Red Wing boots for $112 (at their factory store)

Paul writes periodic travel and tech articles on Dappered.com.  Follow his travel blog, drivinginertia.com, to read more about his adventures.

Red Wing boots are pretty awesome.  Their Heritage boots are made in the USA, iconic, rugged, and wonderful.  They’re just awesomely expensive as well – $240 on Zappos, $225 at J. Crew.  Ouch.

But, if you’re close to the Twin Cities in Minnesota or La Crosse in Wisconsin, you can get a pretty sweet deal at the Red Wing Factory Store.  Where is it?  Red Wing, Minnesota, of course.

Here’s the deal:

First, you’ll have to check out the “largest boot in the world.”  It’s right inside the door of the store, sized 638 1/2 D.  The thread used to sew it together is rope.  Thick rope.  It’s massive.  Walk past it. Take a picture if you must.

The first floor of the store is filled with company information, memorabilia, and full-priced goods.  The deals are downstairs; the stairway down is near the big boot up front.

Downstairs, there are factory seconds, clearance items, and full-sized hides for sale (large hides are $99).  Their classic boot style (No. 875 — the 6″, lug-soled boot),  is marked down to $168.  They’re factory seconds usually – most have a scuff or two. If you wear them right, they’ll get a scuff or two more.

But the best deal is buying three pairs.  If you buy two, the third is free.  Make the pilgrimage with two buddies and your boots will end up being $112 ($168 + $168 + FREE / 3 = $112).  Might just be worth the road trip.

Outlets and Factory stores can be a desert of Dress Barn, Big Dogs, and other disappointments.  But sometimes there’s stand-alones like this, or outlet malls that actually deliver.  What and where is your favorite?  Leave it below.

There are plenty of needles in this haystack.