I'm not much a fan of Dainite, but that's an issue that can be solved eventually. The tongue and facing backing are notably thinner, as is to be expected. And oh yeah, that's some thick Chromexcel! Probably the thickest leather I have at this point other than maybe my bison Wasookeeag moccasins. The leather still feels quite hydrated and even waxy, so I'm not concerned about that. The stitchdown SPI isn't as high as some of the newest Vibergs I've seen, so these may have been from an older shipment. Everything about them seems solid - some of the stitching isn't quite perfectly straight, but nothing I'm concerned about. I can certainly see how the 10.5 might have also worked for me. They still need a bit of break in, but there's minimal heel slip and things all seem to line up where they should. They're voluminous on my feet, that I'm starting to learn are average or even low volume (in combination with being on the narrow side), but they're comfortable once laced up and ready to go. Upper leather: Natural Chromexcel roughout with smoothout tongue Model: Viberg Boondocker - basically an unlined service boot with some extra stitching Can't complain about that for free overseas shipment. I ordered on a Saturday, they shipped Monday via DHL, and they were to me by Friday. (They're expecting a shipment around Easter.) R&H was lovely and double-checked that I really wanted the 11 after asking about the 10.5, and when I confirmed, they shipped them out. (Realistically, this is not going to happen, as the only stockist around me is Withered Fig, who has very limited stock and none in 2030, anyway.) R&H had 11 in stock, and after emailing R&H to see if they expected the 10.5 to come in stock again, I went with these, since I'm impatient. Rivet & Hide have these in the 2030 last, which tends to be my favorite of Vibergs in terms of looks, and after talking with /u/ChineseBroccoli and /u/crizzlelovesyou some, arrived that either 10.5 or 11 would work for my 11.5C Brannock feet, and ideally I could try both on. They've made a few boondocker makeups here and there, but most are long gone at this point. JL and Clinch basically have no stock to be found and are a touch more than I'd like to spend (though if I could have gotten the JL M-43, I'd probably have given it a shot). (If I find myself in Chicago again, I may check out their store and see if I can find an acceptable pair.) The fit was quit nice and comfy, but ultimately, the quality on the pair I got wasn't there - lots of noticeable puckering above the welt, so I returned. Both Clinch and JL were more than I really wanted to spend, and I wasn't really sure about my Viberg sizing, so I decided to try OSB's field boot. I looked around to see what was available, and barring various MTO options, it basically came down to Oak Street, John Lofgren, Clinch, and Viberg. I kept seeing people posting boondockers and the like and decided they were something I wanted. At some point I realized my collection had a pretty big gap in that I have no suede or roughout boots and nothing lighter than "tan" and also no service boots (I had a pair of 1035 kudu suede service boots, but they didn't quite fit how I liked, so I sold).
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