Extended Field Test: Timberland Earthkeepers 6-inch Zip Boot – $83.99 (reg. $170)
Use code DEEPFREEZE10 for an additional 20% off the already 30% off sale price. Shipping and handling extra. 30% off price expires 1/18. Credit to Rik in the comments for the code.
These boots are a rare find. Equally great looking with jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt or a button up under a sweater under a blazer, these aren’t work boots or dress boots. You can’t categorize them. They’re unique, and they pull the best features from each of those styles to make a hybrid that’s as close to flawless as it gets.
The rounded toe shape is a nod to every work boot you’ve ever seen, but the leather isn’t bulky and doesn’t rise up much higher than your foot. The low and sleek profile looks terrific. The cap toe is more than accent stitching, and the extra leather extends much further back than a pair of cap-toe dress shoes. That only adds to the slim and slightly elongated look.
The YKK zipper on the side is a tough, solid gauge and stands out just enough when mostly covered with a pair of jeans. It slides smoothly and you can tell that unlike a lot of zippers, this thing was built to last.
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Baby them or beat them up. It’s totally up to you, and they’ll react well with either scenario. Thanks to the traction on the sole, these are my go to boots for bad weather days. I’ve gone straight from the office to a post work hike on muddy trails with no trouble.
They aren’t insulated or waterproof, but they easily stand up to snow and ice. They soften up quickly and the leather doesn’t seem to get scuffed easily. I’ve worn the hell out of them for two months, and these boots have only gotten better and garnered more compliments as the winter has worn on.
The Grades: Timberland Earthkeepers Side Zip at 2 Months
Looks: A+
Comfort: A-
Durability: So far? A
Price: B
Made in Vietnam. Part of the Eco-Conscious “Earthkeepers” series. Available in a light brown, dark brown, and black. Dark brown will be the most versatile. The Black with the zipper might look a little biker-ish. Look for more long term field test updates on these boots in the coming months.
I just bought a pair too. Its coming in today.
Okay, guys, this is the deal of the year, short as the year is, because, in fact, you can get these boots from Timberland for MUCH less than the sale price noted above of $149.95. First of all, when you add the boots to your cart, the price drops by another 30%. Second of all, when you use the coupon DEEPFREEZE10 at checkout, the price drops by yet another 20%. Plus, you get free shipping and free returns. This is unbelievable!!
What I did is order one pair of all three colors, for a grand total of $251.98. In other words, the delivered price of each boot is — wait for it, wait for it — $84!
Man o man!!!
Oh, one more thing. Most reviews of this boot say it runs a half size large. I wear a 10.5 and ordered all mine in 10. We shall see…
I have to agree with the high marks on this one Joe. I LOVE these boots. I have to force myself to switch it up and not wear them every day. I rubbed a little “chili” colored shoe cream into mine and they now have a gorgeous deep honey color. Definitely mt best shoe buy of the winter.
wearing mine right now. have had them for a little over a year now. still great. a little beat up but still wear them to the office on casual fridays or the bar on saturday night.
so … am i right about the sizing thing, that it’s best to go a half size down?
@Rik: That’s… nothing short of an amazing deal. Didn’t realize that Timberland was doing 30% off either. This really could be the deal of the year. Updated, credit given your way, nicely done. I didn’t get the free shipping when I went through the process (do they ship free over $100? $200? One pair of boots doesn’t show it).
As far as sizing, I wear a 10.5, ordered a 10.5, and they fit great for me. But I have slightly wide feet, so… maybe that’s why it works on my end. Thanks for the code!
Man… I love these boots. You’ve got the burnished brown right Joe? What are your thoughts on brown versus their “tan”?
Cheers,
Ben
I’m confused about this half a size down business. Do people mean from their normal shoe size or sneaker size? I wear a 9.5 sneaker but a 9 in boots and shoes.
@Ben: Yep, I have the brown. Online the brown looks darker. But not by a ton. The tan in real life also looks a little lighter / more cognac. (I think the pic up above of the tan is closer than what you’ll get on the Timberland site). I prefer the brown, but am seriously considering picking up the tan with this deal. They’re much more of a statement boot, but boy… it’s a tough deal to pass up.
Hmmm. I got the free shipping for sure. Here’s how the wording went at the site where I found the coupon: “Timberland automatically takes an extra 30% off sale items already up to 50% off (discount shown in cart) PLUS an extra 20% off orders $50+ with Coupon Code: DEEPFREEZE10 (Exp soon). Shipping starts at $4.95, but the above coupon code yields Free Shipping on orders $50+.”
Could be they’ve changed it?
In any event, my feet are pretty narrow so maybe the 10s will fit okay …
Wow, great deal! Just pulled the trigger on the brown… can’t wait to get them. I almost ordered the other day when they were $149. Glad I waited!
What about the black ones? I was thinking of buy a Chelsea boot style for work (jeans/khakis) but everyone is raving about these boots. Any advice?
Thanks!
Whoa. I had really wanted these, but couldn’t afford them, so I just ordered the INC Grump boot from Macy’s last week on their one-day sale. They’re supposed to arrive today, then I see this deal. I couldn’t resist; went in for the burnished tan and two packs of socks to bump the total cost over $100 and receive free shipping. The INC boots will most likely be going back to my local Macy’s very soon.
I cannot replicate this deal of $83.99 even with the DEEPFREEZE10 coupon.
“In other words, the delivered price of each boot is — wait for it, wait for it — $84!”
Actually it’s… $42 per boot!
Wowee! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpDAt7E6GKE
@Steve: It’s $83.99 pre shipping. For free shipping, I think you have to spend over $100.
When I did it this AM, free shipping came with orders over $50. They must be working fast and furiously over there at Timberland to try to contain the hitherto unknown Dappered Effect….
With shipping and tax, these came out to $104 in CA…I hope these are a worthy replacement to my Steve Madden Juneau boots
“You can’t categorize them.”
A friend familiar with fashion trends tells me they’re categorized as hipster boots. They look nice, though.
@Paul: That’s the first and probably last time anyone will describe something I own as “hipster.” So is anything between a dress boot and a Wolverine Steel Toed monster now considered hipster? I love em’. They’re one of the best things I have in my closet.
I just saw these Original Penguin alternatives at Beyond the rack, for cheaper: $69 before shipping. I don’t know how they are in real life, but they look cool on the screen. In tan, brown and black.
http://www.beyondtherack.com/event/sku/15132/PENPMER1022BR
So who bought a pair of these and have you seen any shipping action out of Timberland yet? I’m kind of worried that they might cancel orders. Hope not. But you never know.
@Joe: I have no idea what that category even means; it seems far too broad to be one. I still think they look nice, and I’d go for a pair of my own if I had the resources at the moment.
@Rik: I received a shipping confirmation from Timberland a few hours after I submitted my order yesterday. The FedEx shipping status shows that they are en route with delivery by Tuesday (CA to VA).
@Tyrone: Nice looking boot… but just from the look of them, I think the Timberlands would be well worth the extra money. I don’t think I’d take those OPs up a muddy hillside. They’re more chukka than true boot. Whereas I wouldn’t have any problem with the Earthkeepers. Full laces, lots of traction, etc… For whatever reason, they (the Timberlands) are built really well. But yeah, those Original Penguin boots are a sweet alternative for guys who don’t want the suede of the traditional Clark’s desert boot. (For the guys who are unfamiliar with “Beyond the Rack” here’s a breakdown…)
Never in my size (14), ever :'(
@Joe- I guess I wouldn’t get the OPs either. Mentioned the sale to the shoe gal at Nordstrom, who said “we’ll march anyone’s price. ”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll ask my manager.”
So I got them at $85 – 50% off the Nordy’s price. They feel great.
I had to go through nordstrom as well as I needed a 9 (always a full size smaller for boots for me), though they didn’t want to honor the additional 20% discount code “We don’t do that”, said the Manager. So $111 with tax…$7 more than what I paid online. Timberland said that once my 10s came in, I could send those back into Nordstrom for a refund.
damn … i hope my order doesn’t get canceled. no forward progress on it yet … and tomorrow is a holiday. guess i’ll have to wait til tuesday to see.
Update: I tried calling online to see if I could get the 83.99 deal and pick up at the store, however, since the online store is different than the store itself…she was about to give me the deal, but since 9 is unavailable online, I was at the mercy of the asst. manager…Oh well, It’s a nice boot..I’ll suck it up at this point to keep the one I wanted in color/size.
It’s funny, I just ordered online and received free shipping, making it $83.99 shipped. Maybe I’m just lucky? Only the tan left in 10.5, my normal size. I’m hoping they fit me as well as Joe says his fit him.
I just bought a pair at a Timberland store for only … $69.99. I kid you not. I thought it was a pricing error at first, but the receipt is correct. Anyone else get this? I did get one of the few remaining pairs though.
Timberland has FREE shipping today so if you procrastinated or waffled like me, buy these today.
I should have jumped on these. I didn’t want to buy them until I had a chance to try them on, and did so at Nordstrom today. Timberland is now out of my size, and I get to beat myself up. Great looking/fitting boot, and the tan is a great color.
I’ll keep an eye out for them at a good price in my size, and plan to jump on them right away this time.
Black is still available and it’s cheaper at $66 shipped.
Oops + tax.
I have the low cut version of these as laceups, I was very satisfied with them (especially bc I could ge tthem in a large 15). But in the last week or so (6 months of owning them), the sole right above the welt stitching has started coming apart on both shoes. I’ll fix it wiht some shoe goo, but I have to say, for the price I’m pretty disappointed.
Hmmmm….. I got mine in the mail today and immediately put them on. The 1/2 size down was definitely right for me, but I don’t know if I could make it a day with these on. What’s the experience with these? Will they break in?
They absolutely did for me. Aside from running/gym shoes, they’re probably the most comfortable pair that I own. Are they digging in at the ankle? one thing to remember is to zip the side first, then lace up. If you laceup first, then zip the side, you foot will feel like it’s getting strangled…
They’ll break in a little bit, but beware the sole wears quickly
I got my other ones (the size 10 that was a fullsize bigger than my foot in). I wish these one fit tho. The color on these burnished tans from timberland are on the darker side of tan…beautiful, but sux that i’ll have to return them
Mine arrived yesterday. I went a half size down from my normal size of 10.5; I still have at least a thumbs-width of room between the end of my foot and the end of the boot. Probably could have gone a whole size down, but whatever. Didn’t feel like messing with the hassle of returning them. I might regret it later; we’ll see.
Otherwise, they’re a beautiful boot, and very comfortable, even before breaking in. I have already received compliments on them, too. Hopefully they hold up well.
I got these the other day and was having a hard time finding something suitable to wear with them…maybe im just more used to the tapered narrower toe from other boots i have. Any one have ideas or pictures i can glean inspiration from??
Got mine yesterday. I am not sure if you guys noticed the price drop again from the original posts. I brought it up to the service department and they gave me $30 plus tax back. I ended up buying two pairs of boots and it came to $116 delivered!!
I got the zip up boot(black) and the city chelsea boot (brown)
As for sizing, it is true to size and I am really happy with them. The only thing I don’t like hearing now is that the sole wears quickly from others……where were you before? Anyways, 2 pairs of great boots for that price
Nuts…missed out on this. And they don’t seem to be on any of the discount shoe reseller sites, either. How would it compare to the normal 6-inch city boot? http://shop.timberland.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4208884
Looks like the normal 6 inch has a slightly different collar and (obviously) no zipper. The color options on the zip were a bit more varied as well. Haven’t seen those normal 6-inch city in person.
what was the website that you ordered these from? please reply to me as soon as you can!!!
I don’t know whether Timberland resurrected these boots, but I just spotted them at my local DSW.