In Review: The Woolrich Made in the USA Yankee Boot

Woolrich “Yankee” Made in the USA Boot – $224.96 w/ BOOTS20OFF ($300)

NOTE: Price and code above are current as of 9/17/15. Back when this review was first published, in  December of 2014, for some insane (and welcome for those who were able to snap them up) reason these were lingering around $150 – $170. But those days are long gone. Still rich Horween leather and Goodyear construction. So while $225 isn’t cheap, it’s still a good deal for a boot of this quality. Have worn them a ton since last year, and they’re holding up great with minimal care. ALSO… thanks to Jason P. for pointing out that these might be coming unlined now? Without the wool? Your mileage may vary.

Let’s cut to the chase. These things are spectacular. So how, HOW… has this made in the United States, Horween Leather, Goodyear welted, Vibram sole boot dropped to a hundred and fifty bucks $170 (see note above) via a mega retailer like Amazon? Couple of theories:

1. Name Recognition, or lack thereof: There’s no Red Wing or Wolverine 1000 mile or Chippewa stamp on these. It is a heritage company’s logo, but it’s one that’s more associated with blankets. Not shoes.
2. Hesitation because they’re “lined in wool”: That caveat might be scaring some people off. They’re from Woolrich, so, they gotta use their signature stuff, right? And one might suspect that there’s sherpa-like levels of wool in there. Meaning: they’d be too thick and warm to wear in anything but bitter cold temps. Wrong. The wool is a barely there liner that should wick moisture and feel great in all but the hottest of weather.

High quality Horween leather. And it shows.

Uppers are cut from nice and soft, deep looking Horween leather that requires zero break in time. None. The quadruple stitching makes for a nice sweep out and back for an apron toe, and the overall shape is sleeker than a standard work boot. There’s room in the toe box, but it’s not as tall as some clunkers. Meanwhile, that Vibram lug sole has had a bit of a crew cut, with the teeth of the sole being much shorter than normal. Still grippy, still casual, but less anchor-like in terms of the visuals.

The barely there wool lining. Plenty comfortable.

As previously stated, that wool lining is a barely there layer that provides more comfort & breath-ability than warmth and insulation. Wearing these things on a hike when it’s in the mid 70s/low 80s shouldn’t be an issue.

Seems like most think these run half a size large, but a 10.5 fit like a 10.5 on my normally 10.5 feet. Sizing down half a size might have been a little tight, especially if you wear somewhat thicker (but not smushy fat) wool socks.

Comfortable and flexible out of the box. No break in time.

Hat tip to Huckberry where many of us first laid our eyes on these things, but it’s on Amazon where you can get them for a stupid steal-level price. The code 25OFFSHOES knocks 25% off a selection of shoes & boots, including the Woolrich Yankee, through December 22nd. The catch is that Amazon must be the seller of the size you want. When Amazon runs out of a certain size, they’ll often switch to a 3rd party seller, and the code won’t work on those. Amazon-sold sizes are a bit scattered at post time. They’re also available in an “iron” shade, which looks to translate to black for most eyeballs.

Will Amazon get more than their current stock, mark them down to under $200 again, and then offer extra 20% or 30% off codes that’ll stack on top? Can’t say for sure. But finding an American made, Horween leather, Goodyear Welted Boot for $150 from a trusted source that ships & returns for free sure seems to be a blue-moon type situation. Keep an eye on these things.