Big shout out today to the Red Wing Shoe Company of Red Wing, Minnesota. Red Wing is the maker of boots built to last. And brother, I don’t mean maybe.
Some time late in the last century I bought a pair of boots from this esteemed outfit. Those of you who know how much I hike should be impressed with the fact that they are still going strong. Truth to tell, they’re in the shop for a bit of re-stitching right now. But re-stitching comes free from the manufacturer, along with these other lifetime services: Oiling, polishing, gluing, stretching, laces, and eyelet/hook replacement.
I am often fond of saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But in this case, if you got it from Red Wing, just bring it in to the store and – as long as you didn’t feed it through a Fargo-style wood-chipper – they’ll fix it for free. Simple, see?
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Today I pulled the trigger and finally bought myself a new pair of Red Wings. Based on past performance, I told the sales guy I wanted the new ones to be as close to the old pair as possible. I also told him price was no object. If you amortize it across the decades, that last pair cost me less than ten bucks a year to own and operate. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
If I am still hiking twenty years hence – assuming Red Wing is still in business – I expect they’ll get the chance to re-stitch mine a couple more times. And when I say that, I’m referring to the old pair as well as the new.