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Written by Chris Claycomb
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 I ordered the Ranger Boots since I was primarily interested in a lighter pair of summer boots. These boots are very different from the usual offerings found in camping shops. The first thing that struck me on receiving the boots was how soft and supple the leather uppers were, and that the retread rubber “R-Sole” was like nothing I had handled before!
I first heard of Rogue boots a couple of years ago from the assistant instructors on a Woodlore course I attended. At the time I didn’t ask a lot of questions, but was told that they were excellent stalking shoes due to their soft, flexible soles and were very comfortable after breaking in. At the time I could not justify a new pair of light walking shoes so simply filed the information away for future reference. Recently my much loved pair of light Merril boots started to separate from their soles, no reflection upon the make, they are seven years old and were bought on sale for only $30. Anyway, their upcoming retirement was the excuse I had been waiting for to try a pair of Rogues.
 John Murden of Unbeaten tracks (www.unbeatentracks.com) is the sole source for these boots in the UK. Recently Unbeaten Tracks (which in addition to boots sells safari clothing and equipment, tents, both aluminium and cast iron camp cook wear, and of course Rogue’s widely recognised range of hats) set up a new web page to allow on-line purchases: http://www.cdcuk.net/ . Previously orders had to be place by phone. I tried the new site and found it easy to navigate and trouble free with only one exception. There is no option for having goods sent anywhere other than the invoice address, for instance if you want delivery to go to your work address, or you wish to send to a friend. Having met Mr Murden at the Wilderness Gathering I don’t doubt that such an arrangement could me made over the phone, it’s just that you can’t on-line. The other thing that caused some minor consternation when ordering on-line was the sizing of the boots. Sizes are available only in half sizes, i.e. 7.5 – 8.5 – 9.5 – 10.5 etc. There is no info on the site about widths, or explanation of this sizing system. I have since found that the boots are sized according to the European system and that these half sizes are the UK’s closest approximation. I take a US 9, and have UK 8.5 shoes so went with 8.5 for the Rogues.
Postage was via special delivery which was very fast. I did have to wait a few days more than the 4 quoted on the web site, but there was a bank holiday that week. I was quite happy with the turn around time.
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 First impressions:
I ordered the Ranger Boots since I was primarily interested in a lighter pair of summer boots. These boots are very different from the usual offerings found in camping shops. The first thing that struck me on receiving the boots was how soft and supple the leather uppers were, and that the retread rubber “R-Sole” was like nothing I had handled before!
Rogue say that these soles really are tough despite feeling not too dissimilar from a plastic rubber pencil eraser (the sole even feels slightly tacky)! The same sole is used on all their boots, which includes their Trans-Africa model.
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 The boots appear to be single layer leather over the front of the foot but the rear part is lined with smooth, soft leather that reaches from the top of the collar to the foot bed. |
 To begin with the boots felt a bit tight width wise, certainly when thick socks were tried. However Unbeaten tracks confirmed that they would tend to stretch in width to conform to the foot. After having worn them to the office for a week this seems to be the case as they feel a lot more roomy now than when new. I thoroughly recommend a breaking in period despite the softness of the leather.
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 Outing.
After about 8 days of office wear I took the boots for their first couple of outing into the countryside. It was mid September and the woods were not yet too wet. The soft sole material did seem to quieten the sound of my foot falls on hard ground, and flex more when I inadvertently trod on twigs. Like many simpler sole designs these don’t seem to have as much shock absorption as more technical boots. This can cause your feet to tire quicker until you are used to them. I found myself a little foot sore after about three miles on my first outing. For my second walk a couple days later I fitted a pair of arch support insoles (I have the same insoles in other boots) and found my feet more comfortable.
In damp areas the main sole picked up surprisingly little mud despite its extraordinarily deep tread pattern, the heel however quickly clogged. This was better than I had hoped, the main sole looks like it could carry half a field and I was glad to see it at least partially living up to its billing as “self cleaning”.
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 Conclusion
So far the Rogue Ranger Boots get 7/10. They seem very well made and show a lot of promise. I am yet to be convinced that a sole that feels that soft will hold up if used on hard surfaces, and am curious to see how such soft leather holds up to scuffs and scrapes. I intend to post an update after I have used the boots further.
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