Durango Men's 11" Harness Boot

I wear women's size 8.5 to 9. I tried the Durango Women's brown harness boots, and they did not fit right in a size 8.5, as the heel was too wide and toe box tighter and they never fit right. So I sized down to an 8 in the women's and just took a rubber mallet to pound out the sides of the boots where they were too tight. I had seen a video where it works to use a rubber mallet and pound the leather to loosen and soften it up on too tight boots. It worked but took a LOT OF WORK, and use of stretch spray. After a while I finally donated them as I did not ever really like the shorter 10" height. A few years later when again lookin for the impossible to find brown harness boots (you can't find brown in women's except for Frye's which do not fit the human foot); I thought to try the Durango men's version of the brown harness boot: as they are 11" tall (instead of the women's 10"), also, a men's boot would be wider. So I tried the men's size 7 and it worked great. I really like these boots! I used a cushioned insole with them and it fits great, very comfortable, and no pinching of the toes on the sides! The leather is thick and the soles are thick non-slip rubber. These can work if you are a woman size 8.5 to 9, the men's size 7 can fit, you can add an insert to help with the fit (3/4 inserts can help for loose heels). They are super comfortable this way. I like the tighter shaft as my calves are skinnier, and they fit and look great. The only problem is that the ones sold on amazon can have defects: I bought and returned 2 pairs. the first one 1. the heels were separating from the sole on the inner side of the heels facing the toes on both boots; 2. there were glue spotches on the rubber sole of the left boot, 3. the left heel had a nail hole on the side of the heel. The 2nd pair had the defect of: 1 boot was in perfect condition and shape and 1 boot- the left boot had defective leather that had a rough weak unraveling like texture on the inside of the boot that you could see the difference, and so on the outside of the boot it ws wrinkled and the leather buckled inwards at both heels b/c the defectvie leather was weak. So it looked like a mismatched pair. I finally found a good pair of brown ones that fit and look great. Next try: Tried the Black size 7. These are different fitting boots: The leather is thinner and these are more lightweight - the black boots felt more lightweight than my brown ones comparing them. 2. The heels are wider, so wide that I had to return as the boots slipped up and down when walking and flopped too much. No amount of inserts or combinations of inserts worked, they just made the heel region too wide, and the rest of the boot fit like normal. I might try a different pair, but I suspect they cheapend them (cheapflation perhaps) and the newer ones are thinner leather and just fit differently. I hope not. Wish I could find a pair of black size 7 just like the brown ones that finally worked.

I've always wanted a pair of Harness Boots. For a long time. I finally decided to get a pair. I compared Dingo and these. It was a close choice. But I looked at how many reviews. Each one have. The Durango was in tenth place. With more reviews. Than the Dingo Harness Boots. When I first opened the box. The boots looked great. I normally wear a 10 extra wide. Some reviews stated to go down a half or full size. No. I went with my normal 10 EX. The fit perfectly. The leather used was nice and thick. It has a padded insole. The stitching was great. The square toe box was just right. Great workmanship. Packaged well. I got them in one day. Yes they're made in China. But most shoes and boots are made there. The dark brown finish. Looked distressed. The finish wasn't oily. They fit perfectly. For my feet. When buying boots. There's 3 things you have to make sure of. First you have to know your foot size. Then the width. The last thing. Is the widest point on the sole. Your ball of your foot. Should be located at the widest pat of the sole. You have to break them in. They'll be tight on your foot. But when woren. A few times. The leather will stretch. At first. Don't apply any water resistant coating. Or polish. You can tell when your boots need cleaniing. Use a good saddle soap. Every so often. This cleans the leather.plus it makes the leather more pliable. If you do this. The boots should last a long time. You can get them resoled. Plus the heel. After spending $150.00. These boots aren't just thrown away. With proper care. They'll haveca long service time for you. I highly recommend the Durango Boots. Compare them with others. These should be one of your top choices for boots.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: I had an older pair of Durangos. When I had my motorcycle accident a few years ago they held up remarkably well. I was more scuffed up than my Durangos were. I still have them but wanted another pair to rotate for my upcoming road trip. Great boots, great price and great look.

I am a 12 to 12-1/2D, so I expected possible size issues. A 12 was WAY too narrow (like a B or C) and maybe a touch short because the toe is narrow - and almost impossible to get my foot into. So I went to a 13 - which was a bit long and quite a bit too high and wide - though a thick boot insole liner (which you need anyway because it comes without a built-in insole liner) took out the slop to make it usable with thick boot socks. So - size wise - like any mail-order footware, expect probably at least a 50% chance you will have to return for next size up or down, but that is not the manufacturer's fault. On construction - normal weight (NOT heavy weight) leather, soles look like they will last forever and are THICK, general design and sewing good, boot-to-sole welt looks excellent though I would immediately Snowseal or melted paraffin it to protect the exposed welt thread from deterioration when it gets wet. The haft (shaft) has just a cut edge at the top (so tends to flop inward), without a rolled and sewn top edge (if just exposed cut edge on the leather), so will wear through your skin if your socks do not come above the top of the boot. And there is a shallow notch in the shaft leather front and back, I guess the notches are to minimize this wear issue, but causes the shinbone and the calf to "catch" in the leather as you walk and wear more - so again you need good heavy socks coming well above the shaft. They should eliminate those notches. Toes are narrowish - and the big toe side (inside toe) pocket angles off to the outside (angles well away from straight-line with the inside edge of the boot), so you may have issues with big toe pressure/wear against the toe of the boot. Check this when you test walk the boot when you first get it. I would be surprised (at least when newish) if you will be able to get these boot on without sitting down AND using the straps to pull them on. And plan on a second person or a boot-puller to get them off unless you want to scar the heck out of the heels using the other boot to hold it to get it off. Good oil finish - but needs a good coat of polish to protect it before you use it, and the color WILL come off on things, so be aware of they. Because of the flexible and unreinforced top of the haft, keep the cardboard shapers it comes with to stick back in the top for storage - to prevent permanent folding and creasing of the shaft. Still, all in all, best production harness boots I have seen in about 30 years - very similar in design (except for the heavier and rubber sole instead of leather) to what Sears used to sell for decades.

I have only worn this boot for a couple of days. But so far it has exceeded my wildest expectations for comfort, quality, fit, and -- best of all -- for it's rugged, masculine look!!! I especially love the low-gloss,oil-tanned leather that makes it look like a rugged work boot or motorcycle boot -- but still nice looking enough to get by on slightly dressier (but still informal) occasions. The dull finish of the oil-tanned leather looks like it will probably be somewhat water-resistant and weather-resistant -- although I haven't yet had a chance to test it in wet weather. I was astonished at how easily the boot slips on and off without a bootjack, even though it (mercifully) doesn't have a zipper. And the extra cushioning in the sole makes it unusually comfortable when walking. When you first remove it from the shipping box, it just looks like real quality workmanship. And it has that wonderful leather smell that seems to telegraph really good leather.

Rugged, sturdy, damned boot! If I ever manage to wear these out, I will certainly be buying another pair. Very happy biker over here!

First of all, Thank you Amazon, for a quick and easy return. This was probably a quality control issue at Durango's plant but these were definitely seconds...The sole stitching was broken and retied at the very tip of the toe and run off the side across the squared toe. The other boot had open nail heads showing at the heel when looking down inside, the slight bit of padding they put in didn't even cover the nail heads. They certainly weren't cheap boots, but they sure look cheaply made. Very thin leather for the actual boot body. All the way around, definitely not worth the money...

Husband loves them. Great fit