Very Comfortable Boots & Dressy-ish?
Hey folks. I have a few pairs of boots; Red Wings Iron Rangers, Danner Mountain Lights, Oak Street 10 Yr Trench Boot, and some grey suede J.Crew ones. The Iron Rangers were always my go-to "wear all day" boot, but lately I'm wearing jeans less often and I'm finding the large bulky work-boot a little too much. Oak Streets look lovely, but definitely lack in the comfort department.
I know comfort is going to be highly subjective, but I've seen posts talking about just how insanely comfortable Alden Indy's are. Lots of Reddit posts talking about them being the most comfortable shoe they own. Since the Indy's are still in the work boot category, I worry they're going to have a bit too much overlap with the IR's. Is that a reasonable concern, or are they a bit more refined? I've also seen criticism about Aldens quality control at that price point. Any suggestions for similar comfort levels from other brands or other boots from Alden? Also would be happy to know of any dress shoes with similar levels of comfort (currently only own AE Edmonds in various colors).
4 Replies
I own many boots, and Alden’s are certainly the most comfortable of the lot. I don’t have any issues with them from a dress perspective — I’m wearing ties most days with them, and post that often enough in #waywt .
Sure, they’re not quite as sleek as EG Galways, but they’re definitely way dressier than IRs to an extent that I wouldn’t consider there being much overlap.
There’s occasionally some quality concerns, but tbh most of those things are exacerbated by the internet, and are non-issues blown up by perfectionists. 99/100 times if you have an actual issue with an Alden, they’ll exchange it — if you want another layer of protection, buy from a larger stockist like J Crew.
This is great info, thank you so much!
Grant Stone is a budget alternative to Alden
The brand was created by a father and son who formerly worked at Alden
Do you have any Grant Stones you enjoy? I have a pair of loafers that I think are fine.