RED WING 2403 'RESTORATION'
Depending on your job; you may or may not be on your feet all day. I work a 4/10 shift schedule and am on my feet every minute of those days, and have been for the last 7 years. Each year I return to my local Red Wing Boots store in hopes of finding the next best thing. Say hello to the 2403!
For the first 2-3 years of my career I wore the same model Irish Setter boots year after year. I’m privileged to have a job that gives us a boot allowance, so each year I’d purchase a new pair. This became a routine every July until I went in to purchase them and they told me they weren’t eligible for my voucher. Now what? So I started bouncing from one boot to another until this boot came along in 2018!
These boots are light, very supportive of my low arch, water resistant and SLIM! Having a slim boot as I climb hillsides is huge for me because it hugs my foot preventing it from moving around.
If you wear boots then you know how much of a pain they are to break-in; and that is why this will be the first boot I send back to Red Wing for a re-sole. The comfort level surpasses any other Red Wing boot I’ve owned, so I went ahead and chose to extend their life rather than buying a new pair just to go through the break-in process again.
Prior to me leaving for Europe, I called Red Wing to get an estimated lead time for their service. At the time I called they were 6-8 weeks out so it was perfect for me to drop them off prior to my trip, and get them back shortly after I return. As you could see from the prior pictures; there was heavy wear on the toe area + cracking of the midsole. Let’s see how Red Wing hooks me up!
I’M BACK!!! Europe was a trip of a lifetime, and what’s better than coming home to new stuff right? I called Red Wing and sure enough, they had my boots ready to be picked up. The associate recommended a good oiling so I reached out to the folks at Ashland Leather for their recommendations on how to rejuvenate the leather in my boots. Phil at Ashland gave me step-by-step instructions when using their leather cleaner/restorer, and now my boots are ready for all weather conditions!
After I picked up the boots, I noticed what seems to be an extra layer of protection that coats the sole, but I did not notice a change in comfort.
After a re-sole by Red Wing, and leather jump-start thanks to Ashland Leather; these 2403’s are ready for another year of abuse! Thank you!
