White’s Boots First Impression 350 Cruiser (Bounty Hunter)
I have to say that I do feel guilty that I was not able to post anything for a while. As some of you guys will know (Because I did post some videos onlines), I have been very busy. I mean I can’t say I was too busy to write anything up, but with the Covid and work and study all piled up together, it was not easy.
Anyway, I will make posts about my two White’s Boots. They are both fairly new and bought in August and I am in absolute love with them. I have not worn them for a long period of time nor I had walked a long period of time in them, but I will do a quick initial impression / a few miles in review now and I will do a more extensive review later on.
Since this is my first time writing about the White’s Boots here, I will explain a brief history. White’s Boots are manufactured in the USA and they have been since 1920. Their main factory is located in Spokane, Washington and it seems like their factory is still located there. They mainly manufacture boots for work purposes such as logging, construction and firefighting. However, they do have what we call “Lifestyle” or more “Casual” lines which are not made for hard work but to wear them more casually. I haven’t tried the work boots from White’s but I have to say the boots that I have feel extremely sturdy and durable.
First boots I have purchased from White’s Boots are the Bounty Hunter or 350 Cruiser in Natural Chromexcel. They were purchased on E-bay, but they were brand new and also they had a Baker’s Boots card. Bounty hunter’s actual name is 350 Cruiser, but I think bounty hunter sounds cooler.
White's Boots 350 Cruiser Materials / Construction
The front of the boots are made with Stitchdown construction. The stitchdown is handsewn and it literally means that the upper and the lower are sewn together with threads. I will link a video here to show you guys what they actually do in the White’s boots factory for a reference.
(https://youtu.be/NJpv5OvGKJk?t=141) So it is quite different from other shoes or boots that are good-year welted. Fortunately, these still can be resoled from White’s factory. I am unsure if they can be resoled with regular cobblers though.
The leather used on these are natural chromexcel. Chromexcel leather is made by Horween Tannery in the USA. Chromexcel leather is chrome tanned and the leather is very sturdy and also durable. To be honest, I didn’t think that I would like Chromexcel leather. In my opinion I thought they were overrated and not special from other leather. But as soon as I received my boots I realised that the leather is great. I can’t wait for them to be beaten up so that I can boast the patina.
The midsole and shanks are both leather. Rarely, some companies will use plastic as their midsoles. Using plastic for midsoles is cheap but has other negative consequences. It’s bad for the environment, it has a short life span and also it’s not as durable. Furthermore, the shanks in the boots are leather too. Shanks that are located inside the soles provide vital support for the wearer’s feet. For those who get foot fatigue after wearing your shoes for a long time, please go ahead and search for shoes with shanks.
The 55 Last is used to produce these boots. White’s boots’ website says “ The Arch-East last provides a slightly lower arch and roomier toe-box”. Also the 55 Last has a trademark, which means that the White’s Boots owns the right to produce this last. For those of you guys who are not familiar to White’s Boots, the last actually feels really weird at first. When I wore it for the first time, it felt different from my other boots. That doesn’t mean it was uncomfortable or it didn’t feel great. I just needed some time to adjust to the fit. Eventually, the boots are broken in and I got used to the Last that was used.
These bounty hunters have cuban heels. They are not extremely high or curved, but as someone who never had cuban heels before, I wondered if I would be able to pull them off. To be honest, I think it was a great decision for me to buy these boots and the Cuban heels, they don’t look weird at all.
White's Boots 350 Cruiser Sizing
For many of you guys, who are trying to purchase White’s Boots, I know that it is not easy to find White’s Boots Sizing information online. I will give details of my White’s Boots sizing and share some information.
First of all, these boots are sized 11D and they fit great. That means that I have length of 11 and width of D as my size. I didn’t have a chance to try on 10.5 D, but I think that would be a tiny bit too small for me. I can either wear thick socks or thin socks with these boots and both feel comfortable to wear.
White’s Boots also have EE as their width for these bounty hunters. EE width is wider than D. I have to say that I don’t have wide feet, but I don’t have narrow feet either. Also my feet are on a flatter side, but the last was not uncomfortable to wear.
As a reference, my other shoes are
Tricker’s Stow UK 10.5
Viberg 2030 last Size 11
For Alden Plaza Last, I wear US 11.5
Red Wing moctoes UK 10 or US 11
White’s Stevens 11D
