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Monty Python's lumberjack might have put on women's dresses and hung around in bars but you can bet your bottom dollar that he still wore his Red Wings.
Such is the loyalty of real working men (they also do a range for real working ‘wimmin') that it is probably the brand of boot most likely to enter
American folklore helped by images drawn by the homey, as-American-as-apple-pie artist Norman Rockwell for Red Wing publicity.
There are many "working men's boots" that have become fashion statements, Caterpillar or JCB boots are de rigeur for the media types in London's
Soho and not out of place in the gay bars après work. But, Redwings are not derivatives of bulldozers or diggers, they are the-real-thing. The first pair was made in 1905 and retailed for US$1.75. They served in the First World War and subsequent conflicts.
The lumberjack, the rousta-bout, the rigger and the roughneck are about the most macho jobs you can get. Red Wings are seriously macho boots.
On the safety front, the mouth of the boot has a vent and a strap and buckle. This is useful in allowing you to close the boot around your trousers to stop things falling in. I recall working in a metal-bashing factory where a welder had a pair of wide-topped boots into which some white-hot molten flux flew. The welder left the ground and when he eventually managed to pull off the boot and what remained of his sock he had a burn that went deep into his foot.
An unchanged feature of the boot is the sole, which offers the protection of "Neoprene Cord Outer Soles For High Traction And Durability. A quick look on the Red Wing website relates tales of people saved because of the electrical insulating properties of the rugged sole which is why in the US you will see the boots on "linesmen" who maintain the telephone and power lines.
My introduction to Red Wing was through my brother who worked in the offshore oil industry in the North Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Falling pipes, greasy working surfaces and electrical hazards are on the menu before breakfast. Elevenses are no fun without a hurricane, a fire or a blow out - and that's just before lunch. Red Wings are the boots of choice in this, most hostile of environments.
Virtual destruction
My brother gave me a pair of Red Wings that were surplus to his requirements. When Footwear Today asked me to "road test" a pair of Red Wings (model 02972 "Engineer") I couldn't have been more delighted as the pair my brother gave me have been tested to virtual destruction.
One of the advantages of living in the country is the abundance of wood. With the rising price of heating oil there is an ever, greater incentive to fire up the chain saw and sharpen the axe. For a start trudging into the wood is tough. There are no paths and the trees are on rough, sloping terrain and the comfort of the Red Wings came into their own. It is a comfortable boot for this type of work. However, it is no hiking boot and you would not want to stray far from your 4x4.
However skilled or careful you are, accidents happen. Using a chain saw I have managed to slice through a log too quickly and subject my boot to a glancing blow. Lesser shoes would have shredded, but my foot was protected by the steel top cap, which bears the scars rather than my foot.
In winter I ride in leather cowboy chaps to keep out the bitterly cold winds that sweep across the moors, around my home on Dartmoor. Normal, long riding boots don't fit under them. My Red Wings do and work well as a riding boot. But there is more.
I have had reason to be very grateful. I was wearing my Red Wings as a moment's inattention leading my horse into a stable and she trod on my foot. Even in a pair of standard riding boots I would have been reduced to hobbling around with a badly bruised or even broken foot. At worst my 17.2 hand (a tonne or so of horseflesh) mare could have crushed my toes but my Red Wings withstood the full force. "Yard boots" mad by a well known riding footwear company are said to buckle under the full weight of a horse and are shunned by riders and stable workers. I can testify that Red Wings are up to the job.
Downsides? The "Engineer" is described as a pull-on but unlike my old Red Wings there are no tabs on either side of the mouth of the boot to help tug it over an obstructive sock.
Verdict: Red Wings are the classic working boots.
The durability of a pair is only exceeded by the longevity of the brand. They are to boot of choice in very rugged environments, which is why they are used by oilmen, linesmen and by real lumberjacks.
Check out more of the Redwing range as featured here at http://www.redwing.com/
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- 18 - 21 January, 2009
CHIC - UK
