A modern travel boot designed for the modern traveler.
I set out to develop a travel boot that could tackle the many types of environments that you run into as a backpacker
I had my own personal experiences to pull from, but a project this broad with so many facets required the input of many
I installed a series of “Feedback Stations” at our local outdoor recreation shops and over the course of 3 months collected answers of two questions:
1. “What would you like to see in a hiking boot?”
2. “What do you dislike about hiking boots?”
Equipped with this information, I was able to pull together an informed problem/solution statement
Once I knew what needed to be accomplished, I took a step backwards and explored how to tackle this issue.
I sat with a local chiropractor on many occasions over the course of a few months. This helped me to identify the anatomical ramifications of my design decisions.
We took a series of x-rays of my own feet in hiking boots as a baseline
Armed with my new understanding of both shoes and feet, I set out with a few sketches. I first learned how to properly sketch feet, assuming that if I didn’t know how to do that, how could I properly dress them? This lead to a set of more informed and volumetrically appropriate boot concepts.
The art of cobbling is one that should be respected - it is not easy to do. I spent many weeks working with Musso Shoe’s and the incredible team there to arrive at a final product.
I created a negative mold of my foot and cast a two-part resin mold, covered it in clay, and derived the flat patterns from the modeled form. From there, I cut my material, stitched the quarters, vamp, and heel together, and proceeded to sole the shoe. Not only did I have to does this many times over to get it right, I had to make two… because that’s how shoes work.
The final product is a fully functional pair of travel boots equipped with a Vibram sole, Gor-Tex lining, and premium grade, waterproofed leather. Built for travel, these flexible, lightweight boots are ready to hit the road (or whatever terrain you encounter)!