We love a good pair of high quality leather boots. They tend to last a lot longer than synthetics, age better under stress, can often be re-built, and just generally offer a rugged style that is missing from synthetics. But they aren’t without their drawbacks. Leather boots can often be quite uncomfortable when you first buy them. Quality brands such as Red Wing and Wolverine make great boots made of full grain quality leather but you better be ready for some serious break-in time with most of their models. There are some tricks to break in your boots faster, but expect to be wearing them around the house for a significant amount of time. During this break in period boots can be quite uncomfortable. The other issue with many buy it for life BIFL brands of boots is that they often have leather soles. Leather soles are arguably more durable than some leather soles, but in circumstances where you are going off-roading with the boots, leather soles just don’t provide very much traction. Furthermore, many people complain that plain old leather soles can be quite uncomfortable for longer periods of time.
The solution? Get a pair of Clarks! We actually love the compromises that Clarks makes with their boots. Their Clarkdale Bud leather boots are high quality fine grain leather but also integrate some features that make them very comfortable right out of the box. Their internal leather insole is super comfortable the first time you try these boots on. And the full grain leather upper has a good amount of give to it when compared to other more rigid brands. I don’t know exactly what they do to condition the leather, but I do know that it is very comfortable. Furthermore, the Clarks Clarkdale Buds use a mainly rubber souls which integrates actually treads. This means that you could feasibly where these comfortably for a long time and also take them into more rugged environments. The treads really help in wet and wintery weather when you want a little bit more grip. I for one would never where a flat leather soled boot in bad weather.
The combination of comfort, utility and high end quality of these boots makes them one of our most recommended most comfortable men’s leather boots. Add on the very handy pull loop on the back of the boots and very nice brogue detail, and you have a real winner on your hands with these boots.
Clarks Men's 26136240 - Clarkdale Bud 8.5 M
Features
| Part Number | 26136240 |
| Model | 26136240 |
| Color | Khaki Suede |
| Size | 8.5 |
great shoes! i purchased them after this recommendation here and they are totally satisfying, nice leather, great feel, comfy and yet heavy enough for a solid boot!