Off the Beaten Path - First Impressions - Quoddy Grizzly Boots

"Here, these skills have been passed down through generations. Here, we stubbornly resist trading human touch for industrial efficiency. Here, output is measured in dozens, not thousands." - Quoddy

It's been a while since I've written a full review/first impressions post, but I bought a pair of Quoddy Grizzly boots that I've become rather taken with during Quoddy's recent online tent sale, at a time that happily coincided with the beginning of boot weather here in the north east. If you've been yearning for something a little different, a touch offbeat, I think it might be worth looking into. For more thoughts, read on below.

Design, Materials, and Construction

Quick Specifications:
Leather - Horween Chromexcel
Construction - Moccasin
Lacing - Leather rawhide
Eyelets - 6 Brass
Tongue - Gusseted
Sole - Crepe
Size 8D

Moccasins are generally considered the first true American footwear, worn by Native peoples in different regional styles prior to colonization by European countries. They were later assimilated and popularized among settlers, hunters, and traders as they moved into those respective regions. In fact, the name "Quoddy" is a reference to the Passamaquoddy people, who live in what would eventually become Maine. Today, you can find moccasin-style shoes and boots everywhere - from loafers and boots to house slippers - and at almost any price point and degree of quality. While the heritage movement of the past decade found its wheelhouse in heavy workwear boots like Red Wing Iron Rangers, Wolverine 1000 Miles, and Chippewa service boots, evoking images of tool-weathered workshops, railway workers, and hard-worn denim, moccasins in this style take us outside, trekking through the back woods and over leaf covered trails. You'll see this image referenced in Quoddy's models, which have been given names such as "Camp," "Canoe," or in this case, "Grizzly."

Unlike the more common Goodyear and Blake/Rapid methods of construction, true moccasin construction involves a single piece of leather that wraps around and below the footbed. Quoddy's footwear is hand lasted, hand sewn with waxed thread and finished at their factory in Maine from start to finish. If you want to see what that looks like, you can watch the process of a moccasin being sewn at Quoddy here as well as the video below.

You can tell the shoes are hand sewn on close inspection. Lines aren't always machine straight, stitches aren't exactly the same length - it's not sloppy by any means, but noticeable in a way that adds an element of human touch. Machine work has the advantage of usually being faster and more efficient, but one reason people are drawn to handmade items is perhaps a greater feeling of soul imparted in the small imperfect details that can't be replicated, and I think that's the case here. Another reason specific to handsewns is discussed in the video above, which is that their stitches are individually knotted, so if a thread is cut it won't unravel like a machine stitch.

Quoddy's made-to-order program offers a number of different options, but this pair is made in brown Horween Chromexcel (CXL). If you are into shoes or leather at all, CXL shouldn't need any introduction, but simply put it's a durable, gorgeous leather with a beautiful pull-up (an effect where oils are redistributed in the leather as it's bent, forming areas of lighter color), and clicked well on this pair without any grain issues. A lot of the edges are left raw, but the shaft is finished with pinked leather piping (cut in a zigzag pattern on the raw edge), and the gusseted tongue in contrasting black is incredibly soft.

Raw edges, leather piping, leather laces, and tongue detail

Probably the most striking and potentially alien aspect of these boots is the spongy yellowish crepe soul, which isn't something you see every day in this shape and might strike you as a bit weird or funky, perhaps even ugly. Most famously found on Clarks Desert Boots in a standard structured shape, where they're renowned for their comfort and uncanny ability to pick up dirt (in the outdoor photos here of my Grizzly boots, the dirt on the soles is after just one afternoon, for example), the crepe sole sewn to Quoddy's boots almost resembles something like the bottom of a snail or an abalone/gastropod. Think sexiest animal, and then think the opposite (I even briefly started looking up pictures of snails as a comparison before shortly closing that tab in disgust). But I love them. They're organic feeling, wonderfully supple, and basically the antithesis of a sleek or clean dress aesthetic. The vibe here is more deer hunter casual, or fur-trappercore, perhaps. Versatile, these are not, and we may have finally found a boot that no one will bother to ask if it can be worn with "business casual."

Sizing and Fit

(Dog for scale)

I wear an 8D Brannock, which translates into a 7.5D in most workwear boots like Red Wing and Wolverine, and I went true to size (8D) in the Grizzly boot. I've seen mention of some people going down a half size, especially barefoot in loafers, but wearing boot socks I can't imagine fitting into them. The one gripe I'd have is that the toe box is rather low, even going true to size - something I've seen hinted at in product photos as well - and actually makes contact with the top of my foot. It hasn't caused me any discomfort, but it is worth noting.

Otherwise, the feel on the foot is almost unsettlingly soft and comfortable right out of the box. The closest comparison I can think of would be to tape a couple bags of mini marshmallows to the bottom of your feet and walk around barefoot on that for a day. How much of that is due to the crepe sole or the lack of a stiff shank and extra layers of material is unclear, but in comparison, my Yuketen Maine Guide mocassin boots feel like juggernauts - much heavier, much higher to the ground due to the large stacked sole, and much more stiff and structured overall. Walking in these Grizzlies your feet sit lower and a lot more connected to the ground, soft, almost Jet-Puffed.

Styling

Quoddy's Grizzly boot, or any moccasin boot style for that matter, works anywhere you might have worn another casual, maybe quirky bit of footwear - something like L.L. Bean's iconic duck boot or a Clarks Wallabee, for instance. I've found that these boots they pair well with the odd ring coat.  And if you went with a more conventional sole, it should fit into typical workwear styles as well. I think Kaptain Sunshine's AW 2016 lookbook hits the nail right on the head, chalk full of earthy neutrals, cozy layered outdoor fits, and textural fabrics.

Kaptain Sunshine AW2016

Summary and Recommendations

I could name any number of reasons not to buy these boots. If you are looking for your first pair of boots, this is probably not the right choice. If you are looking for the clean, minimalist boot version of a Common Projects Achilles sneaker, it's hard to imagine a worse option. Or, at the end of the day, you just might plain not like them. All those reasons are perfectly valid and reasonable.

But if you've been looking for a rugged, outdoor casual boot with a different character - if you've been getting bored with some of the more common options out there - if you're comfortable wearing an article of clothing others might hate, I think the Quoddy Grizzly is worth a look. Sometimes, I find that the things I enjoy most can also be the most polarizing, and I really enjoy these.

Something else worth pointing out that struck me about Quoddy is how much the company still relies on a small number of craftsmen and consciously rejects scaling up production at the sake of the product. "Artisan" has become such an empty word in today's culture - Mcdonald's sells an "Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich," for example - but it's important to recognize when the result can actually back it up. In that same vein, the blind mantra of "Made in America" as a flatly superior product or, more questionably, even a morally superior ideology has been rightfully exposed as of late, and yet Quoddy represents all the best and truest aspects of what the heritage movement cherished, largely without the empty marketing hype that frequently accompanies it. Pride and artistry in craftsmanship, honest prices for honest work - these are concepts that "Made in USA" suggests but rarely delivers. 

As I mentioned above, Quoddy recently ran an online tent sale, during which prices for boots went from $475+ for their customizable Made-To-Order program to $149 + shipping for in stock models, essentially making them an instant purchase. That's seconds pricing for most footwear companies at the $300-400 mark. At those prices it was really a no-brainer, but at retail I'd say they still present real value in the market regardless.

Pros

• Unique and quirky aesthetic
• Good quality leather
• Hand sewn construction and solid build
• Notably comfortable out of the box

Cons

• Unique and quirky aesthetic
• Toe box may be crowded for some
• Not versatile at all
• Really, at all

Where to Buy

Quoddy

Rancourt (alternative)

Oak Street Bootmakers (alternative)