Oak Street Bootmakers Trail Oxford

Built in Merrill, Wisconsin on a Goodyear Storm Welt — a welt variant that wraps around the entire perimeter including the heel, making these even more resoleable than a standard welt. The upper uses full-grain American leather on a single-density Poron XRD foam footbed over a fiberglass shank. The MAXWear Wedge outsole is a dense Vibram compound that wears slower than crepe or standard rubber. Thorogood has been making work boots since 1892 and these are consistently recommended by tradespeople on r/workboots and r/BuyItForLife.

Goodyear welted with full-grain Cavalier leather from Italian tanneries — the welt allows resoling by any competent cobbler. The nylon midsole threads through a metal shank for arch support. The Dainite rubber sole is a studded British-made compound that wears extremely slowly and provides grip on wet surfaces without appearing obviously outdoor. At $200, Thursday offers most of the construction quality of boots costing twice as much by eliminating the retail markup through direct-to-consumer sales.

The original Mountain Light (1980) pioneered the combination of Goodyear welt construction with a waterproof Gore-Tex bootie — Danner runs the Gore-Tex liner up through the entire boot shaft, not just the foot box. The upper uses full-grain leather from Horween in Chicago. The stitchdown construction bonds upper to midsole mechanically rather than adhesively, allowing resoling. Made in Portland, Oregon. The Vibram Kletterlift outsole is deep-lugged for off-trail traction.