“The right way to make a leather boot”

“I (a woman) buy men's footwear when I want it to be built to take weight (up to twice mine) and serious use (and not be pastel colored). I prefer leather because, properly cared for, it lasts decades and conforms without weakening. So I was excited to see a one-piece full-grain leather boot for such a price. It fit like a glove (with heavy sock + liner sock) out of the box. Which means it'll have just the right give after wearing around for awhile. The padded, well-gusseted tongue contributes to the ankle support and is easy on my high instep. I also like the position of the locking lacing cords above the d-rings (another instep issue). I worried I had ordered too small (38.5, when I usually wear 38-39), reading the description, but I went with the euro equiv. of my actual foot measurement in mm. The tread tends to hold snow, but not rocks, and is shaped to allow a little rocking on flat surfaces, so it's not too blocky while breaking in around town. It's a good stiffness for most things short of ice climbing. As with all such boots, it needs lacing and sock adjustments according to pack weight and while breaking in. I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty Leather Preservative exclusively. Well-greased, these are warm enough to wear in the snow, but maybe not for -30 plus windchill. I'm used to cold toes, and these stay warm longer than I expected.”