Q. How do you know you're a True Bootman?
A. While I didn't write it, the statements about knowing if you're a True Bootman found on the Hot Boots website almost all are exactly what I would say, too!
Q. Have you ever worn shoes?
A. Maybe as a little kid, but not since age 10+
Q. Not even sneakers? What do you wear to the gym?
A. Nope. And pay for a gym membership? Ya gotta be kiddin! (Actually, I try to go swimming about once a week at the University where I enjoy lifetime usage of their recreation facilities.)
Q. You mean to tell me that you wear boots even to weddings, funerals, and other formal occassions?
A. I was booted in a tux as Best Man in my brother's formal wedding, and I’ve even attended receptions at embassies and the White House in my dress Cowboy Boots.
Q. Do people ever say anything about your wearing boots all the time?
A. Nobody knows me to wear anything different, and they probably would faint if they saw me in anything BUT boots.
Q. What would you would wear if you took visitors on a walking tour of Washington, DC?
A. While my scuzzy old Harley-Davidson Harness Boots are the most comfortable boots I own, they’re really rather ugly so I would wear my Station Boots or Chippewa Firefighter Boots which are very comfortable and good lookin’, too, if I know I have to walk a lot.
Q. What do you wear when you do work around the house?
A. My H-D Harness Boots or my Station Boots which were inexpensive and I don't mind abusing them.
Q. Don’t your feet get tired?
A. Sometimes... in boots made more for show than for comfort. I sometimes change boots four or five times day, depending on where I am going, what I will be doing, and the method of transportation I choose to use (my Harley, 4-wheeled vehicle, walking, or getting a ride with someone else.) Good quality boot socks also help a lot!
Q. What are your favorite boots?
A. With leather, my current faves are my H-D Police Enforcer Boots which are super comfortable and cool. I've also taken a liking to my Chippewa Firefighter Boots, especially during wet, yucky weather. For work, I wear a variety of cowboy boots.
Q. Do you have other favorite boots?
A. Yes... and that changes with the seasons and some rediscovery of the boots in my collection. I like Cowboy Boots with exotic skins, like snake and alligator, and that have contrasting colors to blue jeans. I also wear Biker boots a lot.
Q. I don't see any rubber boots or rubber gear in your collection. Why not?
A. Rubber boots or gear don't do anything for me except make me sweat. I don't like that feeling, so I don't have any. Just not for me.
Q. Do you have any latex, lycra, or spandex gear?
A. Nope. Definitely not for me.
Q. Do you have any women's boots?
A. No. I am a masculine man. The boots in my collection are my own and for me to wear or share with my partner. I do not find women's boots interesting at all.
Q. Do you prefer lace-up or pull-on boots?
A. Generally, I prefer pull-on boots because I don't have much patience with the time required to lace boots properly. Since I didn't learn how to tie shoes until I was 13, that was another reason why I wore boots since about age 10... no tying required!
Q. Do you wear boots without socks?
A. I always wear socks. I can't stand the feeling of sweaty feet. Plus, my boots go on and come off so much more easily when I'm wearing socks.
Q. I don’t see any crotch-high boots in your collection. Why not?
A. I once had a pair of 32" Wesco Big Boss Boots, but gave them away to a friend. I find boots above the knee to be hot and impractical. Personally, I don't like them (on me; this isn't about other guys.)
Q. When you Cowboy Up, do you wear jeans inside or outside of your boots?
A. Jeans over the boots. In American culture, jeans are very rarely worn inside boots, but occasionally I might wear jeans inside my boots around home.
Q. What boots do you wear when you ride your motorcycle?
A. If I will be going on a long motorcycle ride, I've found my Chippewa Firefighter Boots are great! If I want to wear taller boots with jeans tucked in, I like to wear oil-tanned Chippewa Engineer Boots or Black or Brown Wesco harness boots, or my Wesco Motor Patrol boots. If I will be riding with like-minded Boot/Leather Buddies in full gear, I wear whatever tall, black boots fit best outside my leathers, including H-D Police Enforcer Boots, Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots, Wesco Harness Boots, and, of course, my Dehners (which I like to wear with uniform breeches). Whatever fits the mood, look, style, and image of the day.
Q. What are your oldest boots that you still wear?
A. I still have about a dozen pairs of my Frye Boots from high school days. One pair of Banana Campus Fryes is very well-worn but they still fit, and sound good too.
Q. What are your newest boots?
A. Being a Bootman, I tend to get new boots rather often. When I get new boots, I mention them on my What's New Page on this website when I have pics of them.
Q. What boots have you been most disappointed with?
A. Boots that won't stop squeaking, or whose size says one thing but become something else. I sold a pair from Champion Attitude that looked really hot, but just didn’t fit. I also really don’t like boots that have man-made shaft material. It feels like it is plastic, is hot, and sometimes has loose threads or material that causes something inside the shaft to rub on a part of my calf, causing sores. So I don’t wear Acme Boots any more. They’re crap.
Q. What do you do about squeaking boots?
A. Inject silicone like WD-40 with a syringe, as well as apply Lexol leather conditioner along the part of the boot where the leather is stitched to the sole. If the squeak is in the heel, I have a cobbler replace the heels.
Q. What have you done in your boots?
A. Mostly just walk in them and ride horses or iron horses while wearing them.
Q. Have you worn boots 24/7?
A. I've tried, but I have this problem with sweaty extremeties, and when my feet sweat, the discomfort I feel keeps me awake. I can't sleep while wearing boots.
Q. Would you like to wear boots 24/7?
A. Not really.
Q. Were boots a factor in your early years as you were identifying as Gay?
A. No, not really. Boots are not sexual fetish objects to me. They are simply functional footwear.
Q. What boots do you have your eye on?
A. Tall Black Motorcycle Cop Boots on real bike cops in uniform always catch my eye. And I don't pass up noticing guys in cowboy boots, either. (Especially if the guy is in tight Wranglers!)
Q. What boots would you like to get that you don’t already have?
A. Hard to say ... I think I've gotten pretty much everything I have wanted and will wear, but I keep my eyes open. I can't turn down a good pair of boots (new or used) if the style, color, composition, height, manufacturer, etc., attract my attention and doesn't duplicate something I have already.
Q. How do you decide when to get a pair of boots?
A. When I’ve saved money in my Boot Fund and see something I like. I never carry a balance on credit cards and always pay my bills in full, so after bills are paid, I put some money aside in a Boot Fund (savings account) and wait until I have enough to get what I want.
Q. What’s the most you have paid for a pair of boots?
A. $600.00 (Custom Dehners)
Q. Other than gifts, what’s the least you have paid for a pair of boots?
A. About $40 from an eBay auction. About $100 for a new pair from a store or internet site featuring a sale.
Q. What turns you on about boots?
A. How they look, the height of the shaft, the sound they make when I walk in them, how they feel on my legs when I wear them, and how they feel on my ...
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