Töysän Kenkätehdas Finnish Boots

[bullterrier]

I checked out the link to this company http://www.lappshoe.com/en/node/39

They look good but this is what the company warns !!!!!

Customers are expected to check the condition of shoes or boots. Leather shoes and boots are not waterproof, and should not be worn in adverse weather conditions. If accidentally exposed to water, they must be allowed to dry out naturally, not by application of heat. Leathers used are carefully selected by our buyers, but some minor variation or marking in the surface finish may be evident because leather is a natural product. Boots and shoes with long rods will need routine maintenance from a shoe repairer. Our shoes and boots are designed, manufactured and sold specifically as traditional shoes of Finland. Materials and construction methods used are appropriate for smart, occasional wear accustomed to this type of footwear. Any reference made on this website or in any of our literature or publicity material to the high quality of our products or of the materials used in their manufacture refers to traditional methods and value, not to their ruggedness in adverse or inappropriate conditions.

Are these boots any good? Can they be worn outside??! Or are they just terrified someone will sue them for getting blisters?

I'd love to hear some input from a Finnish member.

 

[RonW]

Maybe drop Martti a line.
He's from Finland and knows quite a lot about traditional outdoor clothing and such.

 

[Martti]

Leather shoes and boots are not waterproof, and should not be worn in adverse weather conditions. If accidentally exposed to water, they must be allowed to dry out naturally, not by application of heat.

Vegetable tanned leather is water repellent, but not waterproof. Ancient bushcrafters acknowledged this and used mixture of tar, tallow and blubber to make them truly waterproof. I have three different recipes for different seasons, but I have yet to find source of seal blubber.

Our shoes and boots are designed, manufactured and sold specifically as traditional shoes of Finland. Materials and construction methods used are appropriate for smart, occasional wear accustomed to this type of footwear. Any reference made on this website or in any of our literature or publicity material to the high quality of our products or of the materials used in their manufacture refers to traditional methods and value, not to their ruggedness in adverse or inappropriate conditions.

The only difference I see on these boots compared to the traditional ones is that they have thicker soles.

Are these boots any good? Can they be worn outside??! Or are they just terrified someone will sue them for getting blisters?

I have not personally tried them as I am more into traditional ankle shoes, but what I have heard from others, they are just fine. Here you can see pair of them on top of the highest mountain of Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2,469 m or 8,100 ft). Generally these boots were regarded as the best footwear Finland could produce until the 1950s.
http://www.leka-looks.fi/fi/look/show/_3CF1BIQBE

 

[Wayland]

Really cold snow is not wet. That is the kind of condition these boots and things like Mukluks are designed for.

It would be a mistake to think of any leather shoe as waterproof. I suspect that warning is a result of people expecting the impossible and complaining when they do not deliver it.

 

[John Fenna]

If you want to look after any Veg tanned leather then those instructions are pretty comprehensive.
If you want waterproof zero care footwear you would need to look at plastics.....

 

[Dreadhead]

check out kero.se they have very similar boots but a wider range etc. nae affiliation etc

 

[bullterrier]

I suspected they were good boots - as long as you know the capabilities of leather you know what you are getting!

 

[Martti]

If you or anybody should purchase a pair, this is how they should be treated. This is my adaptation of an article originally published on Viikkosanomat 1/1939. First you use them a couple of days without any treatment (they can get wet). You then dry them a day in room temperature before adding the tar. Pine pitch oil can be used instead. After the treatment you should use them again for a couple of days and then dry them for a day or two in room temperature. Raw, unstalted tallow or blubber is then rubbed to the boots. This treatment should be done in a bit warmer environment than the previous one, preferably in a sauna (warm and moist), if possible.

The boots are now ready for hard use and are only treated with mixture of tar and tallow from hereupon.

 

[Kotteman]

I had a quick chat with a old sami woman this summer about treating leather shoes, when i told her that i use Lundhags lädersmorning (a mix off tar, wax and fat) she told me that it's no use to treat shoes with that, tar was the only good thing in it and it was used in the old days when they made their shoes waterproof.
They did it the same way you tar skies,in the spring brush a layer of tar on the shoe then warm it over the fire so the tar suck in to the shoe, repeat until i can no longer suck in the tar. This method made the shoes very stiff but waterproof. I don't remember if she treated the shoes afterward with tallow. Now days she only use mink oil since it's faster.

 

[Martti]

Here you can see pair of them on top of the highest mountain of Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2,469 m or 8,100 ft).

The climber published a travel report where he tells his experiences of the boots after 120 km walk during a period of five days. He concludes that they were great, but with two downsides: leather soles were slippery and lack of ankle support. The latter one could be also seen as an advantage among the barefoot fans. I have read the same from some vintage clothing articles published during the 1930s.
http://alasin.varusteleka.fi/2011/12/08/jotunheimen-syksy-2011/

 

[Martti]

Here you can browse Töysän Kenkätehdas' catalogue from year 1939. As you can see, the model has not been changed for at least 70 years.

 

[Martti]

I'm thinking ordering a pair for the upcoming spring. Do expect a review when they arrive to my door.