CARRY COLLAB XIV

White’s Boots X Carryology | The Traveler Arrives at Night

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One Epic Search for Perfection

This epic search has taken more than a decade. Through dozens of countries. Across four continents. It has spanned well beyond one hundred thousand miles. Through some of the most welcoming environments I’ve been lucky to experience, as well as some which I was lucky enough to leave with my life. Searching, endlessly, for the perfect boot that could do it all. Something that I realized… could not be found.

I asked the expert community within our Carryology Classified group for help… and then revisited it again a year or so later. I posted in Reddit, the end of the Internet. Nothing.

This has been my mission, to find the perfect pair of boots. Boots that nail everyday, travel, and adventure. Folks, it was nearly impossible. I’ve easily purchased 30-40 pairs of high-end boots with my own hard-earned money. Some of them look beautiful and handsome, but they fail when it comes to taking them out on an adventure. Some can handle anything you throw at them, but you look like you’re coming down off of a mountain when you’re sitting down for a nice meal. I had a very specific list of requirements that were necessary… and no matter where I looked, I was only able to find 80%. That last 20% had proved to be… well, impossible. The closest I’ve found was a pair of White’s Boots (model: 350 Cutter). But even they weren’t perfect for my demanding list of features. So close… but the search continued.

Hong Kong Muse

Now, back to that mountain in Hong Kong. Let me help make sense of that unplanned adventure. Up on that mountain, fortunately my boots did their part. I hadn’t planned to have that heart-pounding experience… but my boots, thanks to their chunky Vibram soles, made me not worry about losing grip and falling to my death. Even if I had lost a grip on everything else. 

After my escape, I used my phone to hail a taxi to take me back into the city. I was desperately craving noodles, because noodles fix everything. Specifically, I had been wanting to try the world’s first Michelin-rated ramen restaurant (one of the few in the world that can be enjoyed on a budget). Everything I was wearing had a dual purpose, performance yet clean, minimal lines. Western Rise pants, stretch and water repellency on a mountain, look classy in a city. An Unbound Merino t-shirt that wicked sweat but looked dressy enough for formal situations. Etc.

As I walk into the Michelin star restaurant, I look down at my big, lace-to-toe hiking boots. There was no getting around it. They were proper outdoor chunky hiking boots. That’s when it hit me… the final inspiration. I wanted a pair of boots that could go “from Mountain to Michelin”. No stops in between. Direct from A to B, and built for the unplanned XYZ, of course. If I couldn’t find them… well, then, we’d find a way to bring them into the world. One way or another.

Destination Spokane: one of the USA’s oldest workshops. 

Eric had carved a day out of his busy schedule to sit down and discuss the final details of the project… as well as to take me through the entire process of making a pair of these boots. From the raw materials, to finished boot.

We start with leather selection. Of course, we’re going with Horween. Since 1905, Horween has been making some of the finest leathers in the world in Chicago. We went back and forth on how many colors to offer, but ultimately we landed on two. Horween Chromexcel Black (because, obviously) and a beautifully rich warm caramel British Tan. We hand select the hides and bring them over to the clicker (pattern cutting presses).

From here, we bounce through the factory, from station to station, from expert to expert. The leather panels change hands and stations at least 20 times. Each person is specifically trained at their individual task. Slowly, these panels begin to take 3D shape. The further along we go, speaking with each individual, they tell me, if a mistake is made, the entire boot is scrapped. You can’t just magically erase holes in leather and call it “good”. This is what craftsmanship is all about.

In the end, after a whirlwind day of meeting each individual person involved with the creation of these boots through every step of the way, the boots are finished. And they are masterpieces, created by masters at the peak of their craft.

Built by the very best in the business

White’s Boots have been crafting some of the world’s finest leather boots since 1853. A history and legacy doesn’t come much richer. Made in the USA, and made tough for loggers and ranchers and firefighters, from the hands of hard-working craftsmen and craftswomen, in the small PNW city of Spokane, Washington.

From Mountain to Michelin 

Inspired by three different White’s Boots models: the Stevens, the MP-Sherman, and the Main Street. We took the best timeless elements of each boot, and blended them together to create the perfect iconic silhouette, clean and classy and timeless, using the famous MP Last.

The toe cap is also custom, with two rows of stitching instead of four (like on the MP), which adds extra durability but keeps the toe profile equal parts elegant and handsome.

The branding is subtle and embossed high up on the outside of the boot to be hidden with a pant leg, and inside on the insole.

Horween: the world’s best leather

Indisputably one of the world’s very best tanneries, the Horween Tannery is legendary and will supply its famous Chromexcel leather for this project, so every pair of boots will mold beautifully to your feet and develop a rich patina to tell your story, from your adventures.

All that lovely buttery Horween leather meets tough-as-nails durability thanks to double and quadruple rows of stitching to reinforce the boot throughout the upper and through the reinforced heel. While the Chromexcel will mould to your feet the longer you wear them, you never have to worry about treating these delicately thanks to White's expert craftsmanship. They know rugged construction, as their number one business is making boots for wildland firefighters, after all. Here, you've got the best of both worlds.

Goodyear Welt

The gold standard of boot construction. A strip of leather is sewn around the bottom edge of the insole and upper, creating a full 360 ‘wall’ against water, waterproofing the shoe. This also provides extreme durability, and the ability for the boot to be resoled for many years to come. 

Waterproof tongue construction 

Custom spec, ankle height gusseted tongue. Because no matter how well the boot is made, if it uses a traditional tongue, water will just go right around the sides. So we went with a half gusset, making the boot comfortable and easy to take on/off, while allowing you to stay 100% dry while ankle-deep in water.

Subtle cap

The perfect 5" height provides ankle support but doesn’t begin to approach the extreme height of some outdoor hiking boots.

Lace up at speed

When deciding on eyelets, it had a combination of punched (reinforced) and speed hooks for speed. When traveling, going through body scanners and metal detectors can be a huge pain when you’re removing/slipping back on footwear, especially boots. So we added four speed hooks to make that process easier/faster.

Work into your boots, faster 

Those little extra details matter. And when you’re trying to work your feet into your boots, extra leverage always helps. So we added a rear finger loop with some orange pop. Just like the speed hooks, a rear finger loop helps get your boots back on your feet with speed and efficiency. It couldn’t be Carryology without a touch of orange, so we added a single orange stitch on the top. Bonus, it’s hidden discreetly behind your pant leg.