I was such a fan of my Cavaliers, that I immediately ordered my second pair (and maybe a third?) of Russell Moccasin boots. I wanted to do something a little different, but still fill a need. I decided to go with the Double Moccasin Bottom Zephyrs, as Sue told me that these were BY FAR the most popular boots here in Georgia. For leather, I went with ‘Timberjack’, which is a weathered oak leather which is featured on the Big Cambo boots.. It has a bit of an oily feel, and should patina very nicely.
Out of the box, I’m really glad I got these. The look and feel is exactly what I wanted. They are lighter than they look, which is good for trudging around chasing birds. The craftsmanship is spot on. The fact that these are made by hand based on my measurements is really a good feeling. Here are some images of the boots:
I’ve had a few folks ask me about the bespoke boot process – more specifically: ‘what happens if they don’t fit?’. Well, in full disclosure, I ran into that problem with these boots. When I tried them on, I noticed that they were a bit tight in the length. My toes were right at the edge…not something that I would risk taking out in the field. I sent Sue an email, letting her know what’s going on, and she said:
“Oh – that’s easy. Send them back and we’ll get them stretched out for you. Everything up here is done by humans, not computers, so if there adjustments to be made we’ll do what is necessary to make the boots fit.”
I have no doubt that these will be in good shape once they get stretched out a little. I filled out the form below and mailed them up to Wisconsin this morning.
I’ll report back once they return home.
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That leather looks nice…dark and oily. Mine are a shade more brown, 25 years older, and treated with Sno-Seal, Obenhaufs, you name it. Great boots to last a lifetime.
Those do look great, but the Timberjack color is pretty difficult to distinguish from the Driftwood/Cinnamon (at least judging by the photos)
RCS – what is the “approximate” cost of a pair of these boots that will last a last time that “cheap azz” will use to cost/justify a pair of the boots?
I see another comment that a poster has had a pair for 25 years (to this poster do you treat your zipper periodically w/ grease?).
These look like very nice boots!
No grease in the zipper…never treated it with anything. I have, however, had mine resoled twice at Russell since original purchase. To be clear, mine are the original single moccasin bottom Zephyr. I also have a pair of the double mocc Zephyr in a grainy buffalo leather (not oily pull-up) I found on eBay a few years ago that are actually my favorites. If you wear standard size shoes, eBay is a great source for Russell at a fraction of retail.
How did the re fit work out on these? Just received a pair that were custom fitted and they are very tight in the in step.