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Shameless coworker promotion

 

My very good friend and coworker Dustin Spencer is an amazing guy. He's the kind of guy who you call when your car breaks down or when you are trying to understand some difficult concept. He should have been an engineer, but that would have limited him. Everything he does, he does with care, and sometimes excruciating thoughtfulness. I taught him everything I knew about repairing and modification of footwear, I now learn something from him daily. Dustin's hands are strong, rough and dirty, even now as he holds his newborn daughter. When he showed me the belts he'd been making in his "spare" time, I couldn't help but be astonished by such a simple accesory has been taken to near perfection. His belts aren't for fashion, they aren't built to "complete" a look. They are built and overbuilt to last forever, using the best leather he could find; US sourced, vegetable tanned, bridle leather. He sets all the rivets by hand and hand rubs them with bag cote and a beeswax leather preservative; so simple, beautiful and durable. I encourage you to check out his website if you have a chance. Thanks!

LEATHERBUM

Since we're talking Dansko...

Check out these beautiful, hand-painted 'Sko's by Romney Dodd-Ortland. You can get your very own HERE!

We don't need no stinkin' Aces, or is that laces?

Everything you ever wanted to know about lacing your shoes or boots. HERE!

CNBC Highlights Chaco

Here is a great little piece on Chaco from CNBC: LINK

If you can't see the video once the page loads, right click on it and click zoom to fullscreen.

Hmmmm, what do we have here?

Looks like we have some convincing evidence that Chaco may indeed do some "multi-sport" footwear next year. In the immortal words of Napoleon Dynamite, "YESSSSSSSSS!".

Superficial

I'm sure many of you tech savvy folks have seen this already, and I hate to help Bill out with any marketing, but this stuff is pretty cool. I'm also sure that many will accuse Microsoft of ripping off some of the new iPhone tech but it looks like they've been working on this for quite a few years now. It just makes me really think about how this type of technology can work in our shop: foot scans, ease of purchasing, interface to choose your color, style and foot type. I love to hear and see new technology when the focus is more on design, interface and ease of use rather than faster chips and more memory. Check it out HERE, Microsoft Surface.

Obscure Chaco statistic

The Hipthong by Chaco: bottom model in retail sales, top model in pro-deal sales. Source: some 'bum I know.

I feel so dirty...

As much as I rake Crocs over the coals you'd never expect to see me in a pair...and you NEVER will. However, I'm wearing these shoes from MION today despite them being so many of the same things I HATE about Crocs. I just have a bit of a thing for these even as, dare I say, Crocesque as they are. One obvious advantage is they're somewhat adjustable using MION's unique "Super Structure Cord" lacing system which radially envelops the shoe while anchored near the toe and at the heel, with the slack is taken up by a small tensioner. The footbeds are very comfortable and supportive relative to other offerings in this type of footwear and I feel I could walk up a wall these soles are so grippy. So nice work once again Martin Keen (actually pronounced Maaaah-tee?), not only another great shoe but another stellar brand, what's next?

Old school

Nick's Custom Boots, made in the Peoples Republic of Spokanistan (term of endearment for Spokane, WA) are the epitome of old school. Not like Adidas Shell Toes on Run DMC but truly made by traditional craftsman with tried and true methods: all leather, exclusive of the outsole, with heavy three sole stitch down (Norwegian Welt) construction. And these certainly will never be a fashion statement, no fashionista is tough enough to wear these big bad boots. If you are fighting fire in the sticks of the Northwest, these are the boots you wear. There are very few people out there still making shoes anything like this. As far as I can tell, the few left are all in the Northwest: Viberg in Victoria, B.C., White's (includes Hathorn and Buffalo) also in Spokane, and Wesco in Scapoose, OR. This is, I assume, due to their proximity to the forests and roots in logging boot manufacturing. Nick's is the cream of the cream of the crop though. Concentrating ONLY on boots, you won't find a fishing rod or camo clothing at Nick's boots. Stiff, hard, and miserable to break in, but once they are there, you know it, the comfort that can only come from leather being pummeled into submission by hours on your feet, truly a boot made for the long haul. By the way, I'd love to know about any other regional footwear types, send 'em HERE.

Sticking up for the new kid

The very day I started a post about GoLite's (Timberland) innovative new trail running shoes, I read this rather unflattering post on "The Goat", one of my favorite outdoor gear blogs. I then started second guessing myself about these great shoes. These shoes are definitely different with their soft yet cleat like lugs. Was there something I missed? Are they too gimmicky? Was I caught up in the hype? I hope not. I'm very passionate about footwear and each new shoe I find an interest in. After determining it's intended or best use I ask myself a lot of questions:

• I pick it up, bend it; does it bend where my foot does (at the ball NOT the arch)? CHECK

• I twist it torsionally; is there enough support here? CHECK

• Pinch the heel counters; is an ankle going to be stable here? CHECK

• Turning it over, the sole; wide enough in the heel, rocker right, tread pattern match the use? interesting but CHECK
• Durability in materials and construction; midsole durometer firm enough to hold up yet soft enough to absorb shock, too much stitching, how are the bonds, and is the lining going to hold up? CHECK, great new laminated upper with little or no stitching and tough in key areas
• Fit and sizing; for what type of feet is this best suited, high or low volume, wide or narrow, neutral, pronator or supinator? once again, interesting but CHECK (see PreciseFit)
• Entry and egress; for it's intended use, is this shoe easy enough to get on or off? CHECK
• Looks; does it look as bad as a pair of Croc's? NO, not a huge fan of the yellow and gray but,  CHECK
• Weight; I'm no weight weenie, but shoes shouldn't weigh a ton. CHECK
• Is it a me too? nope unique, CHECK

Alright, these are checking out on all points. I was even able to try a pair of these on and take them over a short, fake trail. I have to say that the concept worked. The soft lugs on the sole worked very similar to those on an off-road bike or truck tire, molding around small rocks and inconsistencies on the trail, all while keeping me straight and stable. Without having a pair for the long term, I can't give a full review here but these are promising shoes. I have to give these kicks a thumbs up so far and give credit to the folks at Timberland for finally looking more towards function than fashion. You can hear an interview with VP, Doug Clark about the inception of this new line. Download golite.mp3