Customer Reviews

Red Wing Shoes Men's 9011 6" Gentleman Traveler Boot,Black Cherry Featherstone,11 D US

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very nice, high quality boots -- made the old fashion way! Could not find any errors / defects in craftsmanship. Stiching all looks good! Full grain leather, not too stiff, but quite thick and supple. I choose the Black Cherry color -- very, very pretty -- goes very well with Khaki colored pants, also jeans. In the dark, they almost look black, but in good light, the cherry color really comes through.

As for the fit, I found the boots comfortable right out of box, a bit of heel slippage, but not overly so -- As these wouldn't be an everyday shoe for me, and I didn't want to go through a lengthy break in process, I ended up strapped them on, and then did some jumping jacks, lunges, and all other sorts of excercise with them on, oh, for about an hour, worked up quite the sweat, but hey, boots are now nice and borken in.

Very comfortable, no blisters, break in was NOT bad (like I said, do some heavy wearing for about an hour or two, and you should be fine.)

As for sizing, I'm usually a 10.5 - 11 in sneakers, and I got these in a 10D, and they fit perfect. They do come unsoled, so I ended up buying some padded insoles, but found they just make the boot too tight -- now after breakin, they don't need them at all -- like I said, very comfortable.

I paid for my pair $210.00 with free shipping & NO tax through an Amazon merchant -- you can't beat that price and for the money, these are very high quality, long lasting boots, made in the US of A -- these are not some cheaply made, trendy style, sissy boots, but rather, a rugged, classically styled boot with exceptional build quality, and character.

Highly recommended!

I bought these to use as motorcycle boots but also for their style and reputation. The break-in period has been painful but only lasted a week or so. A friend noted they do not ship with insoles so you'll have to buy those separately. You'll want a good pair of insoles from a hiking store not the pads you buy at the drug store.

One warning: I noticed a huge number of black marks on the floors in my house and traced it to these boots!

I'd give them 4 stars for style, 3 for comfort, and 4 for value.

Update September 2009: These are by far the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever worn. I liken them to wearing a pair of cinder blocks. If I walk in them for any longer than 15 minutes I'm limping, and longer than that and I need a week to heal my ankles. Maybe I'm old (early 30s) but all the weight is at the bottom and there's a lot of it. I rarely walk in them because they are my motorcycle boots but recently I was given a pair of proper motorcycle boots as a gift and these are getting thrown in the closet for the next time I need form over function.

Here's the solution to the complaint of discomfort made by an earlier Amazon reviewer:

Most males who buy these boots should size down by at least one-half.

I'm a 9 in a normal American shoe, but 9D would have been too big (and "heavy," as the earlier reviewer complains). It has been six months since I purchased mine and, so far, 8 1/2 has been perfect.

About the sizing issue: My solution isn't original. Knowledgeable salespeople tend to recommend sizing down, as have many people in style forums for men.

Since Red Wings are common and can be found even in mall stores, it's a good idea to try on a few pairs to see which feels best.

If you're a net-only customer, a half size down tends to work. Of the three color options, the cherry red looks best to me with jeans.

These boots are not built like your modern Chinese tennis shoes. They won't wear out in a couple of years like the imported junk does. They are made with heavy leather sewn to a heavy leather sole. The sole has a rubber tread half sole sewn on that can be replaced. The basic construction reminds me of my old Corcoran jump boots from the Army (1969) without the cap toe. Those old boots lasted me through about thirty years and five or six half sole replacements. They don't have a padded insole, just the bottom of the boot lined with a smooth leather. The leather uppers are heavy and stiff and need a lot of breaking in. I rubbed down the insides with mink oil and have logged about fifteen miles of urban hiking in them and they still aren't completely broken in, but that's OK with me. Once these boots soften up and get really broken in I know they will last me longer (probably) than I will need them. I wear a pair of Redwing Number 452 work boots in size 11B for hobby farming on weekends. These Gentleman Traveler boots in size 11D (marked on the box) fit me just the same as the 452's in 11B (although the 452's are made of a lighter and softer leather with a bonded sole).

The leather that connects the tongue to the sides of the boots will dig into your foot brutally when new. As soon as you try them on, you will feel it. Some boots are worse than others. If they fit well other than this, buy them....

Then, take them immediately to your show repair guy and show him the problem. He can soften the area with leather softener, and hammer a crease in the leather to reduce how it cuts into your foot.

They take a few weeks of heavy wear (after the show repair modifications) to be comfortable. But they get there. They have no insole, so orthodics or some cushy insole might be good for you. I go without but they are definitely hard.

I tried both the Gentleman Traveler and the similar looking 1000 Mile Boot by Wolverine.

Aesthetically, I preferred the 1000 Mile boot for its darker, wood-like sole and quick-lace eyelets. The toe is slightly less bulbous than the GT.

However, I was won over by the Gentleman Travelers in the end because the leather is noticeably better quality. The leather on the 1000 Mile boots just seemed "cheaper", and the construction felt like they had cut corners. I also preferred the rubber grips on the bottom of the GTs. The 1000 Mile boots felt a bit slippery, even on carpet. I went for the dark cherry color and am very happy with the purchase. They're are incredibly sturdy boots, and after two months of moderate wear, they still look brand new.

As others have stated below, the break-in period is quite painful. Mine took approximately 7 or 8 wearings before they softened enough to wear them an entire day. On a friend's advice, I bought a $5 tin of mink oil and rubbed them down. Now they are perfectly supple and broken in quite nicely. Don't give up on them right away. You'll have sore ankles the first few outings.

Overall, very happy. Took off one star for the painful break-in period and light colored sole.

I've been checking these shoes out for more than a year now and kept going back and forth between getting these or saving up for some White's Semi-Dress shoes. That said, when I saw the chestnut color of these shoes I just fell for them. I just got them yesterday and so time will have to tell if they're up to the task of my day to day rituals and routines. The leather is soft and buttery and I feel like they're going to need hardly any break in time. I already had a pair of SuperFeet Grey insoles that I popped in because I know that most Red Wings come standard with a pretty hard and bare feeling inside. From what I can tell, the workmanship is flawless, the materials are beautiful, and they appear to be ready to give a great life of wear. As with anything, I'm always wary of giving too glowing of a review until I know if the item will stand the test of time. I'll check back in next year and give an update.

I just recently got a pair of these boots. They are very well made as is to be expected from Red Wings. As far as comfort, I find them quite comfortable, but they are stiff upon purchase and require breaking in. I find these boots to feel pretty much like what you would expect from a work boot as far as comfort. Do they require break in? Yes. Frankly, if you are looking for a pair of boots that doesn't, you should not be purchasing a pair of boots made by Red Wing. To be made sturdy, the boots require the use of good thick leather. This leather will form to your foot if you break them in, just give them time and patience.

As to sizing issues, I got this pair in my normal size and they fit just fine. There is a little extra room, but as these are non-lined leather boots I find that room is just perfect to wear a pair of boot socks. Even with my typical cotton socks, however, they are not uncomfortable they just have a little extra space. I really do mean little too. The boot socks (Smartwool light hikers) make these boots snug, with normal socks they're only slightly loose. If you are really concerned about sizing I implore you to go to a Red Wing store as these boots are an investment and if they don't fit properly you will never be happy with them. They do an excellent job sizing and can tell you what size you actually need in this boot. I did purchase these shoes on Amazon, but I was sized at a Red Wing store a couple years ago and my shoe size (which I also use for sneakers etc.) is exactly what I ordered online.

Aside from these concerns that have abounded in reviews, I find these boots to be quite stylish. I got them in Black Cherry Featherstone and they look great with a pair of darker blue jeans. Once I oiled these with mink oil they are slightly darker than what is pictures (as usually happens when you oil boots), but are still quite striking. I am quite happy with the classic look and expect that with normal care (oiling polishing etc) these should provide me many years of use.

Overall, I find these boots to be wonderful. As long as you are aware of how this type of boot fits and are ready for a break in period you too will likely be happy with your purchase.

Let me start by saying that I shopped long and hard before settling on these boots. I hit junior high at the peak of the Doc Marten trend in the late 1990s and wanted something similar but more refined. Docs are too bulky, a little youngish for me, and they almost look too much like work boots. I'm in that intermediate phase between PhD student and professor and I've got to look the part! These boots are just right. They look great with jeans and khakis alike and the black cherry color gives them a little extra class that distinguishes them from the common work boot. Check out the "customer photos" I posted on this product page. It was pretty common in my boot search to find guys who just simply wanted to know how they looked with jeans, so I posted a few pictures with Levi 527s -- ordinary boot-cut jeans (not the hipster stuff you find on most of the style forums). The photos also show how the red really shines on the black cherry color (but not too much like the ugly burgundy dress shoes your dad used to wear).

The leather is absolutely top quality, unmatched by anything else I've seen in this price range. The only comparable leather I've seen was on a pair of boots I came across in a shoe store in Oxford, England, but they started at around 400 pounds ($800 at the time!). The leather in the toe and around the foot is really thick and stiff -- very durable stuff. The leather around the ankle is soft and supple, even when the boots are brand new. I didn't have any problems with the tongue cutting into my foot either: it seemed pretty soft from the start. With that said, the boots were a bear to break in. It took several days of pretty intensive walking around the city before they started to feel noticeably softer, but I managed to make it through without any blisters (always a plus!).

They also have a real leather midsole (the light-colored layer in the photo) and a low-profile rubber outsole with minimal tread. I like the look of the pure leather sole (as seen on the Wolverine 1000 Mile Boot), but it's just not practical. Leather soles are slippery as heck on nearly every surface and they're a nightmare if you happen to get them wet. The Gentleman Travelers have the best of both worlds. They almost look like a leather-soled boot but they have the functionality of rubber. If you're used to Docs or common work boots, the Gentleman Travelers will feel lower to the ground, but the heel is high enough that you still feel a little taller.

Now a little bit about the sizing. This is tricky with these boots, especially if you order them online without trying them in the store first (as I did). Most reviewers (both on Amazon and elsewhere) have said that you need to size down by half or a full size. Half is probably closer to the mark. A full size down seems a stretch. But let me recount what I did so that you can decide where you fall. I'm normally a size 9.5 but several of my shoes are 10. I wear Allen Edmonds dress shoes in a size 9D and they fit just right (though one reputable clothier measures me at a 10B -- erroneously, in my opinion). Given all of this, the correct size was probably 9 in the Gentleman Travelers: half a size down from my normal shoe size. But I wanted to put insoles in them. They come with a built-in leather insole but with little support. I'm a big fan of Super Feet and planned to use some with these boots. I ended up ordering the 9.5 with the hope that the insole would make half a size difference for the perfect fit. I was right. When they arrived, I tried them on as they came (with no insoles) and they were a little loose. Then I tried my Super Feet, the green color, and they were a little tight in the toe area. As it turns out, the light blue colored Super Feet are the same as the green but a little thinner: these were just the ticket. One more thing on sizing, though. They're a little sloppy in the heel. The first few times wearing them my heel rubbed pretty bad, but they seem to have gotten better over time, probably because the sole is loosening up and the leather around the ankle is forming to my foot. I think for most guys the larger heel area would be OK, though. I have skinny ankles that probably make the heel looser. I bought a pair of heel pads to snug them up a little but they've almost become unnecessary as the leather has softened.

Overall, I'm very pleased with these boots. I got them for a pretty good price (I think) at $247. If you can't find your size and color marked down like I did, go find some in a store, try them on, and come back later to see if yours get marked down. Probably worth the price even at $320, though. Great boot that will last a lifetime!

After retiring a pair of 1975 classics, I found the GT. Made in the United States of real leather, it is one fine boot.
I fits one half size smaller than actual foot size, and molds to the foot real well. Hated to give up on the old classics,
but the GT's are going to be a fine replacement. I also own two other pairs of Red Wings which I also love. I have switched
from wearing running shoes to the GT for everyday wear. A high quality boot made in America by Americans. Thank you.