Boots for My Grandchildren
If you want something to last generations, it requires a commitment to maintenance and an investment in quality. One without the other, although it may seem like it, is not enough to make good things last. My initial purpose for this article was to write about how well my boots have held up over the years, how investing in quality inevitably pays off. A lifetime lack of maintenance and one trip to the cobbler made me realize that I was missing half of the formula for longevity.
“There's man all over for you, blaming on his boots the fault of his feet.”
-Samuel Beckett
I purchased my Thorogood Moc Toe boots about four years ago from a local duluth trading company. At the time, I really only wanted them for their style and aesthetic. One of my friends had them, and at the time I found myself without a good pair of lace ups. Within the first week of wearing them I noticed a gash on the outsole of my left boot from when I accidentally kicked the garden trim that ran around my house. Having just paid a pretty penny for them, seeing that bothered me quite a bit. I shrugged it off and made them into my outdoor/work boots, deciding then that I wouldn’t spend that much of my own money on a pair of them again.
“When you see someone putting on his big boots, you can be pretty sure that an adventure is going to happen.”
-A.A Milne
Four years, seven national parks, and two summers of pool maintenance later, I still wore my boots regularly. The gash on my left outsole had darkened like an old scar, showing no additional damage. I was pleased with them. They held up surprisingly well, even after being abused and neglected. The only excessive wear was on the soles, which were now paper thin. I started to grow nostalgic towards them, deciding to get them resoled and retire them to use around the house. I got excited thinking about how nice they’d be once they were finished, so I packed them up and sent them to the company who made them. A week later they were returned to me with a letter saying they were too far gone, and that nothing could be done. I immediately turned to a local cobbler thinking that surely they could do something, only to discover the restoration would cost more than half the price of a new pair, making it illogical to have them redone.
“And it is a great thing to die in your own bed, though it is better still to die in your boots.”
-George Orwell
I was initially upset, but it did not take long for me to realize the valuable lesson I was able to take away from this. The boots lasted as long as they did because they were well made, but they would have lasted a hell of a lot longer had I taken care of them along the way. With this newfound realization, I went and bought a pair of Red Wing 1907’s and a bottle of mink oil, determined to care for the quality that I pay for. I’ll finish here with three pieces of advice.
Brush your teeth. Clean your fretboards. But more importantly, oil your boots.
-Charlie
