Chippewa Apache Lace-Up Boot

I'm writing this review in an effort to clear up some issues regarding this boot. I now own five pairs of Chippewa boots (including these Choco Apaches) and every pair is first rate. Good leather, good fit, good build, tough. I own packers, and loggers and the Wellington boot, all bought on Amazon over the course of the past five or six years. I bought these Apaches this past week because I like their look better than the Wolverine 1000 Mile Evans boots I also own and which now cost $400. The Apaches are more of a "work" boot, though a nice-looking work boot. The Woverines have that old Up in the Holler Makin' Moonshine look as well, but they are dressier. The guy dancing at the gas pump in the movie Deliverance, would have worn the Apaches, not the 1000 Mile Evans. The Apaches have the great Vibram lug sole which insures no-slipping when you put your foot down while riding a motorcycle. The smoother Vibram sole on the Wolverines is good, but would slip before the lug sole does. The slightly larger fit works for me because I have both wide feet and a high arch. I found the boots to be comfortable out of the box. They are not "seconds." They come with the American flag. They are perfect. They will get worn more often than the 1000 Mile Evans boots, but I like them both for their intended purpose.Addendum: After posting this review I pulled the laces and applied a coat of Obenauf''s. Unlike the Woverine 1000 Mile Evans boots which retained their basic color after the Obenauf's application, the chocolate brown of the Chippewa Apaches appears lost forever. The leather turned a very dark brown immediately. As the Obenauf's was absorbed the leather edged back toward its original color, but is still darker than I'd like it to be. That said, the boot still looks terrific.

Leather is great, sole is great , but quality is awful. Bought two pairs and returned both of them , first pair was missing one stitching line on the right side of the heel. Second pair is even worse , they were made asymmetric , of the different height , tilted to the side in correlation to the sole, stitching uneven on inside and outside. Very disappointed, good matirials , but awfully made. Be aware

So, these shoes are probably the best leather shoes I've ever owned. Especially for the price, I like these better than my Wolverine 1Ks.The leather itself is very nice and smooth - its stiff to start, but begins to mold over time. Within about two weeks of wear the shoe fit great - its been a few months now and the shoe fits *perfectly*. I could walk all day long in it without a problem.I'm a 10D, and tried the 9.5, but found it too tight along the width and too close on the toe box. 9.5EE might have been fine, but I decided to go with a 10D instead to give myself some toe room. I wear thick wigwam socks, and they fit very nice and snug.The shoes are great in all weather - NYC snowdays are easy, and the leather is more than water resistant enough to keep my feet nice and dry. The leather does darken as you take care of it - I used coconut oil to condition at first, but didn't like just how much darker it made the boots. I used Lexol cleaner to bring the boots back to neutral and clear off the salt/snow damage, and followed up with Lexol conditioner. THe boots still darkened, but look much nicer overall and have a better tone and patina to them. Scratches buff out easily with a cloth, a brush, or your finger.Note: Pictures are after cleaner, conditioned they are much darker and nicer

The boots are comfortable, especially after the first week. I love them. From the quality I see, these will last. If they only last a year, it's twice as long as most department store boots I've bought.Unfortunately the laces have shredded and I'll have to get more. I've only been wearing them for a week.They were stiff at first, as others have said, but they are breaking in quite well.

They are new so they aren't broken in yet, but they fit nicely. The double-E width is generous near the ball of the foot and toes, so that's great for my wide feet. Imports don't get that right so I'd have to buy a size larger shoe just to fit in the width (I quit doing that years ago.) I really like these, they're roomy, good arch support, but flexible, a rugged tread for outdoor wear, no cheesy lining to rip and fray and the heavy leather upper is triple stitched on the sides and double stitched everywhere else while the lighter leather tongue is more flexible to conform to the instep. Re: the size; These Chippewa boots are sized as I remember shoes were before imports flooded the market with extra narrow sizes and I ordered them accordingly. They're just right, (even with Dr. Scholls inserts for my chronically sore feet.) Five stars for now. I'm very hard on shoes and boots so time will tell if I've found my brand or have to keep looking. Good luck.

These boots are amazing. They are built wonderfully. The leather welt where my shank is, it seems there is an overlap connection right there on the inside that faulted a little, but still functional. I just imagine it was the shovel abuse I put it through for a few weeks.I do practically everything in these. If I had the chance, I would have gotten the 8", but Chippewa had a backlog of 8 months to make my size (14). But they have been great for hiking, hunting, general construction work (I have soft toes, so maybe the steel/hardened aren't as pleasant), mucky outside duties. Doesn't seem to matter. I use Sno-Cap to seal and protect them, and they look pretty good after a cleaning and dressing.They do offer good protection in some applications. I did a wildfire fire fighter training in them and worked just fine during the controlled burn. Again, would need the 8" version in order to go out for the real deal. The soles didn't become too hot nor did the Vibram melt, at all seemingly. I also didn't want to stand on hot spots that long. But I managed to have a hole saw jump out and hit my boot. Thankfully the leather was thick enough to prevent it going through.Overall, I'd order Chippewas for the rest of my life. I'd be hard pressed to find another company that provides a level of quality and exceptional product.

The boots were very nice, especially given the price (I paid a little over $170). I'd give them 5 stars but they were WAY too big. I wear a 12 in pretty much everything, including Nike shoes. I ordered the 11.5 because I was told they run slightly large. If i slid my toes to the front of the boot wearing a wool sock, I had almost 2 finger widths of space between the boot and my heel - usually I wear a size that I can't even slide 1 finger between. And for those who own Clarks desert boots, order the same size you would wear in those.

Great boots.I purcahsed to use as a light winter boot (no insulation). The lug soles provide great traction. The fit was spot on.