Okay, so the leather being a “pull up” means you need to treat it a little differently. It’s a leather that’s been packed full of fats and oils during the tanning process and the pull up effect is the change in colouration you’ll get when the leather folds and creases which is due to the fats and oils moving around.
Notice how the leather is lighter in the creases already?
If you want to test the pull up yourself just put a finger instead the boot and press up on the leather to see it lighten. Rub it a little with your hand after to warm the fats up and it will go back to the regular colour.
Pull up leather is amazing because will show patina and character more quickly and are easy to get a shine out of, but it also means it can mark or scuff more easily. It’s almost a self repairing leather though, because if you heat up and move those oils around again you can buff out the scuffs. So don’t panic if you notice a few light marks on them after a couple of wears.
The most famous pull up leather is Chromexel from the Horween tannery and a lot of classic American boots are made from it.
Care is simple. Most American companies simply recommend venetian shoe cream. But you can use any natural conditioner. I prefer Saphir greasy shoes cream which is specifically designed to add fats back into the leather. Then you just need to brush them hard, and brush them often. Keep in mind these will darken more easily with a condition, but once you wear them a bit they’ll lighten again. Use Bick 4 if you don’t want to darken them.
Dont use a wax polish on this leather. If you want to add colour back you can get the Saphir I mentioned in a brown colour, but the idea with the leather is to show a natural patina and it doesn’t require a wax coat.
As for shoe trees, yes they should be right as long as they don’t deform or stretch the leather over the welt. And I agree that the name is a bit bland. I really need to get a pair of RM’s in pull up though.
Fantastic advice, thanks very much! After buying these in store I’ve been browsing the R.M. website more and it’s interesting to see they have a range of pull up leather boots, including an olive one (!).
Great to hear the maintenance is simple. I’m surprised that the wax polish isn’t needed at all — I’ve only ever worn leather shoes where it’s pretty necessary.
No worries.
The olive pair is the one I’ve got my eyes on. The in store pictures don’t do it justice but I was looking at them in store and they’re a dark green that has a light yellow green pull up, which should look great.
And yeah, super easy to care for leather which is why Chromexcel (CXL) is pretty much the most popular leather in the industry. It used to be used in WW2 for tank gaskets, so it’s pretty durable.
Tons of pics online for what an aged pair might look like, too. Just search CXL patina.
I don’t hear much about these mid brown RMW boots. First time buying RMWs — my thoughts:
* I would have preferred leather soles, but again not available for this boot. Not unhappy with the rubber soles though. Very comfortable
* Best fit for my feet were the narrower F sizes, but these aren’t available for this boot
* I went one half-size down in the normal width. Wish I could have down a half size up for my right foot, but I’m pretty happy with the fit and the comfort after a week of wear
* The leather is called “Pull Up” and I really like the more natural look. Haven’t figured out maintenance yet
* Which marketing genius came up with the colour name “mid brown”? It looks much nicer than it sounds!
* Bought the RMW shoe trees and they’re worth the money. Seem a little tight but I think that’s normal
That mid brown looks alright, better than my tan. Composite soles last forever so don't regret them. You definitely want the shoe trees so they still look crispy in 7 years time.
Beautiful. I love the mid-brown leather, and another new one that has caught my eye is the Moriarty in chocolate raisin; holy cow is that a rich and stunning colour!
Doing my best to justify another boot but am already up to… err… too many. Lemme see how I go..!
ETA: Hot dang that pull-up leather looks fantastic with a little wear. I’m still also hanging on a thread for the dark olive colour, which is also pull-up and will look amazing with wear. It’s less likely to be repeated too… but is similar in overall depth and shade to Chestnut Ericas I already own. Dangit.
Okay, so the leather being a “pull up” means you need to treat it a little differently. It’s a leather that’s been packed full of fats and oils during the tanning process and the pull up effect is the change in colouration you’ll get when the leather folds and creases which is due to the fats and oils moving around. Notice how the leather is lighter in the creases already? If you want to test the pull up yourself just put a finger instead the boot and press up on the leather to see it lighten. Rub it a little with your hand after to warm the fats up and it will go back to the regular colour. Pull up leather is amazing because will show patina and character more quickly and are easy to get a shine out of, but it also means it can mark or scuff more easily. It’s almost a self repairing leather though, because if you heat up and move those oils around again you can buff out the scuffs. So don’t panic if you notice a few light marks on them after a couple of wears. The most famous pull up leather is Chromexel from the Horween tannery and a lot of classic American boots are made from it. Care is simple. Most American companies simply recommend venetian shoe cream. But you can use any natural conditioner. I prefer Saphir greasy shoes cream which is specifically designed to add fats back into the leather. Then you just need to brush them hard, and brush them often. Keep in mind these will darken more easily with a condition, but once you wear them a bit they’ll lighten again. Use Bick 4 if you don’t want to darken them. Dont use a wax polish on this leather. If you want to add colour back you can get the Saphir I mentioned in a brown colour, but the idea with the leather is to show a natural patina and it doesn’t require a wax coat. As for shoe trees, yes they should be right as long as they don’t deform or stretch the leather over the welt. And I agree that the name is a bit bland. I really need to get a pair of RM’s in pull up though.
Fantastic advice, thanks very much! After buying these in store I’ve been browsing the R.M. website more and it’s interesting to see they have a range of pull up leather boots, including an olive one (!). Great to hear the maintenance is simple. I’m surprised that the wax polish isn’t needed at all — I’ve only ever worn leather shoes where it’s pretty necessary.
No worries. The olive pair is the one I’ve got my eyes on. The in store pictures don’t do it justice but I was looking at them in store and they’re a dark green that has a light yellow green pull up, which should look great. And yeah, super easy to care for leather which is why Chromexcel (CXL) is pretty much the most popular leather in the industry. It used to be used in WW2 for tank gaskets, so it’s pretty durable. Tons of pics online for what an aged pair might look like, too. Just search CXL patina.
I don’t hear much about these mid brown RMW boots. First time buying RMWs — my thoughts: * I would have preferred leather soles, but again not available for this boot. Not unhappy with the rubber soles though. Very comfortable * Best fit for my feet were the narrower F sizes, but these aren’t available for this boot * I went one half-size down in the normal width. Wish I could have down a half size up for my right foot, but I’m pretty happy with the fit and the comfort after a week of wear * The leather is called “Pull Up” and I really like the more natural look. Haven’t figured out maintenance yet * Which marketing genius came up with the colour name “mid brown”? It looks much nicer than it sounds! * Bought the RMW shoe trees and they’re worth the money. Seem a little tight but I think that’s normal
When you get them repaired you might be able to get them to decrease the width
That mid brown looks alright, better than my tan. Composite soles last forever so don't regret them. You definitely want the shoe trees so they still look crispy in 7 years time.
Beautiful. I love the mid-brown leather, and another new one that has caught my eye is the Moriarty in chocolate raisin; holy cow is that a rich and stunning colour! Doing my best to justify another boot but am already up to… err… too many. Lemme see how I go..! ETA: Hot dang that pull-up leather looks fantastic with a little wear. I’m still also hanging on a thread for the dark olive colour, which is also pull-up and will look amazing with wear. It’s less likely to be repeated too… but is similar in overall depth and shade to Chestnut Ericas I already own. Dangit.
These are on my to buy list