S.B. Foot Timberjack
Our flagship leathers, Timberjack has been used at Russell Moccasin for generations. Specially tanned for performance in the outdoors, Timberjack is unique in its ability to patina beautifully, while still providing excellent water and abrasion resistance. Walnut starts as a rich brown with rust undertones, and will patina to a beautiful harness brown with wear and conditioning. Weathered Oak is a deep chocolate brown that can look almost black when freshly conditioned, but will reveal lighter brown highlights with wear. If its your first pair of Russells, you can't go wrong with Timberjack. Condition with Obenaufs.
S.B. Foot Chamois
Chamois, tanned at S.B. Foot in Minnesota, is quickly becoming one of our all-time favorites. Sage begins at a light green-brown it patinas beautifully into a dark loden green. The Pecos is a desert tan and will slowly morph into a richer saddle tan with wear. Highly water resistant and tough as nails, its a great choice for serious outdoor use. When we outfit individuals for big-game hunts or thru-hikes, these are the leathers we recommend. Condition with our specially formulated Russoil.
Law Tanning Shrunken Bison
Combining rugged good looks and out-of the box softness, Law Tanning Shrunken Bison is a customer favorite. Tanned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this bison is the best we have ever worked with. The pebbled grain is natural, not embossed. The unique and broadly varying pattern is created through the shrinking process where the the hides become smaller, less dense, and thicker. This shrinking creates the unique softness and abrasion resistance we prize. Cognac is is light but rich red-brown that darkens very little over time. Chocolate is a rich brown with grey pullup. Condition with Obenaufs as it will help restore the wax content that gives this leather it's vibrance.
Vibram Gumlite Soles
Gumlite soles like the Oxford (Left) and the 2060 (Right) are excellent choices for daily wear and regions with mild to moderate terrain. They are made from blown rubber, which makes them a softer more shock absorbent. We prefer these soles for shoes and boots like the Zephyr. Due to their softer material, wear life will be shorter than other Vibram compounds.
Vibram Classic Hiking Soles
We have been using the Vibram Roccia (Left) and Montagna (Right) for about 75 years. Hard wearing with excellent grip on rock, we prefer these tried and true soles for hiking and hunting moderate to extreme terrain. The Montagna was worn by Vibram's founder to summit Mt. Everest. The Roccia and Montagna are nearly identical in tread pattern, with the primary difference in the tread depth. The Roccia has 3/16" deep tread, while the Montagna has 5/16" deep tread. Because of this the Roccia is more versatile for use both in daily wear and hiking, while the Montagna is a better for a dedicated hiking and mountaineering boot.
House Made Vibram Wedge Soles
For specific purposes, we opt to build our own sole/wedge combinations. The two primary options we offer are the Vibram 360 Wedge (Left) and the Sierra Wedge (Right). Wedges are an excellent hybrid of shock absorption and tread durability that makes it excellent for tailoring to specific use cases.
Our Vibram 360 Wedge has a 3/8" thick wedge material that goes 3/4ths of the length of the boot, tapering out just before the ball of the foot. It is matched by our Outsole Department to the shape of our lasts for an incredibly ergonomic feel that is perfect for long treks. We utilize this sole primarily on the Safari and PH as it has become a favorite of big game hunters in Africa and Australia. The comfort and flexibility of this sole of this sole also make it very quiet for staking. The compound used in the 360 is extremely abrasion resistant.
The Sierra Wedge is built with nearly 3/4" inch of wedge under the heel tapering to a rockered toe. This thick, but shock absorbing wedge in combination with the aggressive Sierra tread, makes this sole combination excellent for hiking in extremely rocky terrain. The wedge provides excellent mid-foot support for standing on sharp rocks, while the added stiffness is alleviated by the rocker toe, allowing the boot to stride like tennis shoe. We reccomend this sole on boots like the Backcountry, Bird Shooter, South 40 and Big Cambo.
