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10 January 2025 -
The Iron Snail
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The 50-Year History of Timberland Boots
50 years ago this year, Abington Shoe Company in Massachusetts took a huge risk and they used a lot of revolutionary materials in a boot.
Five years after that, the boot was so successful they named their company after the boot – Timberlands. Why did this Massachusetts Boot Company, making boots for New England construction workers, become a literal memeified sensation in New York City? Why is New York City so obsessed with the Timberland boots?
And that has to do with six things: two revolutionary technologies that Timberland tried and really became successful for and changed the path of boots forever, one other technology that wasn’t new but that put this boot really over the top for New Yorkers and New Englanders, and everything like that, and finally, Timberlands do two things to the wearer that are rather superficial but makes everybody kind of like the boots more.
So today we’re going to explain those six things, and we’re going to talk about sizing and comfort and stuff like that, and if these boots are worth it because there’s a lot of articles saying these are trash, they’re not worth it anymore, they’re not what they used to be – all of that. So we’ll address that at the end. Let’s get into this Timberland boot review.
Let’s Talk Sizing and Comfort (The Boring Stuff First)
Okay, let’s go. Let’s get the most boring things out of the way first: sizing and comfort. A lot of people say these aren’t comfortable boots. I guess I would agree – there’s not much padding or cushioning or anything like that. They’re very simply constructed.
It’s just thick, hard rubber on the outside with a little cardboard on the inside. I still don’t mind them. They just feel like regular boots – nothing amazing, nothing terrible.
Sizing: stick to your regular size. That’s what I did. If you’ve never worn boots before, go a size down from your shoe size, but I highly suggest that since these are Timberlands, you just go to the store and try them on, okay? I know it’s the internet age, but sometimes it’s nice to support your local Macy’s.
The Superficial Stuff (But in a Good Way)
There were obviously superficial reasons why people like these boots, and by superficial, I don’t mean in a bad way, but I mean aesthetically, what did they have going for them?
The first thing is that they are nubuck, which is leather with the top shaved down and softer. It feels a little fluffier, but what it also does is it looks a little newer longer than smooth leather because it’s harder to scratch and scuff and see those. So, if you’re trying to keep these boots looking new all the time, it’s much easier with nubuck than with smooth leather.
The other great thing these boots do is they add a solid inch, inch and a half to your height. So if you’re just, you know, creasing that six-foot line and you really want to take it, put these on.
And if you’re not creasing that six-foot line, you probably want to get Timberland Pros because those add even more height – not that I have any experience trying to look taller in my life. I’m a healthy five-nine.
The other thing about Timberlands is how incredibly ridiculously recognizable they are.
If I were standing 20 feet away from you, you probably couldn’t see my sweatshirt that well, same as my jeans, but you could tell what boots I was wearing.
A History Lesson: Before Timberlands
In order to understand why these boots were so revolutionary, we have to go back briefly into history and see what boots we were dealing with at the time. Now, this was a technology that was invented by a military boot brand – kind of, they made most things for the military, and then it slowly caught on. Timberlands may not have been the first to do it, but they are obviously the most recognized for doing it, and I believe they’re the ones that made this what it is.
Either way, before this technology existed, we had wellies and rubber boots. We also had L. L. Bean boots and stuff like that with rubber bottoms. Essentially, we had rubber, which was great, but I can’t particularly picture Biggie Smalls walking around with knee-high rubber boots in Brooklyn. We did have Wellies and rubber boots in general. We also, of course, had regular leather boots.
Leather is not water-impermeable, but you can wax them to make them pretty close. If you’re outside all day, they will still soak through the leather, and on top of that, they’re also stitched, so you’re putting a ton of holes in your leather anyway. Even if you use the best of the best, most watertight construction, water will still come in eventually, and they are not waterproof – they’re very water resistant.
Why Haven’t Timberlands Replaced Everything?
Now, before we even get to the technology, the question is: well, why isn’t everybody just wearing boots made like Timberlands? Why do Wellies still exist? Why do leather boots not made like Timberlands still exist? And the answer is really polar opposite for each one of them. The reason why Wellies and stuff still exist is because they are truly watertight, water impermeable for as long as that rubber is together.
Timberlands have a few snags along the way that don’t really make that happen. And then other traditionally made leather boots have something else that Timberlands don’t have, which is a longer lifespan. You can really open up different leather boots, replace a lot of the things, and rebuild them – Timberlands, not so much. So they don’t fill every gap, but they do fill a lot.
The Secret Sauce: Silicone Tanning
The second thing that happened – with the first thing being the big revolutionary thing – but the second thing is also incredibly important for the leather industry: silicone tanning. Leather is usually tanned in two ways: Chrome tanning and vegetable tanning.
Vegetable tanning is done with tree bark and stuff like that, and Chrome tanning is done with chromium salts.
Chromium salts are not that good for the environment, or sometimes people’s feet, but silicone tanning is a relatively new way of tanning that is very revolutionary for the world of waterproof leather boots because silicone tanning is a way where you can infuse silicone into your leather which makes it virtually waterproof.
Silicone is kind of like the rubber of the plastic world, but it’s specifically not a plastic. It’s made – if you think of beach sand, that is the very beginning of silicone, which I believe is silica, and then that gets turned into silicon after it’s purified, and then it becomes silicone, and then it gets infused to boots and everything like that.
I do think there is a layer of DWR on top of these boots, which is a durable, water-repellent finish. I think that’s why water just beads off of them, and it looks like there’s a force field around the boots when I walk in the water. That will 100% wear away over time, but you can replace it with sprays and stuff like that. But the silicone tanning of these boots means that there’s water repellency kind of baked into the boots that will stay virtually forever.
The Game-Changer: Injection Molding and Insulation
And finally, before we get to the most revolutionary part of these boots, there was something else that made them incredibly helpful all year long in New York, in New England, wherever you may be, and that is 400 grams of PrimaLoft insulation – AKA something that will keep your feet warmer in the winter, possibly a little cooler in the summer depending on how hot it is.
Probably not – you probably want an unlined boot at that rate.
But the biggest issue that plagues leather boots, in general, is their construction when we’re talking about them being waterproof because, with some of them, the leather bends out, and some of them go under, but either way, you are left with a massive gaping hole ready to suck in any fluid that it comes in contact with.
So fusion is really the word. Fusion is the word of the day here because you can rubberize leather, you can do a few different things to leather, but what is hard to do is put something in there seamlessly that doesn’t chip off or come off. When we’re talking about the bottom of boots, you’re not trying to fuse something when you’re sewing it, but you’re trying to get as close to a seal as you possibly can.
What Timberland really took hold of was injection molding. So instead of sewing anything, we are basically like blowing and shooting rubber and everything around the bottom of the boot, and that’s as close as we can possibly get to infusing because it’s molten rubber – it just bonds with the leather super tight.
It’s almost impossible to rip those two things apart. That’s why you can’t really repair these boots that often, but what that means is water can also not come into your feet and wet your socks. So that’s great – you never want to have anything inside of your feet besides blood.
The New York Connection
Now the question arises: are these worth it? Because a lot of people are saying not anymore. That still doesn’t really fully answer the question of why these boots get so popular in New York. What was that special thing that they had?
There’s something different with fresh stream water where I tested these boots and the water in New York. I would contemplate drinking stream water right now if I was really thirsty, but then there is the New York puddle, the New York water, the New York flowing water down the street. New York City, of course.
I live in New York City right now, and there is no feeling like walking into water past your boot line or past your shoe line and getting your socks wet. Stream water is dirty with dirt. I’m assuming there’s algae and stuff like that, maybe some bad viruses.
I have no idea what New York puddle water is. So water resistance and waterproofness are incredibly important, especially if you are outside commuting, walking around, and doing other things in New York in the 80s and 90s that a lot of people did.
From Construction Sites to Hip-Hop Icons
Now, the path that they probably took is as follows: I’m assuming they actually started off with New England construction workers. They wore them on the clock, off the clock, and they picked up momentum in New England – people really like them in the winter trudging through the snow and everything like that. New York is not that far from New England, so they probably traveled there rather quickly.
Construction workers were wearing them, city people started wearing them, and then, of course, finally, the true answer: hip-hop picked them up. This wouldn’t be a complete Timberland boot review if we didn’t mention all of these momentous icons who changed the entire scene of music. They are wearing big Tim’s with the laces open and walking around with big shorts.
Watch This Review
Are They Still Worth It?
Now, the million-dollar question is: did these boots go downhill? Do they lose quality over time, and are they now remnants of what they used to be? It’s hard to find what they used to be. I will say one thing I really don’t like about these boots is that there is fake stitching on the rubber – not a fan of that. But in terms of actual quality and the use of materials, I like them. I think they’re good.
They could be a little bit better for the price tag – there could be leather where there is cardboard, there could be things like that, but in terms of mass-produced brands and the value that you’re getting, I don’t think these are a worse value than Doc Martens, the base level, at all. If anything, I would say these are a better deal.
I think because they do have some roots in construction, Timberlands can never totally veer away from quality in their main flagship models. Anyway, though, that is about it for my Timberland boot review. Thanks so much for reading! I will see you all very soon!
This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here.
The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered.