The Soto Odessa Cowboy Boot

So you'll forgive me for reviewing a boot, bought early in that journey, that I don't know too much about because I got it before I was “properly educated”! I just wanted to include some boots that maybe enthusiasts may sniff at, but others might take an interest in, and I think they'd like to know.

 

I bought this pair from Amazon because I had a hankering for another Cowboy Boot after my fond memories of the Spanish pair.

 

It cost me AUD $255 on Amazon, but I notice they aren't available on Amazon at the moment. They come and go as supply comes and goes so if you want them you may have to go to their official Amazon storefront now and then.

 

Now, let's talk about Soto.

 

From what I can gather, the people behind Soto have owned a shoe store since 1991 and after hearing what customers wanted over time, it seems they decided to make their own boots and in 2001, founded Soto in order to meet customer demands for "value."

 

They call themselves a vertically integrated company - and by that they mean they make the boots and sell directly to customers thus avoiding the middle man. They sell online Direct to Customers and also in their original shoe stores.

 

 

 

I have no idea what leather this is, except that it is bovine and it's in what they call Crazy Horse. I think Crazy Horse is sometimes used as a descriptor when people mean "distressed". I'll talk about Crazy Horse leather in a minute.

 

On this boot, it's a pretty ordinary leather - nothing bad about it, quite attractive, quite supple yet holds its shape, but nothing particularly outstanding about it either.

 

 

There's Western-style stitching on the vamp and up the shaft. While it is contrasting, it's not shouting out in a wildly different colour, and most of it will sit under the pants leg, so I can live with that. My Spanish boots had no decorative stitching - and I was looking for something similar, so this will do.

 

 

The boot is fully leather lined - again, no idea what leather, but it is soft inside and comfortable.

 

The insole is leather - and not a lot of shock absorption under foot.

 

It has 2-inch cowboy or riding heels, shaped pretty nice in my opinion, and it’s on a leather outsole.

 

 

Now, in my research, I found that traditional Cowboy boots were generally either Goodyear welted or hand welted. Hand welting is kind of like Goodyear welting except that the rib is not sewn onto the insole, but is actually carved directly onto the insole. A rib is a piece of material sewn onto the uppers and insole and is then sewn to the welt to make the construction.

 

I don't know which these are.

 

 

You can see the welt, you can see the stitching on the welt, you can't see the stitching on the outsole, but that doesn't necessarily rule out Goodyear welting. Their other boots are Goodyear welted, and at this price (where hand-welting is laborious and labour intensive and therefore more expensive) I'm going to stick my neck out and say these are Goodyear welted.

 

The soles are leather, and they came oily, so I suspect they may be treated water-locked soles. Water-locked leather soles are treated with oil - infused really - so that the leather is protected, made to feel soft, and reasonably water resistant.

 

I happen to like leather-soled shoes. They are comfortable to me, and these were not particularly slippery - especially after a few wears and they got scuffed.

 

This Odessa boot is made in Mexico, and from what I can see, wearing them the last couple of years, there's not that much in the way of QC issues. There was some loose stitching, I think on the shaft but it wasn't particularly bad, and it did only cost me 250 Aussie dollars.

 

My message to all boot buyers - you do get what you pay for, don't expect a Mercedes when you buy a Toyota.

 

 

On to leathercare.

 

Hmmm, how do I talk about leathercare when I'm not sure what leather this is?

 

Well, it's a distressed bovine leather. It's called Crazy Horse, and it looks and feels similar to my Chippewa service boots in Crazy Horse, so let's go with that.

 

 

First, Crazy Horse leather is not made from horse hide. It's called Crazy Horse because it was used to make horse saddles.

If it is Crazy Horse leather, it is full grain leather, smoothed - some say corrected, a bit like nubuck, and then waxed, unlike nubuck, This treatment makes it tough, resilient to nicks and scuffs, and gives it a smooth but matte appearance, and not the light nap you get on nubuck. It can look distressed right from the get-go.

 

In caring for Crazy Horse, the advice is not to use detergents to clean it - just wipe with a damp cloth. You can use a suede brush to brush off some deeper scuffs and marks.

 

Conditioning is best with a leather balm, avoiding very waxy products.

 

My go-to Venetian Shoe Cream is probably not the best here. In this case, I've used R M Williams' saddle dressing to no bad effect. I think you can also use something like Renapur leather balsam.