James Leddy safari boots

[Philip Glass]

My wife and I just finished our road trip to Texas. One of our stops was in Abilene at James Leddy's. After reading everything here, I was determined to have a custom made pair of safari boots. So this past Friday morning, we visited with Al Dos Santos at his store.

After a bit of chat, it was off to the measuring throne.

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There Al took multiple measurements of my feet. Turns out they are different sized. He also noticed I was having issues with pressure on the ball of my right foot even though I had my orthotics in. He is going to make new insoles that will relieve that pressure.

Al also mentioned that the actor Kevin Costner was in a couple of weeks earlier to get new boots made because he was having pressure issues with his feet. While Costner is not in the same category as MD West or Philip Glass, he is pretty well known.

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Since I didn't have skins to bring him, we then went to pick through the many hides he had. It came down to buffalo and what we originally thought was calfskin. It was actually kudu in a nice russet brown. Finally, I picked the soles (Vibram with heel), cap or no cap on toe (no), and ankle collar (double rib).

It wasn't cheap but I'm really happy with my decision to buy custom boots. They are my retirement present to myself. Much better than a gold watch! I will have about a six week wait on the boots and they will be shipped to me in North Carolina. My cost was $480 as I didn't have my own hide.

Chatting with Al I found out he had lived in Rhodesia for many years and left sometime after Mugabe took over. He is now a very proud naturalized American citizen.

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Al does make boots for anyone who walks in the door whether it is Kevin Costner or the now King Charles!
I was just there to have western boots made for my wife from my EC ostrich.
Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

I’m still in the Peacocke camp on this subject

Then you don’t have narrow feet or slightly different sized feet like some of us. I wish I could just wear anything off the shelf.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Then you don’t have narrow feet or slightly different sized feet like some of us. I wish I could just wear anything off the shelf.

Fortunately I don’t have those issues. I understand the motivation. My sympathy only goes so far however

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I tried the Courtney boots at the SCI Convention. There was something about the way they were made that irritated my foot. The Leddy boots may be similar to Courtneys but they are not direct copies. Moreover, given I picked out the features I wanted as well as the exact piece of leather, there will never be another pair exactly like mine.

I understand the motivation but they are too close to Courteney’s in my opinion

 

[jpr9954]

I understand the motivation but they are too close to Courteney’s in my opinion

Why does it matter?

There are many styles of boots that are very similar to one another. My moc toe Thorogoods are similar to Red Wings which are similar to Wolverine boots and the list goes on.

You could say that Jim Green Ranger boots made in South Africa are also similar to Courteneys. Likewise, the Shilongo safari boots made from kudu in Namibia are quite similar. I think you could make a strong argument that the safari boot is a generic design and each manufacturer has their own interpretation of it. I do know that my James Leddy boots have soles different than anything offered by Courteney.

 

[Safari Dave]

I'll just go ahead and throw it out there...





Courteney's definitely have the reputation, but has anyone tried Kenetrek Safaris?


Nostalgia goes a long way in African hunting, and I completely understand it.



I would be hard-pressed to go with something other than Kenetrek, now that I own and have walked in them.

 

[Tanks]

...

Courteney's definitely have the reputation, but has anyone tried Kenetrek Safaris?
...

Neither Courtney nor Kenetrek are made to measure custom boots. Reason I wear Russell's is because they fit my feet which are two different sizes.

Not to mention I had bought a pair of Courtney's at Bulawayo and they really hurt my feet. I gave them away this year to a Zim ranger who is a learner PH. He loves them.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Why does it matter?

There are many styles of boots that are very similar to one another. My moc toe Thorogoods are similar to Red Wings which are similar to Wolverine boots and the list goes on.

You could say that Jim Green Ranger boots made in South Africa are also similar to Courteneys. Likewise, the Shilongo safari boots made from kudu in Namibia are quite similar. I think you could make a strong argument that the safari boot is a generic design and each manufacturer has their own interpretation of it. I do know that my James Leddy boots have soles different than anything offered by Courteney.

Simply saying “everyone does it so what’s wrong with it” is not a very good argument. Personally it doesn’t matter to me where this type of stuff takes place.

The boots in the OP are almost carbon copies of Courteney’s. I don’t believe using a different sole is enough to say they are their own.

What’s this say about Leddy’s? A storied institution can’t come up with their own design or refuse to blatantly copy another storied institution’s work? They should stick to the western lifestyle products or come up with their own design for a safari boot.

 

[mdwest]

By the same token is every custom boot maker that makes western/cowboy boots wrong? They after all didn’t generate the design…

They simply took a proven design and each maker tries to provide a better product than the competition…

But they all very muck look the same on the exterior…

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

By the same token is every custom boot maker that makes western/cowboy boots wrong? They after all didn’t generate the design…

They simply took a proven design and each maker tries to provide a better product than the competition…

But they all very muck look the same on the exterior…

Different situation. At least in the present day..

In this case the generator of the design is still alive and well (Courteney).

 

[mdwest]

Actually.. the generator is not... John Austin Rice has been dead for several years..

The company still exists.. Its managed and run by his wife..

That said.. there are western boot companies in TX that are several generations old.. that still exist.. Leddys for example is 3 generations old... The company existed well before Courteney (which wasn't founded until 1992).. There are several TX boot companies that are more than 100 years old..

If Courteney decides to start making a western boot.. considering Leddy has been making them for more than 85 years.. Is Courteney wrong? Why can courteney copy a well known design and attempt to make it better.. but another company cant?

The original designers of both boots (westerns and safari) are both dead and no longer making boots themselves.. the companies are both still chugging along post the original designers death.. and, the courtnery design isn't exactly original.. take a look at a dozen other African hunting and work boot makers... they all have similar designs.. Courteney just has a reputation for higher quality and comfort...

Then factor in that the Leddy boot isn't actually a true copy... For example, not only are the Leddy boots bespoke and custom made where Courteney does not do that.. You have options on the Leddy boots that Courteney boots don't offer.. for instance, my Leddy's have a box toe.. where courteneys are rounded.. my Leddys have a virbram flat sole where courteney offers their ripple or their lug soles.. (flat vibram isn't an option).. etc..

 

[Philip Glass]

I understand the motivation but they are too close to Courteney’s in my opinion

I am not following you. So you dont think an American company can innovate and create a new, custom, and better product than a Zimbabwe company? What if western bootmakers had this frame of mind? Would we only have one manyfacturer world wide of western boots because it was sacrilidge to copy them?
Buy what ever boots you want. It really makes me no difference at all.
Philip

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I am not following you. So you dont think an American company can innovate and create a new, custom, and better product than a Zimbabwe company? What if western bootmakers had this frame of mind? Would we only have one manyfacturer world wide of western boots because it was sacrilidge to copy them?
Buy what ever boots you want. It really makes me no difference at all.
Philip

If it was an new creation, an innovation, and not a 99% copy you’d have a point.

 

[Philip Glass]

If it was an new creation, an innovation, and not a 99% copy you’d have a point.

I guess you missed the western boot analogy.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Actually.. the generator is not... John Austin Rice has been dead for several years..

The company still exists.. Its managed and run by his wife..

That said.. there are western boot companies in TX that are several generations old.. that still exist.. Leddys for example is 3 generations old... The company existed well before Courteney (which wasn't founded until 1992).. There are several TX boot companies that are more than 100 years old..

If Courteney decides to start making a western boot.. considering Leddy has been making them for more than 85 years.. Is Courteney wrong? Why can courteney copy a well known design and attempt to make it better.. but another company cant?

The original designers of both boots (westerns and safari) are both dead and no longer making boots themselves.. the companies are both still chugging along post the original designers death.. and, the courtnery design isn't exactly original.. take a look at a dozen other African hunting and work boot makers... they all have similar designs.. Courteney just has a reputation for higher quality and comfort...

Then factor in that the Leddy boot isn't actually a true copy... For example, not only are the Leddy boots bespoke and custom made where Courteney does not do that.. You have options on the Leddy boots that Courteney boots don't offer.. for instance, my Leddy's have a box toe.. where courteneys are rounded.. my Leddys have a virbram flat sole where courteney offers their ripple or their lug soles.. (flat vibram isn't an option).. etc..

His company and design is his legacy so that’s no argument at all.

As far as the basic western boot design goes, it’s been around far longer than any extant maker and I would challenge anyone to point to the original source with any certainty. Who knows who the original generator was or how many people were working on eerily similar designs simultaneously? So not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I guess you missed the western boot analogy.

See the above

 

[mdwest]

I'd also argue that he completely missed the innovation part of the discussion which is one of his qualifiers for Leddy being "ok"...

they are adding modern soles (vibram).. they are custom hand built to spec to each foot of each client for a more comfortable fit.. they are willing to use the hunters own leather from his own hunts.. they are able to make changes such as toe boxes, ankle height, heel height and angle, etc at the customers request..

All of these are innovations..

None of these are Courteney options...

And they do it for just a few dollars more than the Courteney off the shelf price...

 

[mdwest]

His company and design is his legacy so that’s no argument at all.

As far as the basic western boot design goes, it’s been around far longer than any extant maker and I would challenge anyone to point to the original source with any certainty. Who knows who the original generator was or how many people were working on eerily similar designs simultaneously? So not really an apples to apples comparison.

Wrong again...

We know exactly who designed the "cowboy" boot.. It was Charles Hayer... He started making them in 1875... as an INNOVATION over boots from the civil war era that were common in the western US at that time...

Because they were so good.. numerous boot makers began making similar boots all over the western US.. this was done well before Hayer died.. While he was making boots in Kansas City.. similar shops popped up all over Colorado, Texas, etc..

The Heyer boot company still exists.. Its been bought and sold and renamed several times.. in 1977 it became the Ben Miller Boot company in El Paso... Ben Miller boots are retailed by several companies all over TX even today...

So.. since the original company that designed the original cowboy boot still exists... is everyone else wrong?

Does it matter that Hayer died in the early 1900's and Rice died in the early 2000's? The story is the same... Each designed something that people thought was a good idea.. each had numerous other companies copy what they did and try to make it better (with many being successful along the way)..

Really no different than any other industry or any other product..

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Wrong again...

We know exactly who designed the "cowboy" boot.. It was Charles Hayer... He started making them in 1875... as an INNOVATION over boots from the civil war era that were common in the western US at that time...

Because they were so good.. numerous boot makers began making similar boots all over the western US.. this was done well before Hayer died.. While he was making boots in Kansas City.. similar shops popped up all over Colorado, Texas, etc..

The Heyer boot company still exists.. Its been bought and sold and renamed several times.. in 1977 it became the Ben Miller Boot company in El Paso... Ben Miller boots are retailed by several companies all over TX even today...

So.. since the original company that designed the original cowboy boot still exists... is everyone else wrong?

Does it matter that Hayer died in the early 1900's and Rice died in the early 2000's? The story is the same... Each designed something that people thought was a good idea.. each had numerous other companies copy what they did and try to make it better (with many being successful along the way)..

Really no different than any other industry or any other product..

Lol whatever… If you wanna piss on an institution by all means have at it

 

[mdwest]

If you want to ignore facts… have at it