So, back in 2003, upon returning from my final
deployment with the United States Marine Corps, I decided to take a little road trip.
Starting from my home base in San Diego, I started riding north. I stopped
in Thousand Oaks to see my sister, in Camarillo to see my brother, saw my
father in Ojai. Next thing you know, I'm stopping in Monterey and then San
Francisco to see good buddies from college. I continued on to Seattle and eventually
Vancouver, then went over to Ottawa, Montreal, and t
hen Quebec City. Now, at
this point, Nova Scotia is calling me, so I make it. All the way to Yarmouth. Then,
I started making my way down the east coast of the United States and eventually made
my way all the way down to Key West. Coming back up, I shot up the west
side of Florida, stopped in at Navarre, saw my grandfather, popped into New Orleans
for a hurricane, shot across to Houston, then to San Antonio, and then took lonely
Interstate 10 all the way to El Paso. From there, shot across
to Denver, then down to Albuquerque,
then to see my mom in Riosa, New Mexico. Next up was Phoenix, Arizona. My sister was
at ASU. And after two months on the road, I finally made it back to San Diego. Now,
straight up, gents, living on a motorcycle is fun, but it can also be tough. Let's just say that
you are exposed to the elements, wind, rain, sleet, the cold, especially
in the unpredictable fall. I started the trip in September and did the
north part first. But, by the time I got home
in November, it was getting cool at night. My
point, gents, is the right equipment can make all the difference. In particular, Let's
talk boots. Straight up, gents, if you're going to be taking a 5, 000 mile motorcycle
journey, you want a proper pair of boots. Now, in general, moto boots come in a variety of
styles, but you want something that's practical that's going to protect your feet from debris,
from anything that could get kicked up from the road. And if you were to go down, you want
something with a bit of extra protection. At the bare minimum, that's going to have the boots
made from a material that can deal with abrasion. Leather is one of the most common
choices out there. In addition, you want to make sure they are
covering the ankles. You also should have cushioning around the ankles.
You want the boot shaft high enough, it's going to protect the shins. You want
to have toe protection. I also like it when the back of the boot is built well because, yeah,
you're
going to be kicking that back quite a bit. I also want to boot with a heel, that way
it fits right there on the foot bar. And that leads us right to the soles. Anyone
that's ridden a motorcycle knows you've got to have a good grip. Because if you put
your feet down and you don't have grip, you slip on oil or something, the
whole bike is going to fall over. The next boot style I want to talk about is
the Chelsea boot. I think that this is one of the most versatile boots a man can
own, but
they are so darn comfortable, incredibly versatile. But, what's interesting
is they started off as a woman's shoe. Yes, Queen Victoria, she was the first person
to have one made for her by her shoemakers. That being said, it was the Beatles, it was
the Mods, it was the rock stars, the 1960s, 1970s that started to make these really. Popular.
Nowadays, I think that you can wear especially if it's black and it's got a slick silhouette,
meaning I would say a clean silhouette, a smart silhouette
. By that, I mean
that the toe box isn't super high. Again, you want to have a sole. This one
right here has a mix of leather and rubber, which I like because you get the best of both
worlds. But, there are Chelsea's out there, they're going to be made much
more casual. This one right here, when you look at the sole, notice you've got
that grip. Again, great for getting traction. This would be a great I'm going to be talking about the difference
between a black and a white boot. Now, when
it comes to color, black boots in
general are going to be more formal. That isn't always the case and I'll explain
because there's differences in materials and there are some darker colors which
are actually can be dressed up. Could you wear it with a suit? Yeah, but
I think it's actually going to be at home more with a pair of odd trousers maybe,
you know, gray flannels with a sports jacket. Another key characteristic of a
Chelsea is going to be the elastic on the side that allows the boo
t to slip on and
off while still holding firm to the foot. Now, gents, in case I didn't telegraph it
enough, today's video is sponsored by Thursday Boots. I've been partnering with Thursday
Boots for years because I love what they do, quality boots at an affordable price.
Those moto boots I was showing you earlier, You can grab them over at Thursday. As soon
as I got my hands on these, I fell in love. For me, it's the details. First up, the
leather on the upper. This is Anejo hand finished
full grain leather. We go down
to the bottom of the boot. They've got these army track rubber lug outsoles.
On the inside of the boot to make them easy to take on and take off, they've
got these long lasting ruby zippers. You don't even have to worry about the
laces, but Thursday did because they made sure all the laces were Kevlar lined. And
like all Thursday boots, they're Goodyear welt constructed. Another boot style I'm
absolutely loving that they just sent me, the chocolate suede win
gtips. So, I had a
couple of wingtips already in my collection, but what I love about Thursday's suede
is that this is weather resistant suede. You can pour water right on it,
it's going to go right off. So, for those of you guys scared to wear
suede, this is going to be one that you can bring into your wardrobe. And that's
why I love how Thursday pays attention to the inner construction. They used a glove
leather right here, so it feel soft. These boots also have a cork bed midsole, which
basically conforms to the foot. It's
going to shape right to your unique foot and it gets more comfortable over time. For
grip, they've got their rubber outsole, but it's going to be that beautiful brogue design
that's going to get you all the compliments. Gents, if you're looking for western boots, if
you're looking for chukkas, if you're looking for chelseas, if you're looking for a variety of
lace up boots, Thursday, I've Has you covered. Free shipping, free returns, and they've got
to
ns of other products if you're interested in Thursday in the branding, the jackets,
their bags, everything else that they've got. Use that link to get the best deal on
the web. Go check out Thursday Boots, awesome company, proud to support. Now, what
about this boot style right here? A lot of people mistake it as a riding boot, but it's
actually known as an engineering boot. Now, this particular style of boot was
developed in the 1930s for firemen. Working on Locomotives post World War ii,
they gained popularity with motorcycle gangs and with the Youth Rebellion culture,
they were seen as boots that basically, if you wore them, you're sticking it to
the man. Now, originally they were all black in color, but nowadays you can
find these things on fashion runway. So they're coming in a variety
of colors and styles. Well, what about Western boots? How do you style
these? How do you wear these? Can you wear these when riding a motorcycle? Western boots,
also known as cowboy boot
s, were made popular in North America about 170 years ago. Whenever we
had the big cattle drives coming out of Texas, before that you had the Wellington boot and a wide
variety of other boots that were worn out west. But, it was really the cattle drives and the
amount of money the cowboys had to spend after those drives that drove the sales and production
and styling of this particular variant. Now, because of that history and the fact
that they're a bit more pronounced, a lot of guys are h
esitant
to try to pull cowboy boots. Into their wardrobe. In my opinion, that's
too bad. They're incredibly comfortable and I think if you've got the confidence, if
you've got a casual wardrobe and by the way, the shaft for the most part is covered by
the right pair of jeans. Guys, try yourself a pair of western boots. I think they're such
an easy way to add style to a man's wardrobe. Point being, if you are western
at heart, if you're a country boy, you can pull this off. I mean, guys, he
re
in Wisconsin, they wear them. In any case, an entry point into the western type
of boot is to look at the roper. This is going to have a shorter shaft. It's also
not going to have as pronounced of a heel. And in general, it's going to be a little bit
more muted. And, again, the right pair of jeans, most people aren't going to notice. You're going
to notice because you're going to be standing taller. You're going to feel better and, uh, yeah.
Ropers are great. Now, to the question of sho
uld you wear them with a motorcycle, I'm going to
recommend in most cases, no, because of the sole. Now, these right here, these have a rubber sole,
but you want a sole with a lot of grip and there's a lot of western, a lot of cowboy boots out there
that have a leather sole. And that right there is just going to have you slip and sliding all over
the place, which if you're out two stepping, dancing, slip it and sliding all over the
place is great in a pair of western boots. Now, this next s
tyle similar to the
Chelsea boot in that it is an ankle boot is going to be more casual. And we
can tell that by The two to three eyelids and the lacing and the history. Now, the
boot we're talking about here is a much more recent design coming out of World
War II initially called the desert boot. Nowadays, we call it the chukka, but it's
going to have those small eyelids made usually from a lighter weight material. Just
give you a little bit of ankle support. But, the idea here was during
World War II,
you had some British officers go to a cobbler. In this video, I'm going to be
showing you how to wear a pair of jeans with a pair of chinos and a pair of jeans
with a pair of chinos and a pair of chinos. This is really nice summer wear. Tons of
options out there. I really like this one, the blue suede, I think really sets it apart.
Again, this is going to be something I can pour water on. It's relatively rough wearing
suede, but you can go with a classic tan, you can go with
a variety of leathers. They
come in a variety of different soles as well. But, across the board in general, one of
the key features is going to be that this boot doesn't have a whole lot of structure.
It is a very light wearing boot, that's why it is considered a casual boot. Can't really dress
this thing up. That being said, You want something that's going to be comfortable you can throw
on, this is an easy one to add to the wardrobe. Now, speaking of casual boots, let's
jump over to moc
casin styles. So, going to be one of the more distinctive styles
that we talk about here. And you can tell it by that U shaped on the toe, that moccasin
clear look right here inspired by Native Americans. This right here is going to have
in my opinion one of the larger toe boxes. Therefore, this is a men that are going to
be up on their feet 16 hours a day working blue collar jobs because this boot
right here is just comfortable. Now, they come in a wide variety of colors,
material with co
ntrasting soles, with matching soles. The key again with
this boot is to understand it is a casual. It's a comfortable boot. It's a fun boot.
It's going to be heavier than the Chukka, but I think it's also going to give a lot more
support. And oftentimes they're made even with sturdier, heavier materials. That being
said, uh, this isn't something you would really be able to dress up. Now, what about
lace up boots, also known as derby boots? In this category, you're going to see a wide
vari
ety of different types of boots from dress boots to more casual work boots. I will say
that there are certain key characteristics you can look at to be able to tell. If a boot is
something that you could wear formally, you know, with a sports jacket or if it's something
that, nah, you always want to dress down. First up, one of the things I look at is
going to be the overall connection of the upper to the lower. Is this uniform? Do we have
contrasting stitching? Is the upper basically, uh,
Connect to a sole that is overbuilt.
Nothing wrong with overbuilt soles, but they are going to be more casual. And
then, maybe look at the lacing right here. You're going to see more of a dress shoe
type of lacing, which makes sense because this boot in general is going to be more of
a dress boot. Dress boots in general are also going to be thinner. And one of the reasons
is they're not really made to insulate. Again, these are made for Show, I mean, of course,
they're functionally they're
going to have purpose, but they're more about looks and getting
compliments and wearing them with your outfits. They're not about, you know, going out and
working a full day and being insulated from the elements. No, that's going to be more of a
boot like this. This one right here is going to have a more rugged build. I can already tell when
I touch the tongue, I notice that it's thicker, it has more cushioning. This one
is going to be lined on the inside. It's also got a strap right here
in the
back, which allows me to pull it off, take it on more. Formal dressier
boots are not usually going to have the strap in the back. We also
notice right here, again, the soles, they're going to have these lug heavier soles
that are made to get grip. Now, where it gets confusing for some is when they look at a boot
and they're like, well, is that a dress boot? Is that a boot that's going to be more
casual? And I will say a lot of styles, they fall in between. There isn't like a, you
k
now, a regular out there saying that, hey, you've got to look this way for a dress boot. Now,
this one, I would maybe change out the laces and give this an even dressier. Right now, she's got
these flat laces right here, but if you want with circular more of dress laces, I think it would
give it a little bit more of a dressed up look. That being said, the metal clasps
right here, this gives them away. If you see something with D rings or,
you know, clasps like this at the top, that in gener
al is going to be a more casual
look. But, the color. So, there you Black. And I did talk about how black is the most
formal of colors. We could go with a burgundy. We could go with a really dark brown
that would be dress. You'll see a lot of dress boots made like that
as well. But this one right here, I would say you could wear it with jeans.
You would be pushing it to try to wear this, I think, with a suit or a sports. You could
wear it with a sports jacket, not trousers. But, uh, you ju
st have to understand that if
you're going to go We're going to be looking at a pair of Chelsea's or make sure that
you go with a laced boot that is going to be dark in design and, again, meets all
the criteria we talked about. Another small detail that can make a boot a little
bit less formal is when it has a cap toe. Uh, right here as well, the material is matte.
That means it doesn't have a shine to it. It's got a little bit of a texture to it. This,
again, is going to make the boot a b
it more casual than a solid black one with no cap toe.
Which is exactly this boot right here. Again, no cap toe. And you notice right here at
the top, it doesn't have those clasps. This is going to be a little bit
dressier. Now, as I mentioned earlier, there's a wide variety of laced
boots. This one in particular, the combat boot. They come in different
looks, different styles. This one more is a jump boot type of design, so it's going to
have a higher shaft to provide more support. Anyone
that's ever jumped out of a C 130,
yeah, you know what it's like to have to do with the five point roll. Anyone ever done
that? Let me know in the comments. But, uh, you want Protection because those parachutes
are not very big. And for some reason, they have it shooting down super
fast. You couldn't break your ankle. You can break a few other things. So,
these are designed for protection. And that was the idea with this boot. Uh,
initially, yeah, they had guys jumping out with like just
regular type of boots
and they started providing more cushion, more protection. And that's what we see
in a lot of these being sold to civilians. You're also going to see right here, you've
got this speed lacing and that allows the lacing to get tighter quicker so that you can
take them off, you can put them on. Easier. Another laced variant is gonna be the hiking
boot. You're gonna see a wide variety of soles, but in general, these are gonna be more rugged
soles that give you grip, hence
for hiking. And we're also gonna see here at the top that the
laces, they're not gonna have the type of laces that are, you know, with eyelets. Instead, they're
gonna have speed or D-rings. On the outside that, again, make it very easy and in general make
for a more comfortable boot. And, of course, let's not forget specialty riding boots
from harness boots to the Jodhpur boot. This one designed for polo players. The idea
is it's going to keep you in the saddle, but if you get, you know, kn
ocked off the
horse, it's not going to drag you. Uh, and all of them have a heel for, yeah. fitting
right there in the stirrup. All right, gents, so now the big reveal. What are the two styles
that I recommend for every guy out there? Well, the answer and some of you guys
are going to say I'm playing both sides, but it's the two pairs that you will wear the
heck out of. Gentlemen, my philosophy is the most expensive items you can buy are the ones that
you never wear. So, buy something that
you're going to wear the heck out of. For me, this
winter and fall, it's going to be right here. These riding boots, I absolutely love the
look of them. I love the fact they got a zipper. That right there sold me. And,
for me, a go to pair of Chelseas. I love with the suede. I want to change up the
style. This pair right here in sandstone, absolutely loved. Guys, let me know
in the comments below what would be the two pairs that you would wear the heck
out of this fall, this winter, this
spring. Let me know in the comments below your favorite
pair of boots. So, what video to watch next? Well, let's talk about why boots make a
man so damn sexy. Seriously, guys, check out this video right here if you want to
understand the scientific reasons, the data of why women love men that wear boots and why men
actually respect other guys that wear boots. It's a great video. I enjoyed making
it and, uh, yeah, it's a good one.
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