slippery surfaces. There’s also no lining on the inside of the boot, further emphasizing their “no frills workhorse” aesthetic.

Though often billed as work boots, I don’t see them performing well in heavy-duty environments. However, as a casual boot, they could last for years.

Note that there are quality control issues: several threads were loose where the vamp attaches to the toebox and at the top of the shaft near the handy speed hooks. There was also a deep scratch on the sole.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Leather

• Full grain, Chromexcel leather
• Rich color depth
• Top finish scratches easily

The 1000 Mile comes in seemingly endless varieties: rough out, chukka, wingtip, cap-toe, Chelsea, and more. You can even customize your own pair and make it a patchwork of different leathers, colors, and threads. Here, I’m sticking to the basic, original, brown Chromexcel 1000 Mile.

Let’s talk a little more about Chromexcel.

Chromexcel, a flagship leather from Chicago’s Horween Leather Company, may have a modern name but has a long history, including use in World War 2 tank engine seals. It’s a combination-tanned leather that undergoes at least 89 processes over 28 working days.

The tanning process infuses the leather with oils, greases, and waxes like beef tallow and beeswax, then finishes it with neatsfoot oil made from purified cattle shin bones. (Fun fact: “neat” is an old English word for cattle.) All of these oils make for a pretty shiny boot, although I should point out that this boot isn’t as shiny as other Chromexcel boots I’ve seen, like the Allen Edmonds Higgin’s Mill.

Chromexcel is full-grain leather, which is good news for most people. People generally consider full grain the highest quality leather. Although it’s not as smooth or uniform in color as top-grain leather, it is more durable and ages better. Older full-grain leather is excellent for developing the lovely, rich patina that boot lovers covet.

The good thing about Chromexcel is that it’s durable, oily, and it ages well. However, the top finish isn’t all that durable, and it’s pretty vulnerable to scratches. Now, good conditioning can leave Chromexcel looking great. Just keep in mind that if you’re really wedded to that Chromexcel luster, you’ll need to condition these pretty regularly.

[Related: My List of The Best Boots]

Wolverine 1000 Mile Leather Care

• Horween suggests neatsfoot oil or Venetian Shoe Cream
• Wolverine recommends leather conditioner made from pine pitch and mink oil
• Wolverine’s leather dressing is available for more heavy-duty wear

While waxes are involved in the process of creating Chromexcel, it’s considered an unwaxed leather, so you should steer clear of waxed polishes. A greasy leather cream could be best for conditioning, but if you want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, Wolverine has a nice instructional video in which their VP of Product Development takes you through the ins and outs of caring for the boots.

He recommends cleaning the leather and the sole with a damp cloth, then brushing it to get rid of excess dirt, and using Wolverine’s leather cleaner.

Wolverine also offers a waterproofer that’s a little more heavy-duty for people who might be extra concerned about water resistance. The dressing adds beeswax to the pine pitch and mink and you can just run it along the edges of the boot.

I contacted Wolverine for leather care advice, and they recommended conditioning the boots every two to three weeks if worn daily. While many people wear these boots every day during colder months, it’s better to wear them every other day to allow them to air out. I also prefer to condition Chromexcel every few months to minimize the chances of losing the top finish — check out my full guide to Chromexcel care here.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Sole

• Three layers: leather sole, cork midsole, leather insole
• Vibram heel provides extra grip
• No shank
• 270-degree Goodyear welt

The sole isn’t so great. Wolverine sticks with a classic butyl-treated leather sole for their boots, which looks good but offers little traction. I’ve slipped multiple times during a New York blizzard. While traction improves with wear as the sole gets more worn, I was disappointed with the initial slippage. The leather sole is also not particularly durable and will start picking up scratches and dents pretty quickly.

To their credit, there’s a Vibram heel to help minimize these issues, which is a smart move. Many customers also pick up a Vibram half sole that’s pretty easy for you or your cobbler to attach.

The sole itself has three layers: leather, cork, and leather. The cork and the insole slowly mold to your foot over time to improve comfort and arch support, but the arch support isn’t great, and it’s worth pointing out there’s no shank, steel or otherwise, to help with this aspect.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Fit and Sizing

• Sizes run large. Order a half-size down
• Widths available in D and EEE
• Pretty easy to break in
• Roomy toe box

They definitely run big, meaning you should order a smaller size than you normally wear. I’m a pretty frustrating size 11.75, and while my Converse All Stars are a 12, my Iron Rangers are an 11. After calling up Wolverine’s customer service and asking them about the fit, I decided to go with a size 11. It fits like a glove.

Since many guys don’t know their exact shoe size, I recommend trying them on in-store if possible. If not, measure your foot with a Brannock device at a shoe store and, if you can, try the 1000 Mile boots in person. This won’t be as hard to do as it can be with more expensive brands since the 1000 Mile is one of the most popular brands in the United States.

The boots also come in two different widths: D for “normal” feet and EEE for extra wide. Those Es actually stand for triple extra wide — after D, width goes E, EE, and EEE — so we’re talking pretty wide feet here, as wide as shoemakers make ‘em.

[Related: Best 10 Boots for Wide Feet]

 

A post shared by Wolverine Heritage Collection (@wolverine) on Oct 16, 2017 at 6:40pm PDT

Wolverine 1000 Mile Break-In

• Easy break in compared to other heritage boots, like Red Wing

The leather on these boots is pretty thick at two millimeters, but even though that’s about as thick as an Iron Ranger, I found them much, much easier to break in. Iron Rangers need several days of wear before they stop being painful to walk in but the 1000 Mile boots are fine to march in straight out of the box. It’s a tiny bit stiff in that you can tell the leather is new, but I wouldn’t describe these as needing any significant break-in period. I didn’t need to put on thick wool socks or anything. Since it’s a leather sole, it was easy to walk in and didn’t feel stiff — a benefit of a relatively soft sole.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Price

They are $385 on the Wolverine’s website, but you can usually find them cheaper on Amazon at anywhere between $360 and $320.

[Shop these boots on Amazon or at Wolverine.com.]

Wolverine 1000 Mile Alternatives

Here are a few boots I’ve worn that I’d recommend over the 1000 mile for guys who are just getting into boots.

Thursday Boot Company The President

Thursday Boot Company makes sleek but rugged Goodyear welted boots for under $200 bucks. These are my first recommendations for guys looking to buy their first pair of nice boots.

Red Wing Iron Ranger

Red Wing boots, specifically the Beckman from their Heritage line, are about the same price. These are perfect for guys who want a higher-quality version of the 1000 Mile. One downside is that these have a much more difficult break in period.

Wolverine 1000 Mile: To Buy or Not to Buy?

So you’ve got about $350 to spend on a pair of boots that you can wear with a T-shirt, at a bar, or work. Do you go with the 1000 Mile?

The quality control issues with loose threads and scratches were annoying but ultimately inconsequential. Living and working in the boot? It’s a decent buy. It’s perfectly acceptable. The 1000 Miles are classic and versatile, and they work comfortably in bars, on long walks, in cities, and in the suburbs. As workboots, the slippery leather sole is hard to look past (though it does make them easy to break in).

The leather is nice and thick, and it’s a boot that will definitely last years, particularly with the easy-to-resole Goodyear welt at its sole. It’s comfortable, it’s equal parts dressy and casual, and, well, it’s an all-rounder. It’s not electrifying, but it’s a damn fine piece of footwear. Think of it as a solid B.

[Sold on these bad boys? Shop Wolverine 1000 Mile boots right here, for less.]