Truman Boot Co
At some point, most likely at 3AM during a weeknight, you may find yourself reading articles displayed on the 4th page of Google search results and getting lost in some unbeknownst web of Instagram comment links, whizzing past obscure feeds and accounts, and you may come to realize that what you are doing is utterly ridiculous. Are you wasting your time? Yes, you probably are.
That was me when I decided that I wanted a new pair of boots.
I have briefly talked about my thoughts on footwear here before but the basic gist is that I believe footwear to be the most essential item that you wear. If you are going to spend too much money on a piece of clothing, spend it on footwear.
Truman Boot Co is a rather new company that is currently experiencing a surge in growth. Located in Northeastern PA all of the boots are made in a single shop by around 4 people. When I placed my order they were currently in the midst of transferring the manufacturing to a larger shop due to the high demand that they have been receiving. Even with the recent growth, Truman is certainly one of smallest boot manufacturing companies within the States.
One advantage of Truman being a small company is the level of service and personalization that they offer to the consumer. Before I ordered my boots I had already exchanged a handful of emails discussing the sizing and the various customizations they offer. Additionally, they are willing to modify almost anything at your request, so long as it does not disrupt the basic pattern that they use to form the boot.
Being as the boots are made to order, they do take longer to get than if you were to buy something ready to wear. From the time that I placed the order to the time that the boots arrived at my doorstep, close to 6 weeks had passed. However, requesting a status update was just an email away and Truman was always prompt to respond advising me where the boots were in the manufacturing process. They also advised that once the manufacturing moves to the larger plant that the lead times may start getting reduced.
Appearance (Options)
Truman offers a variety of different materials for their boots - shown here is the Coyote Roughout - and I’m very satisfied with my choice. The roughout* is thick and durable and is quite resistant to any water. Rain hasn’t been any trouble as of yet which is a big deal to me as many shoes of similar material are easily damaged / ruined by water. They also offer a number of different soles. I went with the white Vibram as I thought it gave the boot a less rugged look that was more appropriate for city-wear.
In addition to the main options (material and sole), Truman offers a list of standard options that are available to make the purchase process a little easier. Some of the more confusing ones are detailed below:
- Vamp - Plain toe (shown) versus cap toe.
Gusseted versus Non-Gusseted Tongue - A gusseted tongue has extensions that tie the tongue to the side of the boot. Gusseted tongues are often used in work boots to keep sawdust, dirt, or other debris out of the shoe. I have heard that non-gusseted tongues are typically more comfortable to wear but I can't speak to that as both these boots and the prior Red Wings that I have owned are both gusseted.**
Gusseted tongue is shown.**
Speed Hooks - Speed hooks replace the last 3 rows of eyelets with hooks that allow you to lace the boots quicker. I also think that it makes them easier to put on because you do not have to unlace them in order to fit your feet in.
Speed hooks replace the upper three eyelets.
- Structured versus Unstructured Toe - These boots have a structured toe. The structured toe has additional material that keeps the toe box from collapsing whereas an unstructured toe is soft and will collapse. Remember when you were little and the person at the shoe store would press on your toe to check the fit of the shoe? If you could feel their finger those were unstructured shoes. These are the opposite.
Structured plain toe.
Quality
These things are rock solid. The material is some of the nicest that I have seen and it’s thick enough that it will require some break-in before it fully softens up. At first the boots were a little painful, which is to be expected, but the boots are already becoming more comfortable as the material begins to wear. Throw some thick socks on and you'll be through the break-in period in no time. All of the stitching was meticulously done and the two pairs of laces that are included are both very sturdy. Truman was cool enough to send the boots in a Truman branded tote bag, which itself is probably the most high quality tote bag I’ve seen. None of that floppy "free-gift for your magazine subscription" type stuff here.
The boots fall somewhere in the middle of the sleek / slim versus chunky spectrum. I think they definitely lean more on the casual side of things but can easily be worn with most things.
Unfortunately, the only experience I have with other high end boot brands in the same price range (Viberg, Dayton, Oak Street, etc.) are for brief periods of time in stores so I can't draw any direct comparisons. However, I do think that at this price range, if you pay anymore, you are simply paying for some small distinguishing detail or signature that is personally worth it to you rather than higher quality.
Fit
To make sure I nailed the fit, I talked to Truman directly and I would recommend doing the same to anyone who orders. I simply gave them example shoe sizes from my current array and let the experts tell me. For reference, I am an 11.5 in Nike, 11.5 in Red Wing, 12 in Allen Edmonds, and a 44 in Common Projects. I bought these in an 11.5 (US).
So are these worth the premium over other work boot brands like Red Wing / Wolverine? I think that’s up to the person buying. If you are a person who enjoys small details and scours the internet for far too long to find exactly what you want, then yes. If you want control over some small detail that honestly nobody except you will notice, then yes. If you just want some durable, nice looking boots that will last for a long time, I'd maybe buy something else and pocket the extra cash. Worth can only be determined by the particular individual. And to me, these were worth it.
Correction :: 1/11/2016
*Material was incorrectly referred to as "suede" not "roughout"
**Definition of the tongue type was corrected.