Cavalry Boots with Rubber/Nylon Soles

WaddWatsonEllis · January 27, 2013, 12:02:50 AM

Help! I have everything for my Confederate Persona but some good boots.

I know that the originals were made with leather pegged soles, but I am looking for a dtyer, lonnger lasting boot ....

So Help!

Major 2 · January 27, 2013, 07:16:00 AM

I'm still wearing these ( see Avatar ) they are all leather, from Fall Creek Sutler
I bought them in 1989 that's 24 in boot years

Still going strong !
Andy Fulks measured me for them at Olustee in Feb. (as in battle of ) and hand delivered them a few months later at another event.

I can't say he's still using the same bootmaker though, but these have lasted 20+ years of Cavalry reenacting, living history and CAS.

Slamfire · January 27, 2013, 01:18:02 PM

If rubber soles had been around back in the day, they would have used them,they will ( and do) out wear leather soles 3 to 1, but !!, like the Maj., said "24 yrs." my hat off to you Maj., " The right tool for each job ". And as w/ your gun's "used not abused".

Hootmix.

Massive · January 27, 2013, 09:24:48 PM

Leather soles are more comfortable, but part of the problem is that they don't make cows or leather the way they used to. Bootmakers have dwindling resources of quality insole leather.

Another problem when people are just walking around is they don't treat shoes or clothing the way it was intended to be treated. There was a time when cloth was hand woven, and hand washed, and the same for boots. You can't take a rubber boot, or child labour running shoe attitude to stuff that takes a week to hand make.

If you pivot on your shoe sole, you will unscrew some leather. That is OK if you have a tactical need, but if you are just making a course correction for the hot dog stand, one could show a little more respect.

bedbugbilly · January 29, 2013, 05:33:24 PM

I used the same pair of Civil War "brogans" for years. . . . not a whole lot different other than no boot tops and they lace. The pair I had were made by Jim Lammers who made some great reproduction leather work - unfortunately, Jim is now working at his bench in Heaven - he was a great guy.

The soles were hand pegged and they lasted for many miles - what did them in was a week in wet ground at a National Reenactment - unfortunately, my feet were towards the fire one night and they overheated and split the soles. Not a problem though - I reworked them and resoled them - using a thick sole that I cut out of some old, wide piece of leather belting. That pair of soles lasted me for years as well. Eventually, they were resoled twice and I rebuilt the heels once. When I was done with them, they owed me nothing and I still have them.

The one thing that a person has to watch out for is the use of leather soled shoes on hard floors - they can slip easily and cause a nasty fall if you aren't careful. I eventually put a set of heel plates (steel horseshoe shape) on mine. One time down at the NSSA Nationals at Winchester, four of us went to visit the "Moore House" that Stonewall Jackson used for his quarters. Out of respect for the house and the history of it (and for old Stonewall as well), all four of us removed our brogans before entering - much to the shock of the elderly ladies who ran the museum who insisted that we did not need to remove our shoes - I believe they were Daughters of the Confederacy. At any rate - they never forgot us. We would go back each year to visit the museum and they remembered us as "you're those gentlemen who insisted on taking your shoes off". They never would charge us the admission fee when they saw us but we always put a generous donation in the jar for them. Personally, I'd hate to think what the hardwood floors would have looked like had we trapsed around in our brogans with heel plates on!

Roosterman · January 29, 2013, 06:24:07 PM

As long as you treat your uppers well with some sort of high quality leather treatment so they don't dry out you can get your leather soles replaced just about for ever. I always go for rubber heels so I falll down less. I hate falling down at my age, hurts alot more that it used to.

Rebel Dave · January 29, 2013, 09:21:21 PM

Amen Rooster

My Civil War Brogans are from C&D Janagan, Corinth MS. They are 30 some yrs old. 10 yrs after I had them, I had rubber soles and heels put on. I got tired of slipping, and sliding on wet grass, or any thing else rain makes sliperry. No one has ever complained about the being not period correct. Did you ever try to climb "Heart Brake Hill" at the N-SSA Nats, with all your gear, after a shoot in a Virginia downpour,??. Slippery is not the word to use. This was be fore the steps, that are there now. They even have a resting bench halfway up installed now.
I would put rubber soles, and heels on boots, it makes them safer with old age.

Rebel Dave

WaddWatsonEllis · January 29, 2013, 10:05:18 PM

Hi,

What I seem to be hearing is get the leather soles and when it comes time to replace them, get the rubber replacement ....

I just donpt fee like dealing with the slip and the other problems iwth leather. PLUS spendina minimum of $200 for soles that I don't want ...

TTFN,

Roosterman · January 30, 2013, 07:23:16 AM

Quote from: WaddWatsonEllis on January 29, 2013, 10:05:18 PM
Hi,

What I seem to be hearing is get the leather soles and when it comes time to replace them, get the rubber replacement ....

I just donpt fee like dealing with the slip and the other problems iwth leather. PLUS spendina minimum of $200 for soles that I don't want ...

TTFN,

I can get my cowboy boots resoled at the local shoe repair shop for $50. Some boots are on their 3rd sole. In fact, I have two pair down there now. At least go with a rubber heel. With lall leather I was slipping on concrete and asphalt. Rubber heel caps solved that problem. My wife would kill me if I wore steel heel and toe cleats in the house!