Boots!

Okay, so I guess I have been bitten by the boot bug. I was searching online earlier this year for some winter boots. I like the pull-on style and had some good ideas of what I liked. Then I saw western boots. Now I confess that over the years I have always thought of buying myself a pair of "Cowboy Boots". I have always like them, ever since I was a kid. When we moved to Manitoba -- or went out west as people would say -- My Grandma MacLean bought me a pair. They were black with white details and I really liked them. 

Anyway, back to the present. I was searching around in Amazon and saw some pop up on the screen. So I began a bit of research and found that as footwear, western boots are usually better made and use better materials than most other boots and shoes. They are also touted as being unusually comfortable.  That could explain why the price is usually significantly more than other boots and shoes. I think they're kind of cool, especially since your jeans cover most of the boot and you don't really notice them unless you look hard. 

My research also found that some of the best made boots -- Boulet Boots -- are made here in Canada.  They have fans around the world, they hardly do any marketing and their boots are expensive, usually starting at about $300 a pair and going to more than $1,000. 

I opted for some U.S. made boots and found to my surprise that many of the companies in America make great boots at good prices. It might be the result of the pandemic, but some prices are amazing. I was pleased to find a nice pair that listed for nearly $300 in the company catalogue going for almost half price on Amazon. They were almost sold out and down to only two sizes. Luckily, my foot size is 10-and-a-half. So here I am as the proud owner of a pair of Ariat Heritage Roughstock boots. Nice eh.