Tanker Boots - Havana Burnished Roughout
Different editions of the Tanker Boots have been produced with different outsoles and heels. Some pairs are finished with reproduction Catspaw outsoles and heels, while others have custom Eastman Leather outsoles and heels. This is a purely aesthetic difference at the very lowest level of severity, but we want you to be aware that the outsoles may be different than what is photographed here. Don't forget to read our six month review of the Tanker Boots Originally designed in collaboration with General Patton in 1937, this WWII boot comes back to life in a new collaboration between Gary Eastman and John Lofgren. The goal was to build the absolute finest, high-end example of this boot, and they've succeeded. Tanker boots were made, not surprisingly, for tank operators. Laces and eyelets are dangerous in the tight confines of a tank, catching on things or melting. Straps made for a safer boot, and are used to this day. The boots themselves are taller, with gusset rising to nearly the top of the boot, making them waterproof and resistant to the deep mud of WWII. The last that these boots are built around was created by taking mold from an original WWII pair, then fine-tuned to produce an elegant silhouette while staying true to the original. They are Goodyear-welted with a UK-made storm welt for maximum weatherproofing. The soles are a custom Japanese-made reproduction of the original WWII US Army chequered patterned soles. Woven shuttle-loomed labels finish off the boot. The horsehide used for these is a very special release from Horween. The tannage is the same as Chromexcel, and the roughout side is heavily burnished to the point where it appears to be top grain leather. Gary Eastman selected this leather specifically for the uncanny resemblance to WWII combat boots that were hand-burnished by GIs. This practice was done to add waterproofing to the roughout service boots issued at the time by polishing over the nap with as much wax as the boots would hold. With wear,
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