USA made boots and footwear???

[Suo Gan]

It seems that many manufacturers of shoes have moved entirely or partially over to China.

You have to really watch them too, because some are sneaky. The stuff being made over in China and put together over here.

What brand? Maybe model or style?

Thanks

[smokeywolf]

Not positive, but I think Danner still manufactures their boots in Portland, OR.

[Omega]

Good luck, we have been trying to purchase some boots for our guys that are berry compliant (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_Amendment) and have just now, three years later, have a manufacturer willing to make some.

[5Shot]

Some Danner, but not much these days. Matterhorn (not sure if all are US made). Lots of semi custom shops like White's and Nick's.

[retread]

I wear nothing but Red Wings. Made in the USA.

[lefty o]

you have to watch red wings too, they arent all made in the US anymore.

[corbinace]

Some Danner, but not much these days. Matterhorn (not sure if all are US made). Lots of semi custom shops like White's and Nick's.

Yep, the Nicks on my feet right now are made in Spokane Washington

[am44mag]

Some of their boots are made in Mexico, but I believe most are still made in the Great State of Texas.

https://www.nocona.com/

[Greg S]

Smokey Wolf, Danner has been importing some line of boots for over 10 years. About the same time they also stopped their generous warrenty. Seems to be the standard business practice here in the U.S.

[wch]

Check Weinbrennerusa.com

[dragon813gt]

I wear nothing but Red Wings. Made in the USA.

Use the country of origin tab on their website. You will be surprised how few are made in the USA.

[Czech_too]

While not quite what the OP is looking for, it is still relevant.

https://americansworking.com/listing-category/mens-clothing-made-in-the-usa/
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

[Lloyd Smale]

red wing and west coast for this guy.

[Rick Hodges]

I wear RedWings, when not wearing rubber boots.....but they are not 100% USA made....it seems that some sole materials have to be made overseas....you see there are nasty chemicals used and they can't be used in the States. The boots are assembled here but some parts are imported. It does make it difficult to buy American when they outlaw the manufacturing processes and materials in this country.

[Ithaca Gunner]

Check Weinbrennerusa.com

These are what I wear. The box in the stores most likely have "Thoroughgood" on them with a big American flag.

[Kestrel4k]

The higher-end Red Wings for the most part, but also Belleville boots.

My weekday routine is Red Wings at work, Belleville for off-duty; but for outdoors/hiking/hunting, always Red Wings.

[Walkingwolf]

I wear nothing but Red Wings. Made in the USA.

But with imported materials.

[crowbuster]

Thorogood boots for me. U.S.A MADE

[Ickisrulz]

Chippewa boots are made is US with imported materials.

http://www.chippewaboots.com

[NSB]

I wear nothing but Red Wings. Made in the USA.

I have four pair in the closet at this time. All expensive, high end. All made in China.

[375RUGER]

Thorogood is made in USA. That's what I've been wearing.

[tim338]

Thorogood is made in USA. That's what I've been wearing.

Best work boots out there. I was a Danner and Redwing wearer until I discovered Thorogood boots.

[KenT7021]

I have two pairs of Danner boots.Fort Lewis boots made in the USA and another pair of work boots that were made in China.I wasn't too pleased with either pair of boots.I currently wear Army surplus boots that are authorized for Army flight crew and armored vehicle crewman use.They're made in the USA and I wish they had been available when I was in the Army.

[Bzcraig]

I wear nothing but Red Wings. Made in the USA.

Redwing Irish Setters are the most comfortable boot I've ever worn.

[Djones]

I wear RedWings, when not wearing rubber boots.....but they are not 100% USA made....it seems that some sole materials have to be made overseas....you see there are nasty chemicals used and they can't be used in the States. The boots are assembled here but some parts are imported. It does make it difficult to buy American when they outlaw the manufacturing processes and materials in this country.

I am not an air quality expert but I have been to China a few times. Once you see smog and smoke stacks dumping junk into the air like you see in China, you will want to buy American. When you go a few weeks without seeing a hint of blue sky or a sunrise or sunset due to air pollution you try not to ever buy anything from China again.

For hunting and away from work, I have two pair of Danner's stitch down US made boots. Very happy with the warranty when I have needed to use it. Going on six trouble free years with insulated 8" hunting boot and the other light weight hiker is less than a year old.

Justin boots makes a US made line too. They are very comfortable for being on your feet all day. I wear a pair of lacers at work.

[jonp]

Bates makes over 40 types in The USA

Keen also has a line of workboots and hikers made here. You can tell immediately because they all have an American Flag tag sewn on them. I have a pair now and both my wife and I are dedicated Keen fans. Their hiking boots are the most comfortable thing you will ever put on but be warned, their company politics suck.

Buffalo (Whites) are still made here in WA but are kind of pricey. They are also some of the best boots you will ever buy.

McRae Industries which owns the Dan Post, Laredo, Dingo etc brands has a factory in Mount Gilead, NC. I've been there delivering and they still make some styles for our Military and I think civilian industrial types but others under their brand are made who knows where.

[salpal48]

I recently Purchased a Pair of Red wings. They are also made in China
you have to watch red wings too, they arent all made in the US anymore.

[historicfirearms]

I recently tried to purchase a pair of US made work shoes. I decided on Thorogoods based on all US made and good reviews. Nobody local sold them so ordered them from Boot Pros website. I have wide feet so ordered the extra wide size. When they showed up, they were marked extra wide but they were way too narrow, like they were miss marked extra narrows. I couldn't even get them on. No problem, I thought, I liked the shoes so I will just exchange them. The first problem I ran into was that I had to call, not email, during their business hours to arrange the exchange. This didn't work with my work schedule, so I had to have my wife do it on her day off. We sent the shoes back and didn't hear anything for a couple weeks. I finally called to see when I would get my replacement and the guy says he didn't know, he would have to check with accounting for approval. What the heck?? Three weeks after I sent the shoes back they refunded my credit card. No call or email saying they were not sending the shoes, but at least I got my money back minus a shipping/ handling fee. Frustrated, I bought a pair of foreign made Georgia boots and so far am happy with them.

[bedbugbilly]

My first reply was going to be RedWing - but evidently some of their items are not make here?

I don't have much choice anymore as I am limited to one shoe that fit with my leg braces now so don't have any option.

This thread brings up a question though that I'm curious about . . . .

Where are the boots made that our military wear? Are they U.S. made or are even those contracted out to China?

[jmort]

Chippewa make boots here with some imported materials
That is the brand I favor

[Mal Paso]

I used to wear Red Wings, switched to Chippewa. The few import boots I've bought put me back on US made. To be fair most of the import market is geared to Cheap and I've never had a cheap boot that felt good or lasted.

The stitching on the current Chippewas is failing from fire ash encountered during cleanup and a new pair is waiting but the old ones feel soooo good.

[jmort]

I used to wear Red Wings, switched to Chippewa. The few import boots I've bought put me back on US made. To be fair most of the import market is geared to Cheap and I've never had a cheap boot that felt good or lasted.

The stitching on the current Chippewas is failing from fire ash encountered during cleanup and a new pair is waiting but the old ones feel soooo good.

Yes, nothing like an old boot, especially a Chippewa

[pete501]

Crary in Portland OR makes custom footwear. And you thought Wesco and Whites were expensive.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I do like Red Wing moldable insoles. They add another $25.00 to the cost of boots, but are well worth it.

[waksupi]

Bates makes over 40 types in The USA

Keen also has a line of workboots and hikers made here. You can tell immediately because they all have an American Flag tag sewn on them. I have a pair now and both my wife and I are dedicated Keen fans. Their hiking boots are the most comfortable thing you will ever put on but be warned, their company politics suck.

Buffalo (Whites) are still made here in WA but are kind of pricey. They are also some of the best boots you will ever buy.

McRae Industries which owns the Dan Post, Laredo, Dingo etc brands has a factory in Mount Gilead, NC. I've been there delivering and they still make some styles for our Military and I think civilian industrial types but others under their brand are made who knows where.

I was recently told that White's are now made in China, and not as good of quality.

[Ken in Iowa]

Yes, nothing like an old boot, especially a Chippewa

I have been satisfied with Chippewa boots.

Too bad the pollution stays in China if the US environmental regulations are at issue.

:roll:

[texasnative46]

To All,

SAN ANTONIO SHOEMAKERS have made all their numerous sorts of footwear here in The Alamo City for decades. Phone: 1-877-727-7463.

SAS makes some of the most comfortable boots/shoes (by hand) that I've ever owned.
(While SAS is likely "best known" for diabetic shoes, their "regular footwear" is made with great care & GREAT for wearing for long days afield.)

yours, tex

[Chill Wills]

I was recently told that White's are now made in China, and not as good of quality.

White, Nick's and Hawthorn are close custom and semi-custom boot makers with the same craftsmen having worked in one place and then another. They mostly make boot models for lumber, wildland firefighter, and lineman workers. Almost all are rebuildable.

I don't have any information about White's moving to China. I can't imagine they could do it as a custom maker. They offer or used to offer "made to your foot" boots BUT, all kinds of things change in this world that I can't imagine! I would hate to hear they sold out.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The last pair of work/hiking Boots I bought, was at the local farm store. Rhino brand, made in Guatemala. They were the traditional wedge style that made Red Wing famous. They are all Leather and fit comfortably when new ...2 years later they are still comfortable, But now that I'm retired I probably only wear boots a couple times a week. I'm not sure how they'd hold up to daily heavy use/abuse? But they were less than $50 during a 20% off sale.

[dragon813gt]

Not having a manufacturer in the US that can build to spec is a major hurdle for me. First problem is I have a narrow foot, as in A width. Off the shelf boots are made for regular to wide feet. All the brands neglect the narrow foot segment of the market. I realize it's a small market but it's still there.

Second issue is waterproofing. I absolutely need water proof boots. GoreTex is preferable but I've had good luck w/ other types of it. As soon as you go to water proof the boots I could get in narrow width aren't available any longer.

And to really compound things I need a composite toe. Steel toes get to cold during the winter months. I've had my toes go numb to many times to ever use steel toes again. And as soon as I get into composite toes all narrow width options are gone.

I realize this isn't a problem for most. If you have a normal width foot you can buy any flavor you want. The classic Red Wing style is one of the few available in narrow widths. But no safety toe or waterproofing are a deal breaker. Thankfully there are a lot of hiker style safety toe boots on the market. So when the site ask if mine have a safety toe I simply say yes even though they don't. Hate to lie but I'm on my feet all day and I'm not going to wear uncomfortable boots.

It looks like Red Wing has a hiker style boot that's made in the US and available in narrow widths. But if I remember right they weigh a lot, another pet peeve of mine, and they don't last that long. For the premium you pay they better last a few years. Otherwise it makes more sense to buy a cheaper pair and replace when they fail. I will end my rant now. This particular topic has been driving me nuts since I entered the work force full time twenty years ago.

[Chill Wills]

Just for my own interest I checked their websight (White's)
Below is their claim

************************************************** ***********************************************
"
Made in the USA

Since the founding of our company, White’s Boots have always been proudly made in the USA. Generations of customers
have come back to us because of the quality of our boots and our unbeatable customer service."
************************************************** ****************************

Most models are under $500

[jonp]

I was recently told that White's are now made in China, and not as good of quality.

Someone told you wrong. Go to their website, https://whitesboots.com/, and it says right there "Made In The USA". They are still in Spokane as far as I know and you can send the boots back to be rebuilt as long as you own them. I had a pair of White's I bought when cruising timber in Utah and Northern AZ. If there are a better pair of boots out there I don't know what they are

[waksupi]

Someone told you wrong. Go to their website, https://whitesboots.com/, and it says right there "Made In The USA". They are still in Spokane as far as I know and you can send the boots back to be rebuilt as long as you own them. I had a pair of White's I bought when cruising timber in Utah and Northern AZ. If there are a better pair of boots out there I don't know what they are

That is good to hear. I have been considering driving over to Spokane to order a pair

[Suo Gan]

Thanks men, I bought a pair of Danner's and Red Wing heritage.

I like the Danners quite a bit so far. Worn them the last three days straight. I took them on a long motorcycle trip over the weekend too. The Danners were $330 shipped and the Redwings were $258 shipped.

I don't have a store too close unfortunately. So I just went with my gut on sizing. Seems to be pretty close. I wish the Red Wings could be had in EE.

Do they make them in EE?

I'm thinking of getting the Postman high top chukkas but want to see how the work boots do.

[historicfirearms]

Let me know if you get the postman shoes. I'm interested in them for my job at UPS.

[Lloyd Smale]

Forgot about "whites" another top shelf boot maker.

[texasnative46]

dragon813qt,

Check out post #37. = SAS will make you what you want & at an EXCELLENT price.
(The last pair that I had them make was less than 75% of the "usual retail price" for a similar pair of shoes out of a shoe store & they FIT beautifully.)

Note: I, too, have "odd feet" (My size 12.5 feet "measure" about C-D width in the front & AAAAA at the heels.) & was forced to wear "corrective shoes" until I went to public school.
Then about 3 decades of military duty made me even more "hard to fit". - I now have my shoes/boots "made to measure".

yours, tex