Purchase
A couple of years back, I found these White’s Hathorn Explorer boots on sale on eBay and decided to bid for them. I know that White’s boots are hand-lasted and on par with Nick’s, and that they used a second-tier production line for the Hathorn series. But they looked good and had positive reviews, so I went for it.
Breaking them in
These Hathorn explorer boots are a little bit larger than the Nicks boots, but nothing that thick socks couldn’t compensate for. After the gruelling experience with the Nicks’ boots, these were promised to be easier to break in.
But I never did break them in. They were relegated to the depths of my closet until this week.
Wearing them
My two pairs of Nick’s boots need resoling. The Packer boots are at a cobbler in Austria for resoling, and that is taking a long time. The Ranger boots have almost worn through the soles.
And winter has arrived, so there’s ice and snow on the ground, and I need some traction. So now I’ve returned these boots to service and am breaking them in.
Conclusion
I’ve been wearing them on occasion, but not extensively. They feel comfortable, and had I not formed such a strong bond with my Nick’s handmade boots, I’d probably lavish more praise on them.
