“Some people wear their heart up on their sleeve. I wear mine underneath my right pant leg, strapped to my boot.” ~ Ani DiFranco
I started commuting on the Seattle bus systems in January. I was an avid bus commuter in college, but always lived close enough to work that I could bicycle, scooter, or walk to work. I end my commute to work with a seven block stroll to the building for my team. It’s usually just after 6 AM, very dark, but enjoyable for me.
Three or four times, in the dark mornings, I have inadvertently stepped in an ankle high puddle. This usually happens when I am looking left and right for traffic at intersections. Having been in military for twenty years, most of that time wearing boots, I decided to get a pair. Boots that are well taken care of can last a lifetime. So I thought I’d share some of my criteria for selecting a good boot.
The first thing I look for in a boot is a leather upper. Leather that is maintained with polish, waterproofing, and brushing last. A boot with man-made materials, think pleather, crack in time, no matter how well you take care of the boot. If you take care of leather, is will look very nice in most situations.
Next I consider the sole. I need non-slip soles. Soles can be replaced by any competent cobbler. You can get very aggressive traction from the right soles. If possible I get Vibram soles. I also do not want soles that make me an inch taller. Besides the stability issue, I’m 6’4” and do not need to be taller.
The boot should not be to tall. I don’t need calf protection and that can be sweaty. But the thing I really like about this boot is that it has a zipper so that I can have laces, but can quickly get into and out of them. How cool is that.
One last word of advice. Don’t wear the same boots day after day. They need to dry out regularly. So I got a pair of brown and another of black so that I can rotate them through the rainy season. This insures that I will have these boots for years. I gave away my last pair of military boots to a grandson; the boots were over 40 years old! Believe me when I say that boots can last a lifetime if taken care of.
The Bis Key Chronicles 
These look like awesome boots, Gandalfe! Is there a female version with a nice little 3″ heel? 😉
Funny to read this today just after cleaning and oiling my winter boots. I was commenting to my wife that good quality leather boots look good even as they start to age and wear as opposed to boots of synthetic materials that just start to look shabby.
If you opt for the zipper and laces combo you had better make sure it is a good zipper. The boots I was working on today have that arrangement and the zippers have started wearing out. My solution was to sew the zipper shut and switch to just using the laces.
If the zipper wears out, my wife can replace them. I really don’t expect to be able to stand in ankle deep water and not get wet, that would take duck boots. But for the occasional time I step in a puddle, they should be fine. We’ll see.