R A E G & GOODS
B LUN D STON E B OO T S
As regular readers you'll know I like my boots. Not in a kinky way you understand, it’s just that they’re more practical than a pair of trainers and more dual purpose than wellies. Putting it simply, I want a pair of boots to be sturdy enough to handle the rough stuff whilst out 'laning, yet smart enough, after a quick rinse, for evening wear. I have two pairs of boots that I wear constantly, they’re both Australian and competitors, Redback and Blundstone. I use my pair of Redbacks as a work boot for green laning and walking Lilly, but if I’m on a press launch or wandering around the NEC, then it’s my Blundstones as they’re more of a ‘dress’ boot, meaning they have a more chiselled toe. Around 4 years ago Blundstone sent me two pairs of Redwood coloured boots, one pair was from the dress range which I have used constantly, and another pair from their Classic range that have a more rounded toe, and chunky tread pattern. They last so well that, I hadn’t yet needed to take the latter out of their box. In last month’s issue you will have read about my INEOS Grenadier experience, and the day before I was due to fly up to Inverness I received an email that said to prepare for -10º, plenty of snow and mud. So, I decided it was time to take my Classic 1440 Blundstones out of their box. I really can’t emphasis how comfortable these boots are; over a 3 day period they were only removed for sleeping. I spent 3 hours sat in an airport in them, flew up to Scotland, spent 2 whole days driving and jumping in and out of Grenadiers to take photos in the snow, ice and mud, and later on they were smart enough for evening wear.
In deep snow and mud, their aggressive tread pattern never let my down, and with black elasticated side panels, after a long day they’re really quite easy to remove. On the final day I wore them for 16 hours straight without any kind of soreness or squashed toes, and that included a 7 hour delayed train journey home, then a 30 minutes walk home on icy pavements and freezing temperatures. Obviously Redwood is a very bold colour, and I chose them because I fancied something different, but don’t worry, they have a huge choice of colours and styles to suit everyone. Whichever you choose, I’m confident you won’t be disappointed. price: £190 more at » blundstone.co.uk THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK
47