Durable shoe material?

[Concordia]

http://www.johnlobbltd.co.uk/history/bwpages/12.htm
http://www.johnlobbltd.co.uk/history/bwpages/13.htm

I have developed an itch for something like the above, that would handle travel with aplomb in spite of the odd rain shower, country lane, and what have you. We're not talking about ditch digging, just real life on the road with two kids.

But it seems that in order to justify an investment in a field shoe, it's got to be resistant to scuffs, cuts, splashes of water and similar indignities that come with real wear.

Standard issue appears to be country grain calf. Has anyone, in trying to enhance the utility of this kind of thing, tried anything more exotic? Any accounts of successes, failures welcome.

[Tony]

Hi Concordia

I think that it is a good idea to choose a grain for this type of shoe. The shoe is quite a plain style and would benifit from the extra detail of a grained leather, a grained leather would also hide the scuffs and marks from the wear and tear. Obviously there are strong and durable smooth leathers like Cordovan and wax calf but the scuffs will show up on these skins, unless you spend an awful long time polishing the marks out.

I would choose a natural grain like dear skin, Impala, Kudu, There are many others, you need to look through some swatches, The reason for a natural grain is that they tend to be softer and more comfortable, and the grain is inconsistent so it would be a lot harder to notice marks and scuffs, whereas and embossed grain has a more uniform print across the shoe and if you look closely you can see the pattern, this will show up marks and scuffs more as they interfere with the pattern.

There should be a picture of a kudu shoe in the bespoke EG sample section for reference.

Kind regards

Tony

[Guest]

I have seen a piece of Kudu leather by my shoemaker, and I think it is nice. It's a thick and resistant leather, highily grained; since it is a wild animal, it already has signs of living in the wild; like bruhses against bushes and the like.

I do not like grained leather, so my choice is cordovan for this particular kind of shoes, but I think Kudu maybe a nice choice.

Giona Granata.

[T4phage]

Tony, would you suggest Cleverley's "Reindeer Calf"? I like the rich mottled colour of the leather, and the nice crosshatching scrapemarks to be an alternative.

[Concordia]

Hi Concordia

I think that it is a good idea to choose a grain for this type of shoe. The shoe is quite a plain style and would benifit from the extra detail of a grained leather, a grained leather would also hide the scuffs and marks from the wear and tear. Obviously there are strong and durable smooth leathers like Cordovan and wax calf but the scuffs will show up on these skins, unless you spend an awful long time polishing the marks out.

I would choose a natural grain like dear skin, Impala, Kudu, There are many others, you need to look through some swatches, The reason for a natural grain is that they tend to be softer and more comfortable, and the grain is inconsistent so it would be a lot harder to notice marks and scuffs, whereas and embossed grain has a more uniform print across the shoe and if you look closely you can see the pattern, this will show up marks and scuffs more as they interfere with the pattern.

There should be a picture of a kudu shoe in the bespoke EG sample section for reference.

Kind regards

Tony

Are there any issues with stretch for the variants of deerskin?

Also, what about two others that I have heard of in the context of durability-- kangaroo and shark? (As long as we're moving out the realm of the ordinary.) Pros/cons?

[jcusey]

Also, what about two others that I have heard of in the context of durability-- kangaroo and shark? (As long as we're moving out the realm of the ordinary.) Pros/cons?

I have been told that shark wears like iron. It has a very distinctive grain pattern which may or may not be to your liking, and the examples that I've seen have been extremely stiff. I don't particularly like the kangaroo shoes that I've seen because the skin has a very high gloss that looks artificial to me. I also understand that kangaroo can crease badly in certain circumstances.

I've been told that elephant is also extraordinarily durable.

Tony would, of course, have a more informed answer.