Got somewhere to be? Here’s the long and short of this remarkable boot so that you can decide if it’s right for you. Pros

The inside of this boot is incredibly comfortable and I was amazed how they seemed to loosen up with my first few steps in them. Nothing pinched or grated against my feet. My foot also felt very secure and supported in them, which is reassuring. I never felt as if I was wearing bargain boots. The only thing I don’t like about this is that I often have to incrementally loosen the rows of laces to get it loose enough to take off. It’s not enough to untie and loosen just the top portion. These boots run a touch big, but they are not particularly wide, so if you have wider feet as I do, you may want to go longer to make up for the narrowness. I did find that they loosened up nicely and shrunk down where I needed them to except at the toe box, but that may be because there is a tremendous amount of room there. We couldn’t be more excited to announce the first-ever Stitchdown-ified boots from Canadian supermaker Viberg, made in collaboration with Standard & Strange. Two true titans of bootmaking and retail, and they let Stitchdown sneak in there too. I’m jazzed. The Service Shoes became the official working shoe of the U.S. Army during World War II. We have transformed this iconic boot and given it a modern twist, while retaining the essence of its functionality. Given the appearance of a fascinating boot, how it is constructed is more than you would expect from a mid-century style shoe.These boots are also slightly bulbous in the toe. I wouldn’t say that they are full-on clown shoes, but these don’t have the tapered toe so common in boots with similar profiles today, like the Thursday President. Regardless, it isn’t just one of those affordable boots that looks strong and lithe, but will fall apart because of its budget construction. These boots are a bit of a project in putting on. I find that I need to loosen the laces or unlace them down to the 4th eyelets before putting my feet in. Once I l get my foot in there, the comically tiny pull tab is no help. These are not boots that you grab when rushing out the door in a hurry.

To modern eyes these are toned-down, military-style, 6” boots that have a vintage air and look amazing with everything from khakis to jeans. You can basically wear these anytime you would wear moc toes. They definitely have more of a rough and rugged look, certainly suitable for casual adventures. Where the most confusion and grievances come from is with the sizing. Golden Fox recommends sizing down just a half. Some reviewers say they run extremely large, while others say they don’t run large enough to merit sizing down. In 2016, when Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced the Navy would ditch the “blueberry” NWU Type I uniforms he also vowed to deliver new and improved safety boots for the fleet. And those became the four improved features in the I Boot-4, according to the executive summary of the study obtained by Navy Times from the Chief of Navy Personnel.These are constructed of a full-grain leather and have a nice tannic scent out of the box. They use Crazy Horse leather that is well oiled and waxed. The wax bonds with the fibers and so you can easily hide scuffs and scratches by just rubbing them, handy. The President’s comfort technology is worlds better, offering a cork midsole and an EVA-comfort footbed. The Pershing Boot, or trench boot, of WWI was replaced with a more pragmatic and comfortable boot. First the M-42 was released and this featured a cap toe, also known as the Service Shoe. This had a two-piece stitched sole and was often worn with a canvas gaiter, which is a strap over the boot and around the leg to offer protection from branches and thorns, and to keep mud and snow from entering the top of the boot. Rugged and supple-looking, the material on this boot has a lot of character to it. It’s built with crazy horse leather, which gets its name because it’s often used for horse riding saddles. It’s full-grain leather that’s been soaked in coal tar dye, which gives it a distressed look that takes to scuffs well. This confusing sizing also poses a problem if you wear a large size shoe, since Golden Fox doesn’t offer half sizes past size 11.

The insole insert, although not pretty, is very supportive and very comfortable. It has quite a pronounced bump for arch support that may not be suitable for all feet, but felt rather nice and supportive on mine. It comes out easy enough and you can certainly swap it out for something else once it wears out.It’s also this treatment that gives the surface a rich feel and look, despite how thin the actual material is.

One of the strengths of these boots over many other brands at this price point is how easy these were to break in and how extremely comfortable they felt while wearing them. The metal eyelets give it an authentic service boot touch. However, having to perfectly and incrementally loosen the laces everytime I take them off is time-consuming. This isn’t a good rushing-out-the-door shoe. The eyelets are well finished and have no sharp edges. Around the eyelets on the inside is tough pigskin to reinforce them and this extends to around the collar. I appreciate this attention to detail and the strengthening at the wear points.If you’re taking hours-long walks or have foot pain issues, you’ll definitely want to replace them with something fancier. Fortunately, that stable footbed will partner well with any insole. Several years after getting out of the Navy I decided to join the Navy Reserves. Most of my active duty had been with the Marines and I wanted to see more of the Navy. Within minutes after being sworn in I was informed that I would be assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines. Well that didn't work out as planned. I consider these casual boots and would not recommend them for work, hiking, or rough wear. They are heavy duty enough, but in that I-bought-some-boots-from-Eddie-Bauer way. Sure they look tough, but I wouldn’t bet my life or safety on them. They are based on military specifications, but I wouldn’t expect them to handle an enlistment.