Chris Crat, a manager of one of the C&J shops in London, and an avid fisherman has shown what good quality can give you. His IG feed is filled with shoe selfies or fishing posts and until recently I never noticed that all the while, Chris wears the Snowdon derby boot by Crockett & Jones for all nearly of his fishing adventures over the last 7 years (he seems to rotate between those and a Coniston boot, shown below). One might not think much of that, assuming that he fishes on occasion, but let me assure you unless Chris is recycling pictures it would appear that it is either a weekly weekend adventure or at least bi-monthly. Either of which is a lot of fishing and a lot of subjecting of one’s boots to very rough elements.
I am not one to allow my boots to get to a level of ruggedness displayed in the top pic but when I saw that picture, there was a manly, rugged attractiveness about it, mainly because it showed how a quality product, built to last, can stand the test of time even when subjected to harsh environments. And if you follow Chris’s page (@muddy_fishing_boots on IG) you will see that he is no stranger to harsh environments and putting to good use these boots.
And the idea is proven that when spending a bit more you get something that actually saves you money in the long run. If your mentality is to buy cheap because you want to spend less, in the long run, you actually spend more as cheap shoes will always be made from cheaper materials, less craftsmanship that keeps the product in-tact and due to those things, your product breaks down faster and your have to spend again, while a shoe more expensive would have still been going strong.
So next time you are in the market for a pair of shoes or boots, do understand that spending that extra $150-$300 can sometimes save you double to triple that in the long run, not to mention almost always look and feel better at the same time!
**Crockett and Jones are currently running their Summer Sale at a store near you!**
https://www.crockettandjones.com/
Justin,
I realised after reading this that 5 of my 10 pairs of boots are C&J, so evidently they are doing something right.
I think the sale is over though (at least the guy on the phone at the store I talked to said so) but would encourage anyone on the fence to buy at full price anyway. They’re still great value in the long run, and clearly all businesses can do with the support right now.
Thanks for sharing Sam. Lets hope they update their website as it still said ‘On Sale’ on the maim banner. But yes good to support anyway!
My Snowdons are nearly 10 years old and I wear them almost exclusively for hikes with my dog. Yes, they can take a beating, for sure. Almost waterproof, although I wish they had a full bellows tongue. The leather is quite unique: waxy Nubuk, scratching very easily, but it only takes a brush and some polish to remove any blemishes � and with some patience you can even polish them to a high shine. Great boot.
Thanks for sharing Winston!
Four pairs of C&J boots later over the last six years, they are undoubtedly the toughest boots I own. And the more I wear them the better looking and more comfortable they get. I�ve hiked in them and walked all day for several days on pavement without ever experiencing foot or ankle fatigue.
Thanks for sharing Riyadh!
Hey Justin!
On the topic of boots, what are your thoughts on the emerging hand welted boot brands coming out of Indonesia and China to the likes of Onderhound Handmade and Flame Panda?
Their quality looks great but as I am not crazy about that style of boot/shoe I dont follow their work. I prefer the brand Txture who I have nnboxed in a video (on here and my YouTube) as they seem a little less heavy, a little less bulky