For the record, I don鈥檛 consider myself a trail-to-town gear evangelist. To me聽there鈥檚 nothing wrong with stopping home after skiing or cycling to change before meeting friends at the bar. But there are times when I just want to head straight from the office to the trailhead without having to bring a spare pair of shoes. Even though聽I have a stack of shoeboxes sitting next to my desk, as my colleagues here at 国产吃瓜黑料 can attest, it鈥檚 often nicer to be able to just get up and go. And that means having footwear that鈥檚 handsome enough for the office but capable on trail聽as well. Enter the 听($365).
The Horween leather upper is classy, a little less chunky than the signature style of , but still waterproof. And I鈥檇 be hard-pressed to describe how supple it is without using the word buttery.聽That also makes it more forgiving, which is especially appreciated by someone with wide feet like myself. Its thin profile contributes to the boot鈥檚 light weight, too, another departure from the beefiness of other Timberland shitkickers. The high top and lacing afford lock-down security, which means I don鈥檛 show any sock or skin if the cuffs of my jeans ride聽up.
Beneath the shoe,聽the Vibram outsole,聽which the company describes as medium soft,聽provides traction and聽grips rocks and other hard surfaces without feeling like a board strapped to the bottom of my foot.
If I boil聽it down to one sentence: the Timberland American Craft Moc Toe boots have technical chops and loads of comfort in a damn-fine-looking package.