Six-year-old Red Wing Iron Ranger Boot Review

There are two items I am willing to spend quite a lot of money on: a pair of boots and a MacBook Pro. And while I’ve never regretted spending money on both items, they haven’t always brought me joy.

In the case of my Iron Rangers, I have been incredibly impressed with the longevity of these boots. Looking back, spending $300 on a pair of Iron Rangers —despite my status as a college dropout with a minimum wage job — was one of the few good decisions I made at 23 years old.

But these boots didn’t so much adapt to me. Over the years, I’ve had to adapt to them, and despite the annoyances of having to do so, I’ve learned quite a bit about boots along the way.

Sizing and fit

I won’t bury the lede: Men with extremely narrow or dainty feet should probably not buy a pair of Iron Rangers. Frankly, men with these foot characteristics will likely struggle with any pair of Red Wing Heritage boots.

Despite being sized at a 9.5 by two Red Wing associates, I had to buy a pair of Iron Rangers at a size 8—the smallest size available in the store. And even at a size-and-half down, these boots still leave too much room.

My feet sway ever so slightly side-to-side, mostly due to the bulbous toe that defines a pair of Iron Rangers. As a result, it is almost as if 1/3 of my foot is just floating around without an anchor. To compensate for this bulbous toe and my narrow feet, I must strap down the other 2/3 of my foot in place.

Doing this requires a very tight tie. However, during the first six months of my ownership of these boots, I learned that using a standard lacing for my boots was not sustainable for secured daily wear. The top of my foot at the arch point would be in pain after a couple hours of wear.

After hours of stubborn Google searching — there was no way in hell I was giving up on these boots I had irresponsibly put on a credit card — I discovered a new way to tie my laces that alleviated this pressure while keeping my arch secured.

However, my ankle and heel were still swashing about a bit too much for comfort, even if I tied the top of my boots around the eyelets as tight as possible. Not only did that create a lace creasing I found to be kind of ugly, it simply didn’t work. Eventually, I accepted the fact that I would need to buy thick wool socks to keep my heel secure and the sides of my uppers wrapped comfortably around my ankle while allowing movement to bend forward.

I do think that insoles could have solved some problems; however, by the time I had money to buy insoles, my foot had comfortably imprinted to the bottom of my boot. And I did eventually discover that, even if I had bought a pair of Red Wing insoles, they lifted my feet within the boot so much that the pain at the top of my foot probably would’ve been unbearable. It’s possible an experimentation with other insoles would’ve resolved this problem, but I didn’t, and still don’t, have an interest in spending money on insoles when I don’t need them for any other boots or shoes.

Due to all of this, I would put my overall break-in period of my Red Wing boots at approximately 8 months. To be fair, the leather had more than suppled by this time and the foot bed had a comfortable print. But it took that long to make these boots comfortable for hours on end, and even with thick socks, I still feel as if only 2/3 of my foot is secure.

Outsole

It has come to my attention that Iron Rangers no longer come with a cork outsole. For those who are wearing Iron Rangers as an introduction to quality boots, all I can say is I wish that Red Wing made the swap to Vibram outsoles at my time of purchase.

The cork outsole, to its credit, is basically indestructible. I have not resoled my boot once despite years of wear. They just keep going. I mean, sure, I think I’ll have to resolve them eventually, probably. But even now, I don’t really have to.

But if you live through the shivers of a Minnesota winter every year, the cost of an indestructible sole is measured in how many times you fall on your ass. A smooth patch of ice is this soles kryptonite. For four months out of the year, I just accept the fact that if a sidewalk has even the resemblance of sheen of ice, I might as well trek through the piles of plowed snow to the left or right of the sidewalk. It’s annoying, but walking through piles of snow as an adult is an amusing side quest to whatever destination I am headed to.

Durability and care

I wear boots to do boot stuff. From the day I purchased them, I had no real intent to treat them with kindness, but I haven’t gone out of my way to abuse them.

They have been through all four seasons over the past six years, and since I live in MN, they tend to get battered by the extremes of each season. They have waded through salt-laden snow, muddy dog parks, hot sandy beaches, and large puddles of water after a good thunderstorm.

I have no strict schedule on cleaning my Iron Rangers; although, if I had to guess, I’d say about once every season I give them a brush, a water clean, and a good lathering of mink oil. That means, over the years, my boots have been caked in mud or salt for a couple months or more at a time. Maybe longer. I’ve seen some horrified looks on the faces of Red Wing employees at the state of my boots when shopping for a pair with a friend, if that gives you a good idea of what I put them through.

Aside from a few deeper scratches on the toe of my left boot, I am pretty impressed with how little attention I’ve needed to pay to these boots to keep them in socially acceptable condition. I certainly don’t wear them to anything formal, but I’ve worn them in casual business settings with confidence if I know I am about to traipse around later that day.

A couple of scratches on the left toe of boot, but nothing major.

These are also my go-to motorcycle boots, and much to my surprise, the shifter has made virtually no permanent mark on the top of my left boot. After particularly long rides, you can see some light wear marks, but it’s nothing that can’t be casually rubbed out with a thumb. The heel of these boots also locks my feet in place, giving me a significant amount of confidence while riding that I am in control of the bike.

The welt has shown no obvious signs of wearing down. There’s some dirt that appears to be trapped in the crevices of my boot, probably from years of haphazard brushing and then subsequent dumps of mink oil. Still, nothing looks close to falling apart

In summation: I feel like my Iron Rangers could take at least another two years of lackadaisical cleaning and still kick down a door. And this level of durability with minimal attention needed is what has kept these boots on my feet at least a few times a week—despite the loopholes I must jump through to make them comfortable.

Should you buy them?

As I said above, the answer is no if you know you have narrow feet. However, if you don’t have obscenely narrow feet (which is probably most of you), you are new to the world of Goodyear-welted boots, and are not overly precious about how your boots get treated and look, you should feel incredibly confident throwing down the money on a pair of Iron Rangers.

It is a leather boot that is incredibly kind to those who are neglectful. You can take time to learn with them, experiment with what works for you, and go on your next boot buying adventure with a solid base of knowledge of what does and doesn’t work for you. These boots simply don’t expect you to care about them, and for many who are intimidated by the rigid care routines that some boots require (or at least what people say is required), the Iron Ranger should relieve some of that pressure.

All in all, I would not buy these boots again, but the boot is not to blame. My feet simply aren’t born for them, and that’s OK; I got a lot out of them anyways.