'Desert' Boot (Men)

these fit very different than a normal shoe. They're flat inside, with no padding. Not only is there no arch support, but since there's no shank, the footbed even sinks a bit between the heel and the ball of your foot. luckily, that's exactly what I was going for. My feet are most comfortable when they can spread out and pretend to be barefoot. This shoe is the best I've found that is still a little dressier. They won't shine up and go with a suit, but go great with khakis or jeans. I usually wear a 11.5, but that size was too narrow in these boots, so I got a 12. Now they're a little loose, but comfortably so. My feet don't feel constrained. I have the beeswax leather version. I've had them two weeks, and they're still not broken in. At first the back rubs against your achilles tendon, quite painfully. THen the leather softens a bit and stops fighting against your ankle. The suede ones I tried on in the store are softer, and will be more comfortable out of the box. the soles start out off-white, but quickly look terrible from walking on asphalt. The blackness won't come off. I've always been warned against walking in chemicals, like the residue on the ground at gas stations or the oil patches in parking lots. These raw rubber soles apparently pick up solvents and turn into a gummy mess. Yikes. I talked to a shoe repair guy, who said when I wear through the soles he'd put on a different sole, not crepe. That said, the crêpe rubber is slightly cushy and uniquely attractive (unsightly dirt stains notwithstanding.)

Women's desert boots no longer come in sizes above 10. When I first bought them ~6-7 years ago there were women's size 10.5 desert boots, they have since disappeared... I'm a women's size 10.5 so I decided to try the men's desert boot. I ordered a size 8.5 and 9. The 9 fit great, and if you're worried about the shoe being too wide because it's a men's shoe, that's not the case. It was a great width for me. My main complain is always the support with these shoes. They are very flat, so I usually put an insert in them for arch support.

Gave this to my son as a Christmas gift. He loves it. He loves the style, the color(distressed taupe) and the comfort. The shoe is lightweight so it's easy on the feet. The distressed appearance is hardly noticeable-one has to look very closely. My son and I are fine with it. I'm so happy that I was able to find a great casual shoe that he enjoys wearing. It does run large, so I ordered 1/2 size down.