Medieval athletic boots

[Juggernaut]

Hello Forum!

I am looking for some tall (just under the knee) black leather boots that are durable, well-made, and appropriate for lots of running.

I had some black combat boots that were OK looking, but very uncomfortable. Most of the tall boots I have seen are either:
-poorly made ren-fair boots that are made for show only
-equestrian boots that are not made for continuous running
-uncomfortable combat boots that are not tall enough
-boot toppers (not interested)

or..

$500-$700 highway patrol boots.

I am thinking the highway patrol boots are the only boots that are going to have the right length, look, and durability to allow for lots of running, though I have been unable to find a highway patrol boot critique forum to verify if these types of boots are athletically viable. Anyone know any highway patrol officers who can verify this? I don't want my feet getting chewed up at every event.

If anyone else knows of another source that sells a similar boot that is not too athletic looking with laces flopping everywhere, I would appreciate the link.

Jug

[Kyrian]

http://www.dancestore.com/houseofandar/See-Our-Boots/products/89/

I've heard good things about these from others IF you can find your size. They seem to be very limited in their selection right now.

http://sonofsandlar.com/product-line-2/

I have a pair of the peasant boots and I've recently started wearing them regularly for fighting although I've had them for several years now. When you try them on, I would highly recommend putting some gel insoles in them. I've been finding that my feet are very sore at the end of the day. I'm guessing that they would be a lot more comfortable with a little bit more padding underneath. They are waterproof; I've never had an issue with them leaking. However, they are not insulated so your feet still can get very cold. I'm not really fond of the lacing system. It takes way too much time to unlace the boots and you have to take your time lacing them to be secure on your feet. If you don't tighten them down properly, your feet will slide in the boots leading to blisters.

http://www.sodhoppers.com/html/moccasins.html

These are some of the high-end custom boots and you pay a serious premium for them. I've seen quite a few people with them in the SCA and at ren faires and they seem to be pretty happy.

[Kraesh]

Hey, anybody want to donate vast quantities of money for me to buy some of these? They look amazing.

-Kraesh

[Tobia Blackthorn]

Exactly what I was thinking. I've seen some like the first link worn at the GA Ren Fest, but never had a pair.

[Solusar]

Skeith as something very similar to those sod hoppers and he loves them. Says it's like fighting barefoot.

[Fitz Caliston]

I have alot of Friends that have purchased Soddhoppers, great product from all accounts.

Funny thing,when my buddy (former Squire in Amt and now KotC) Ceowulf sold his house his wife let him have all the returning escrow money to "have fun" with. He was going to buy a pair of Soddhoppers but I convinced him that if he bought the Tippman Boss we could make our own.

My first project on the tippman was trying to reproduce the soddhoppers off a very inferior tutorial on the web, ruined a $400 hide of buffalo.... One of these days I'm going to get back into making boots, I might even purchase thier DVD to learn how to do it correctly.

[Calarn the Black]

Kyrian, were the House of Andar boots the ones Peter was wearing for a few years?

[Kyrian]

Kyrian, were the House of Andar boots the ones Peter was wearing for a few years?

I'm not sure. The only information I've seen about them is here:

http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23437

[Alunsun]

http://solesirius.com/2009/12/15/adidas ... e-chicago/

Smellssogoodbrah umad?

[Juggernaut]

It took me almost a year, but I just purchased a pair of the Low Buckle Boots from Sons of Sandlar. No one likes sneakers turding up a photo and I got * out about my toe shoes at the last event. This was a long time coming.

Thanks Kyrian for the referral.

https://www.facebook.com/SonofSandlar?s ... 5607783795

Jugg

http://www.dancestore.com/houseofandar/See-Our-Boots/products/89/

I've heard good things about these from others IF you can find your size. They seem to be very limited in their selection right now.

http://sonofsandlar.com/product-line-2/

I have a pair of the peasant boots and I've recently started wearing them regularly for fighting although I've had them for several years now. When you try them on, I would highly recommend putting some gel insoles in them. I've been finding that my feet are very sore at the end of the day. I'm guessing that they would be a lot more comfortable with a little bit more padding underneath. They are waterproof; I've never had an issue with them leaking. However, they are not insulated so your feet still can get very cold. I'm not really fond of the lacing system. It takes way too much time to unlace the boots and you have to take your time lacing them to be secure on your feet. If you don't tighten them down properly, your feet will slide in the boots leading to blisters.

http://www.sodhoppers.com/html/moccasins.html

These are some of the high-end custom boots and you pay a serious premium for them. I've seen quite a few people with them in the SCA and at ren faires and they seem to be pretty happy.

[Arrakis]

It took me almost a year, but I just purchased a pair of the Low Buckle Boots from Sons of Sandlar. No one likes sneakers turding up a photo and I got * out about my toe shoes at the last event. This was a long time coming.

Thanks Kyrian for the referral.

https://www.facebook.com/SonofSandlar?s ... 5607783795

Jugg

http://www.dancestore.com/houseofandar/See-Our-Boots/products/89/

I've heard good things about these from others IF you can find your size. They seem to be very limited in their selection right now.

http://sonofsandlar.com/product-line-2/

I have a pair of the peasant boots and I've recently started wearing them regularly for fighting although I've had them for several years now. When you try them on, I would highly recommend putting some gel insoles in them. I've been finding that my feet are very sore at the end of the day. I'm guessing that they would be a lot more comfortable with a little bit more padding underneath. They are waterproof; I've never had an issue with them leaking. However, they are not insulated so your feet still can get very cold. I'm not really fond of the lacing system. It takes way too much time to unlace the boots and you have to take your time lacing them to be secure on your feet. If you don't tighten them down properly, your feet will slide in the boots leading to blisters.

http://www.sodhoppers.com/html/moccasins.html

These are some of the high-end custom boots and you pay a serious premium for them. I've seen quite a few people with them in the SCA and at ren faires and they seem to be pretty happy.

Hate to break this to you if you've already bought 'em, but the "Low Buckle Boots" shown on that page don't look a bit more medieval than modern motorcycle boots/engineer boots. The primary problem is the fact that they have a massive modern sole that doesn't help you fight; those heels and lifts and thicknesses were designed first to help you keep your shoe in a stirrup when riding, then to make it "easier" to stand still for super-long periods of time, then to look "cool", not to let you feel the ground and fight well.

You were better off in VFFs. They're closer in function and shape to real medieval shoes.

[Juggernaut]

I concede, without checking, that you are right about the origin of thick soled footwear being primarily designed for horse riding. If you are making the argument that thick-soled shoes/boots detract from a medieval costume as a whole, than I think you are at a more fundamentalist level than about 99% of the fighters on the field. I guess you could argue that the high leather boot with the buckles resembles more of a movie-based medieval boot than an authentic leg-wrap/moccasin combo, but, if so, you are more fundamentalist medieval than I am.

Good for you.

I watched a few testimonials from previous buyers who talked about durability. I found them compelling. I emailed the owner and described the wear that a week-long event could have on leather and on my foot and I was satisfied with his responses.

I also put stock in Kyrian's experience with the Peasant Boot, which appears to have the same sole style. I will likely take his recommendation and add gel soles.

I don't see how you can claim that VFF's are more in form and function to medieval shoes, except if you are still basing this strictly on sole thickness. They have been banned altogether in Dagorhir. I will admit that I liked the lightness of them, but they detracted too much from the level of "period wear" that I was going for.

It took me almost a year, but I just purchased a pair of the Low Buckle Boots from Sons of Sandlar. No one likes sneakers turding up a photo and I got * out about my toe shoes at the last event. This was a long time coming.

Thanks Kyrian for the referral.

https://www.facebook.com/SonofSandlar?s ... 5607783795

Jugg

http://www.dancestore.com/houseofandar/See-Our-Boots/products/89/

I've heard good things about these from others IF you can find your size. They seem to be very limited in their selection right now.

http://sonofsandlar.com/product-line-2/

I have a pair of the peasant boots and I've recently started wearing them regularly for fighting although I've had them for several years now. When you try them on, I would highly recommend putting some gel insoles in them. I've been finding that my feet are very sore at the end of the day. I'm guessing that they would be a lot more comfortable with a little bit more padding underneath. They are waterproof; I've never had an issue with them leaking. However, they are not insulated so your feet still can get very cold. I'm not really fond of the lacing system. It takes way too much time to unlace the boots and you have to take your time lacing them to be secure on your feet. If you don't tighten them down properly, your feet will slide in the boots leading to blisters.

http://www.sodhoppers.com/html/moccasins.html

These are some of the high-end custom boots and you pay a serious premium for them. I've seen quite a few people with them in the SCA and at ren faires and they seem to be pretty happy.

Hate to break this to you if you've already bought 'em, but the "Low Buckle Boots" shown on that page don't look a bit more medieval than modern motorcycle boots/engineer boots. The primary problem is the fact that they have a massive modern sole that doesn't help you fight; those heels and lifts and thicknesses were designed first to help you keep your shoe in a stirrup when riding, then to make it "easier" to stand still for super-long periods of time, then to look "cool", not to let you feel the ground and fight well.

You were better off in VFFs. They're closer in function and shape to real medieval shoes.

[Arrakis]

I concede, without checking, that you are right about the origin of thick soled footwear being primarily designed for horse riding. If you are making the argument that thick-soled shoes/boots detract from a medieval costume as a whole, than I think you are at a more fundamentalist level than about 99% of the fighters on the field. I guess you could argue that the high leather boot with the buckles resembles more of a movie-based medieval boot than an authentic leg-wrap/moccasin combo, but, if so, you are more fundamentalist medieval than I am.

Good for you.

I watched a few testimonials from previous buyers who talked about durability. I found them compelling. I emailed the owner and described the wear that a week-long event could have on leather and on my foot and I was satisfied with his responses.

I also put stock in Kyrian's experience with the Peasant Boot, which appears to have the same sole style. I will likely take his recommendation and add gel soles.

I don't see how you can claim that VFF's are more in form and function to medieval shoes, except if you are still basing this strictly on sole thickness. They have been banned altogether in Dagorhir. I will admit that I liked the lightness of them, but they detracted too much from the level of "period wear" that I was going for.

First up, as the de facto leader of a Dagorhir Chapter that covers parts of six states, I can unequivocally guarantee that Vibram Fivefingers are NOT banned in Dagorhir. I fight in mine all the time and they will be allowed at Ragnarok as per posts on the Dagorhir National Boards by Rag's garb heralds.

Second, have you ever seen a real medieval shoe or boot? They look like this:




A quick Google search reveals that modern motorcycle boots look like this:




Judge for yourself which set your new kicks look most like.




VFFs are more similar than those boots of yours to period shoes in the following degrees:

Their soles are thinner and more flexible.

Period shoes for fighting were thin soled and allowed their wearers to feel the terrain and grip the ground; you can shift your weight and balance more rapidly with such shoes than you can in stiff-soled, heavy, thick-bottomed, ridged combat boot-type soles. This is why Meyer, Silver, Leichtenauer, and all of the other masters recommended fighting in thin, light shoes or barefoot and NEVER in riding boots.

They are not ultra-high-top-stretch-up-to-your-knees shoes

Basically ever pair of medieval shoes came up no further than an inch or two above the ankle; a matte black shoe that stops below the ankle is an incredibly period look; the divisions between the toes are very subtle at a distance of even ten feet, at which distance the knee-height length of those boots AND their modern sole thickness and heel lift are both obvious.

They aren't covered in a ludicrous amount of buckles and fasteners.

Buckles were expensive. They still are for hand-made stuff (not Indian/Chinese mass-produced junk). Buckled shoes weren't unknown in the later part of what Belegarth considers period, but they were all-but-unheard-of for most of said period.


So, on the topics of function, form, and style, the Vibram Fivefingers shoe is superior to the Sandlar's Boot for period look, accuracy to history, and, most importantly to a stickjock like myself, fighting ability.

You can't optimize your footwork in clunky combat or motorcycle boots. Look, these guys even say so: http://www.thearma.org/essays/historical-footwear.html Why, yes, that is an article full of quotes by basically every medieval or Renaissance fencing or fighting master saying exactly what I've been telling you.


So, I'm glad you found boots you like and I wish you luck with them and joy of them. But What you've bought is not period, not medieval, and not very good for fighting in. Others, take note.

[Forkbeard]

While I'm not 100% with him. Arrakis has an excellent point.
Too rigid a sole ruins your footwork. I only wear ultralight Police style combat boots. They have a plastic shank and an sole like a sneaker. They flex like hell and you can actually feel the ground incredibly well. While I can not grip the ground the way I can when barefoot, I can tell ecatly what I'm standing on and thus can find a better traction point without looking at my feet in broken terain.
The times when I fought in old fasioned combat boots and (ugh) steel toed work boots, I found them sluggish and unresponsive. They also have a weird habit of rolling over on you if your manage to step on un even enough ground, spraining my ankle.

I'm curious about getting some of the tall nice Moc's and putting a more athletic sole on them.
FB

[Peregrine]

son of sandlar boots are great I own a pair and love them, mine are the lace up noblmens boots.
the sole flexes better than a motorcycle boot.

[Gámhain]

http://minnetonkamoccasin.com/Products/ ... -boot-mens

I wear minnetonka knee-high mocassin boots with the tassels cut off, and they look pretty legit.

The grip isn't great when it's muddy, but on dry grass or dirt they're awesome.

Boots of Elvenkind, man.

EDIT: You can get them for under $80 on ebay, in black or tan.