HEAVYWEIGHT BOOTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2013 - 2015
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Today I'll be making the journey south to Baker's in Eugene to order my competition boots in person. Trip pictures will be happening live and can be viewed via instagram here: http://instagram.com/midvalleyfarm
Excited as hell.
Just added you. Excited to see pics.
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Me too.
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To recap the day, whilst holding back on the fun specifics:
Today was classic Oregon: overcast, sun peeking through, bright clouds, reasonably warm weather for a Northwest March. My wife (interested to see the physical manifestation of many, many "how does this look" moments with my laptop thrust in her face) at the helm and me dressed in my selvedge and crafted best, we headed south down the Willamette Valley and further on to Eugene.
Baker's is nothing as one would expect. From the massive selection on their website, it would be easy to imagine a sprawling outdoor goods emporium packed to the brim with boots and Filson gear. Rather, Baker's is modest, small, even, and sparsely filled. It is the clean and relaxed little brother to Cabelas and the suave specialist to Orvis' lifestyle brand madness.
For the most part, we were the only customers in the store, and as soon as I mentioned the Heavyweight competition, both the highly-praised Kyle and the astoundingly knowledgable Josh sprang to life and got me sized, measured, sized again, and then dove into leather choices and soles and whatnot. In the end, we settled on Natural Chromexcel for the shaft and a leather called Harvest Roughout for the toe vamp and heel counter, a leather which Kyle said had previously been Japan-only, but that he had struck a deal with Whites to be able to offer it. Its something along the lines of a roughout Red Dog, but a little lighter in color. The conclusion was that it should darken to about the same as smooth Red Dog with some oiling and wear, should I choose to waterproof them like old school boots.
That's all I'm going to say about what I've got planned. Josh, Kyle, and I all decided that they'll certainly be among the most unique boots to come through Baker's, and that they certainly fit the spirit of the competition.
My thanks to Josh and Kyle, and my onlooking, bewildered wife. If, somehow, Oregon crosses your path, and by chance you end up several hours off the beaten path, then by all means, swing into Bakers.
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That really brought a smile to my face, thank you for sharing
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nice MVF!
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Sounds like a really enjoyable day trip. Even sounds like your partner enjoyed the oddity of it all, which is great
My wife has been intrigued by the whole deal since Christmas, when I ordered my HWDC MBB's. Then the boot deal came along, and I had to figure out how to tell her I was going to be dropping another few hundred dollars on a single pair of boots. Luckily, she knows me well enough at this point to know that a) my dedication to quality and attention to even smallest details is second to none, and b) there's no stopping me.
She got some new insoles for her work shoes, so the day was a success for her as well.
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My William Lennon 178 boots arrived! I went for the Burgundy Zug Grain leather rather than the waxy tan, and got a rubber fore part put on the double leather sole for practical purposes. Excuse the bad photos, I had to use flash on some:
These are a size nine. I'd have preferred a half size up, but as they don't them in half sizes, I went with their advise after sending my foot measurements. I think they'll be fine as they are very wide.
What do you think? Do they pass muster for the comp?
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Anything William Lennon makes qualifies. Their stuff is the very definition of heavyweight…
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That zug will age really well too.
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Those William Lennon boots are nice Michael, I've always liked their boots.
I talked to them last year via email and ordered a pair. Time went by and they didn't respond to my subsequent emails then six months later I finally get an email back (with no explanation) saying my boots were ready… I never replied!
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Thanks guys, I'm very pleased with them. Nervous about the size, but I think they'll be ok.
I can't wait for May, to give them a proper go. I might walk to the corner shop later in them, just for a quick trip out!
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