We’re Ditching Laces for These Pull-On Boots

With all its annoyances, winter is made just made a little worse because of one thing — shoelaces. Before you’re out the door, you’ve already piled on layer after layer of weather protection just to stay warm and dry through bouts of rain and sleet. And the final hurdle before you step outside is often a pair of boots with enough lace to trip you up at the finish line, making you late for work.

That’s why we love pull-on boots. No fussing about with frozen fingers trying to fasten your 10-inch shitkickers, just some quick pointe work and slip right in. The fact that they’re more waterproof is just a bonus. Here are some of our favorites.

Novesta Rubber Chelsea Boot

Novesta is certainly better known as a heritage sneaker factory, but their rain boots are nothing to scoff. A shorter height makes them easier to get into while still preventing slips and wet socks.

Astorflex Bitflex

Italian-made boots for $155? We would not lie to you. Astorflex produces all their shoes in Italy using top-notch vegetable-tanned leathers and genuine crepe rubber soles for some serious value. Their Bitflex is a classic chelsea boot style that can clean up if you need it to or face the elements if enlisted.

Blundstone Original 500

You can’t misstep with a pair of Blundstones. Tested in the Australian outback, they’re made with a premium weatherproof oiled leather, slip-resistant sole and a comfy polyurethane midsole with a built-in steel shank. All that functionality also happens to look pretty damn good.

Suicoke x Aime Leon Dore Hobbs

Aimé Leon Dore’s collaboration with Japanese sandal extraordinaire Suicoke resulted in what can only be described as the mukluks of an astronaut hypebeast. The Cordura upper is married with a warm mouton lining, all fixed to a thick wedge sole. So when you’re going for a walk on the lunar surface, your feet will still feel like they’re fireside. Though this one actually has laces, the toggle system makes it a breeze to tighten.

Russell Moccasin Knockabout Boot

You might mistake these short color-blocked pull-on boots for the latest relase out of the atelier of a Japanese designer, but the Knockabout Boot is straight from the Midwest. Wisconsin-based Russell Moccasin has been crafting genuine moccasin boots for over a century so you know they’ll stand up to wear, tear and style scrutiny.

Toga Virilis Leather & Neoprene Boots

Okay, you wouldn’t pull on this boot so much as zip into it, but it’s cool enough to snatch a spot on this list. Toga Virilis mixes western motifs with a dash of tech, pairing neoprene with cowboy elements like the cowboy boot silhouette, traditional ornamental stitching at the toe box and silver-tipped accents.

R.M. Williams Comfort Craftsman

Like Blundstone, R.M. Williams has origins Down Under. Their boot is a decidedly elevated take on the Australian bush boot with its yearling leather upper, Goodyear welted construction and Australian manufacturing.

Wesco x Standard & Strange Knuckle Dragger Engineer Boot

When you ask Wesco to make an engineer boot, you know it’s gonna be good. When you ask them to collaborate with menswear retailer Standard & Strange, you know it’s gonna be great. Their Knuckle Dragger boasts vintage details like a last narrower than most contemporary engineer boots and a pointed instep strap, all cut into Horween’s olive waxed flesh leather. You’ll start to see the surprising avocado-green patina long before you’ll need to take them in for a resole.

Viberg Chelsea Boot

There are Chelsea boots, and then, there are Chelsea boots. Viberg’s rendition is indulgent with its rare shell cordovan leather in its even rarer cognac color. The small pores of the shell cordovan leather mean its more resistant to water and the thick ridgeway outsole should prevent you from slipping for a long time. And once those soles give out, you can have them re-soled thanks to their Goodyear welt construction.

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