2018 October Challenge Results Thread
Post about your designated October Challenge pairs here.
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Posted Nov 1, 2018, 3:46 PM UTC
1969
Viberg x Mr. Porter Service Boots
15 wears, now fully broken in and crazy buttery silkily foot-fondlingly comfortable.
24
Holy heck those things are RED
3
Seriously - They are still kind of tan indoors, but pretty much everything else is Red City!
2
Those are looking awesome! I had some brown latigo vibergs in the past, and based off that pair and yours, latigo leather creases amazingly!
3
It's such a comfortable material, I honestly think they are more comfortable than my CXL 2030s right now, and the CXL pair has a lot more well-worn break in time by a long shot.
1
Daluca makes quite a few NATO bands in Latigo if you wanna get matchy-matchy.
3
Nice - I'll check them out, thank you!
I have a decent color match with one of my Kain Heritage straps but I got tired of wearing just that option with the 112 when I would pair them together.
1
If my memory serves me correctly I think Daluca makes a lot of Panerai appropriate straps which is obviously perfect for the PAM112.
I'll never quite get you big watch dudes, shit just hurts my wrist. Sub-38mm 4 life.
2
Haha, I’ve had mine since 2004 - Right before the upsized craze hit and when the brand was still relatively new to the world having just been purchased by Richemont.
Prices hadn’t gone crazy yet, at least not to today’s madness where $7K barely gets you an Air King, so it was a lot easier to pick up somewhat novelty pieces without spending car money on the gamble.
I’ve loved the piece ever since and it was the time-only dial and display back that sold me on it.
1
Nice progression!!
Also, what's the story on the private screening of Venom?
2
It was set up as an r/watches Bay Area meet in concert with Bremont who featured one of their new watches in the movie - But there wasn’t one clear shot of the piece that I could see throughout the film, which was weird.
It was a lot of fun!
2
Very cool!
2
White’s Bounty Hunters Natural CXL
I got these boots around the middle of September, but didn’t wear them as much because I felt they looked too “workboot-ish” from the top down perspective. Wearing these for the October Challenge made me realize that they actually look pretty slim from the sides, and that the edge trim makes the shape of the boot slightly deceptive from the top down.
Overall, these boots have really molded to my feet! The leather was pretty thick and gave a bit of bruising at first, but a quick change to lacing (2-1-3) and longer laces helped with the break in process.
These are the most comfortable pair of boots I’ve owned, and I look forward to getting another pair of White’s in the future!
18
Holy heck those boots are TALL
5
Yep! They are 10” in height. They do take a while to lace up, but it just feels comfortable with the taller shaft.
3
I have a pair of 10” lace up roper (Justin, thrift find I couldn’t pass on for 15$) and I’m considering cutting them down. I find they sag a little and cause almost bunching around the 6” mark where my other boots all end. Is there anything you do to prevent this/ ensure comfort?
1
Hmm, I don’t have as much experience with that style of boots, but it may be worth getting some kind of boot shoe tree? I think I saw something called “boot shaper” or something like that on Woodlore.
My brother has a pair of Lucchese boots, so I can ask him if he’s experience anything like that.
Maybe someone else here can chime in on this issue?
1
Hell yes.
2
Holy cow I thought my vibergs were annoying to lace up without speedhooks, but I just feel spoiled now after seeing these boots.
1
Hah yeah it’s definitely a process when putting on/taking off these boots. The nice thing is that they feel real solid on foot, but it’s definitely not a “quickly put something on to walk to the dumpster and back” sort of deal.
1
Wesco Hendrick. Brand new at beginning of Oct., 16 or 17 wears for the month. Worn for work (which, while not manual labor is partly physical--climbing and crawling involved). I drag my heels to begin with, which became more pronounced with the higher Cuban.
These are getting more comfy by the day. Now one of my top 3 favorites.
16
Hell yes, Wesco and black boot rep!
3
They are now my "tough guy" boots--for those days when the Aldens are just too delicate to cut it. lol
2
Viberg x Withered Fig Aged Bark Roughout service boots.
I swear, I actually wore them.
Think I got at least 12 days of wear on them despite my work from home schedule.
Aside from a few minor nicks and bumps, and more indigo crocking, they look pretty much the same.
During the last week of October, we got some snow in my area and I got paranoid so I gave them a quick brush and sprayed them with a water repellent. This may have negated a lot of the wear and tear, but then again, I don't put these through anything close to hard wear.
Main takeaway for me is that the 1035 last is a great fit for my feet.
15
My suede chukkas were pretty much the same. A bit of indigo crocking and...that's it! RO and quality suede are really tough leathers.
3
On the one hand, I was like "man, I wish they got beat up more", but on the other, I'm thinking "well these will basically last forever", and I'm ok with that.
2
Ahhh. Okay. That’s what wuality suede and roughout is like.
1
I really love these boots.
2
By far my favourite pair ever since I got them.
1
Withered Fig is gonna do another run of them this winter. It was very tempting.
1
Hands down my favourite Viberg x _______. Ever, every element to them is spectacular.
1
Agreed. They're the only pair of boots I've seen where I thought they were a must-buy as soon as I saw them.
1
I wore them about 10 times before the challenge. They look awesome. I’m gonna probably do a bit of conditioning soon but so far this is it! Very pleased.
12
Allen Edmonds x MassDrop Chukkas in Snuff Suede
I only seem to have pics of 12 days but I definitely wore them for 15+. These shoes are crazy comfortable with how soft the uppers are. I'm enjoying the slight burnishing and indigo crocking they've gotten. The butyl sole is not basically just a plain leather sole, I was hoping it'd last longer than a couple of months but it wasn't unexpected.
These are all also after getting them absolutely soaked in a rain storm about a month earlier.
8
My MD chukkas spent two out of three days in the rain walking all over Tokyo and Kyoto. They were awesome
3
I bought two pairs at the end of September which I committed to the October Challenge. Viberg x Miloh Shop Matte Black Service boots and Alden x Milworks Snuff Suede Indys. I was in Puerto Rico for three weeks (getting married and visiting family) so they saw a lot of use: walking 10 miles a day and nights drinking and dancing.
6
It might just be the lighting/shadows but holy heel strike batman! The left heel on your Indys is gone.
3
Yeah they took some abuse with those old cobblestone streets. Here’s a more direct pic. Quite a bit of wear but not as drastic as the one in the album
3
Wore my Alden Wingtips 24 days in October. Really wore them in during the month as they are my loosest pair and I was trying to recover from a set of blisters on top of my foot. They are showing some pretty serious color wear on the outside edges there. Will have to get a polish kit out sometime soon.
6
2
Sort of new. Total of 49 wears to date, so I would say that is new still.
1
What leather is that? And got any before pics?
1
Sorry i didn't take any pics of these new. Best i have is the vendor pics of the brown regina grain from where I got them.
2
I'm a little late to the party, but here it goes. These are my Color 4 Rider Dundalks. I got about 12 wears on these bad boys during October. The patina really started to take off on these during this month.
I used a damp rag, gave them a brushing, then used some Saphir Cordovan Cream on them.
5
These are luxurious! Do you have any before pics to start the month?
1
Just updated with them!
1
I had these for just under two months at the start of October and wore them at least every other day throughout the challenge, with a couple of weekends where they were my only shoes. Saw a lot of hours of walking/standing at work, walking around town, a few late nights out, and some weekends filled with walks and hikes. I still don't know if they're completely and totally broken in yet, just because they keep getting more and more comfy. Totally love these boots, and can understand why people build huge collections of various Bounty Hunter/Semi-Dress/Smokejumper/MP makeups.
4
I gotta say, I’d like more pics. I agree though, Whites are some of the most comfortable boots I’ve worn. The Vibram commando sole they use is fantastic, not the most aggressive but very nice.
8
This weekend I'm heading to a quite pretty city for a foliage photography expedition so I'll have my proper camera with me. I'll snap some more boot pics as well!
This sole is actually the newer TPU commando half sole, not a Vibram sole. I'd heard in the past that White's house commando soles wore really quickly and marked floors like crazy, but this newer one doesn't at all and even wearing it on tons of paved, wet, or stone surfaces the wear has been totally minimal so far. I love how it's grippy, yet not super deep in the lugs so it doesn't look too aggressive to wear to work, plus shows off the midsole in the center with the cool looking nail heads.
1
Limited my Oxford work wear to alternating 2 my 2 cheapest pairs.. J&M Optimas and Florsheim Barlettas. Reminded me how much of a difference qualify craftsmanship makes but also that I have way more shoes than needed.
3
Red Wing 8111 & 3341
Original Pics:
https://i.imgur.com/QmIx77l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CzjyQzY.jpg
A quick shot out and about with the blacksmith. A few scuffs and some sand.
Before brushing:
https://i.imgur.com/lkDDL8F.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vbxqPt5.jpg
Gave both a quick brush and wipe down with damp rag. Conditioned the IR with leather cream as they were looking slightly dry.
After:
https://i.imgur.com/dzftiSe.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aHGkjtW.jpg
Hoped to take the same before and after picture. Succeeded in the location but not lighting. Has been nasty weather. Think it may have turned out even better in the end though. The boots have held up great. Besides a few minor scuffs which wipe/brush right away and a couple creases they essentially look new still. It has been a fun challenge. Must admit if I am able to participate next year it will be with at least one pair of moc's or blucher's. Enjoy! :)
3
I failed the challenge horribly! the Vibergs only got like 7 wears as the weather inspired me to roam in the nearby woods and cycle to work.
The boots got a couple new scuffs and the rolls got a bit more pronounced, will take a couple pics if there's some natural light anytime soon. With the Finnish November I wouldn't hold my breath.
from the original thread:
I will choose these Viberg shell boots. They deserve more wear and I want to force myself to wear black boots more.
More "before" pics!
2
[Maine Mountain Scout Boots] (https://imgur.com/a/bqmb8t7)
2
Images beginning at the end of September ending with a bunch from today. 16 wears over that span. They didn't really change ss much as I expected. Leather is Chromepack.
1
Finally getting around to this.
2
Here is my result of my October challenge. I went with my RedWing Blacksmith 3340, with 12 wear during the month. The leather has softened up around my ankle, which is nice. The creases are more defined. The foot bed is for forgiving, although I always have poron layer of insole in place. I like it a lot more.
P.s I thinking of doing similar challenge for coming months with other boots :).
1
Viberg Crust Horsehide Engineers - 15 wears
Before
After
The white balance on the before pic is a little wonky but the color did change pretty drastically. Crust leather is a patina magnet — wore them once to rake leaves, the rest of the time was just normal stuff (walks, office job, etc.).
Wow. These look amazing.
They look great. I need some engineer boots. I’m becoming more and more of a fan of footwear I don’t have to lace/tie. For a sec though I was like, are these kept in a freezer?? Lol
Hot damn. You just made me a lot less patient for the pair I have coming in.
Theyve exceeded my expectations so far! These are from Division Road — where are you getting yours from?
Went through Himel Bros. Never thought I'd drop retail on a pair (I'm a cheap bastard), but that pair really called for me after looking around for a pair of engineers for a while.
The Himel makeup is made from horsebutt that includes the strip used for Cordovan, correct? Those are going to be amazing, well worth the premium imo!