New Year, New Boots

A boy will get dirty just like a boy will get into trouble,

and sometimes he’ll just be sitting around waiting for the movie to start;

in any case there’s one way to protect his feet: a good pair of boots. It’s true that cowboy boots aren’t as versatile as a pair of grippy, waterproof hiking boots, but the cowboy boot has an easy, everyday quality that hiking boots lack, and when it comes down to it, kids will slip them on without much hassle as they run out the door, just like a good pair of rubber rain boots. Without them, you aren’t able to do a great many other fun things outdoors with so much style.
This year we inaugurated a new tradition of the yearly pair of boots and we chose Austin’s finest outfitter for the job: Allen’s Boots on South Congress.

If you want to buy a pair of boots, it’s best to try them on in person. If you’re in Austin, it’s fun to go to Allen’s because you always run into famous people there. Drummer/producer for The Black Keys, Patrick Carney, was there with his equally tall, outspoken pair of british groupies and it was hilarious listening to one of the girls specify that she wanted “a boot that didn’t look so, so… Western.” It doesn’t get any better than that (unless you’re industrious enough to photograph the scenario–that would have been smart.) But Ford and Chas could have cared less. They were too busy trying on boots, themselves.

Finding a good pair of boots takes work. Boots, just like feet, come in all different shapes and sizes. You can’t know what works unless you try them on yourself and walk around for a while in store. There are several things to keep in mind when you’re choosing a pair of boots, and this applies both to kids and their grown-ups:

Boots should fit snugly to the foot. They shouldn’t be too loose or too tight, and you shouldn’t feel any pressure points when you try them on–anything noticeable now will only get worse as you wear them. Unlike some boots, western boots do not require a long break-in period in the beginning. But you should wear a long pair of tube socks or boot socks to prevent blisters. We’re especially fond of striped tube socks with cowboy boots because that’s what we used to wear as kids, ourselves, in gym class. It’s old school.

1. While laced boots hold the boot securely to the foot with laces, the cowboy boot holds onto the foot by a properly fitted instep. If the throat is too tight, you need to choose a wider-width boot; too loose and you should find a narrower width.
2. When you bend your foot, you bend it at the ball of the foot and you want the ball of your foot to fit in the widest part of the shoe.
3. A boot will slip some in the heel. Gradually, the heel will conform to the anatomy of your foot and it will eventually move with your foot.

The nice thing about boots is that they’re fun, they’re comfortable and most of all they’re practical. They’re awesome for winter air travel because, like their summer cousins (flip-flops), all you have to do at the security checkpoint is slide them off and toss them on the conveyor. No laces, not even velcro to mess with.

When you first try on a pair of cowboy boots, you’ll inevitably want to walk around on your heels for a while. This instinct is perfectly natural; it is the kid in you and it is trying to play around. You should let it go and walk around on your heels for a while. It’s fun.

When you’ve found your boots, it can be tempting to accessorize. It all depends on where you want to draw the line. We only made off with boots that day, but in retrospect it’s hard not acknowledge the fit of a cowboy hat on Chas.