The Company
icks Handmade boots are hand-made in Spokane, Washington. The company is a small one, but has a worldwide reputation for being the manufacturer of some of the best and hardiest work boots. While their primary market was initially geared toward wildland firefighters, they have expanded. They now manufacture some impressive work boots and even some (almost) casual ones. My Nicks Handmade “Ranger” boots have become my go-to boots for outdoor wear when not going into an office.
Purchase Process
They have a bespoke fitting process which includes taking many foot measurements and based on that they will send a test pair of boots and do a length telephone fitting. Of course the best solution is to fly out to Spokane, but not everyone can do that. Once the last type and last dimensions are agreed on, the ordering process can begin. These Ranger boots can be customized at Ranger made to order page and once the selection and payment process are complete the most difficult time of all start. Manufacturing lead times were 4-6 months in 2020 and have gotten longer as the boots become more popular!
Delivery and first impressions
I waited around 5 months before I finally got my Nicks Handmade “Ranger” boots delivered to me. Removing them from the box I thought they stuffed some metal scraps into them because they were so much heavier than any boots I’d handled before. But they use just leather, about 80 nails, and the Vibram sole – but the leather topsides are very thick and the sole has 7 layers of leather as well!
Putting them on for the first gave me a snugness that was akin to putting on old-style heavy ski boots and my first tentative steps led me to wonder if the boots were even capable of flexing. I felt like Herman Munster while plodding around at home while trying to balance!
Break-in period
Nicks Boots recommends about 80 hours of break-in, wearing the boots somewhat longer every successive day. I was working in my home-office so I would wear them indoors much of the day but didn’t get too many steps in. My first outside walk of 3 miles had to wait until around 3 or 4 weeks of daily home wear had them sufficiently pliable.
I had thought that breaking in the Red Wing Iron Rangers was difficult until I went through this process. While I never had pain or blisters, the boots just felt too tight and I’d asked the factory about that but they said it was normal.
In the end, it turns out that I’d ordered the boots with a removable “comfort insole” but they had neglected to increase the boot by a half-size as they should have done. Once I removed the insoles the boots felt really nice and the break-in finished quickly after that.
Conclusions
When I put these boots on now, after 2 years, they feel as if they’ve been poured around my foot. They are far and away the most comfortable shoe wear I have ever owned. The high arch and support initially took some getting used to, but I can wear these and stand all day and don’t really want to remove them in evening.
While they are pricey, they are meant to take a beating and last a long time. When the Vibram soles wear down they can be re-soled 2 times or more before requiring more treatment. Insofar as work boots go, they are meant to last a lifetime. I am very happy with my Nicks Handmade “Ranger” boots.
The build quality is very good and the leather quality is nonpareil. I ordered my second pair boots after 6 months – this time the Packer model, which has a higher shaft and is even more massive.
December 2023 Update – I had a training accident and hurt my hand. One of the side-effects was that lacing up the boots became impracticable and I had to forebear wearing these boots for a couple of weeks and revert to my Iron Rangers. My hand is healing and I’m back to these boots again.
