Links
Last updated October 27, 2008
Stompers Boots, San Francisco. Excellent pricing on biker boots, engineer boots, Wescos, Dehners, Chippewa, and several other brands. #1 boot dealer in my book. Free domestic U.S. shipping. Owned by a very reliable, trustworthy, and intelligent friend.
Big Black Boots, San Diego, California. One of the most informative and educational websites in addition to a good selection of boots. Run by very reliable and knowledgable men who have been in the business for a long time.
Champion Attitude Boots, El Paso, Texas. This company does some fine work in hand-crafting boots -- mostly cowboy boots. It can take a few months for special order boots, but the quality is excellent. Just be sure to submit accurate measurements.
Intapol Industries, Jersey City, New Jersey. Good source of breeches and motorcycle patrol boots.
Boot Barn, Orange County, California. Sign up for their e-mail list. You get frequent discount offers of 15 - 20% off name-brand boots. Terrific selection on cowboy boots. Better pricing for shipping than competitors.
Sheplers, Wichita, Kansas. Very reputable, good selection. Occasional sales make pricing competitive, but their shipping charges are inordinately high.
Boots USA, Aurora, Colorado. Good pricing on motorcycle boots.
Bootbay.com, Knoxville, Tennessee. Free shipping within the U.S. on purchases over $64. Good deals on engineer boots, in particular.
Drysdales, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Decent western store with a wide selection of cowboy boots. Shipping is expensive.
Nashville Boots, Nashville, Tennessee. Another decent western store.
Do not buy from noconabootshop.com. I tried to call them on the phone, but never could reach a human being. I ordered a pair of boots from them on-line, they charged me, then they credited me back without any explanation. I sent them serveral email messages to which they never replied. They have poor customer service. Don't buy from them.
665 Leather, West Hollywood, California. Good custom leather work. Pricing is better than others, and custom work is great.
Northbound Leather, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Very good custom leather gear and decent pricing. If you live in the U.S., it's best if you can make your purchase in person and carry your goods with you back home. Shipping to the U.S. is exceptionally expensive.
Biker's Den. Good quality leather gear for bikers. Free shipping. They only accept PayPal, so you need a PayPal account to use them.
J.C. Whitney, which is where I have purchased boot chains and vest extenders.
Mr. S. - Fetters of San Francisco. They once had really good leather goods and did good custom work, but their prices are astronomical now and they seem to be more interested in selling toys than leather. While much more than half of my leather gear was purchased from Mr. S., I can't recommend them any more.
Leather Up. I bought a pair of leather jeans from them. While they were inexpensive, I got what I paid for. They're cheap, squeak, and the quality isn't that good.
Leather Rack, Washington DC. Cheap imported leather goods.
Jamin' Leather (on-line). Cheap imported leather goods.
HotBoots.com. A community of men into boots!
International Mr. Leather Contest. IML is held over Memorial Day weekend (usually the last weekend in May) in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The website provives information on hotels, activities, and registration for IML. This is the largest leather fetish contest in the world.
Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. MAL is held in Washington, DC, over Martin Luther King holiday weekend, which is usually the third weekend in January. The website provides information on hotels, activities, and registration for MAL. This is reported to be the second only to IML in size of attendance at such an event.
Folsom Street Fair. This event, which occurs on the last weekend in September in San Francisco, California, is one of the oldest, kinkiest gatherings of leather fetishists in the U.S. A smaller, more intimate gathering, called the "Up Your Alley" (or Dore Alley) fair, is held the last Sunday in July. Information about both events can be found on this one website.
International Gay Rodeo Association. Has information about gay rodeos in the U.S. and Canada, as well as schedules and results of IGRA-associated rodeo competitions.
Note: all groups listed below share photos of adults. Many photos are x-rated and may be highly offensive. In order to participate in the group and share or receive photos, you must register. Registration on the groups listed below are free. I do not link to or list groups that charge fees.
abootfetish Yahoo Group. The largest Yahoo Group of its kind where photos of men in boots are shared.
Booted Guys. A forum based on the "ning" network for guys into boots.
Smoking Guys. A forum also on the "ning" network for guys who like to smoke.
Here's my opinion on eBay. As far as on-line auction sites go, eBay is by far the most sophisticated and thorough. Most boots and leather gear on eBay is represented factually and when I have bought boots or gear through eBay, I have gotten what I have paid for. Have I been disappointed? Yes, but that was my fault. For example, I didn't see something that was not in a description, and I ended up with a pair of Langlitz leather breeches that ultimately didn't fit (but they did fit my partner, so they weren't a loss.)
If you choose to bid on an item on eBay, check the seller's feedback. You may not find a 100% positive rating, but sometimes some people have bones to pick if they got something that they didn't like. You usually can't return something bought on eBay unless it was materially misrepresented. However, another example is that I bought a pair of boots that were the right size in the foot, but the calf was too small and I couldn't wear them. The seller was very accommodating and took them back and refunded my purchase price. He didn't have to do that, but as I said, most sellers on eBay are fair and reasonable.
Don't bid immediately. Note when the bid ends, and keep track of it. If you bid too early, undoubtedly someone will outbid you. Wait until close to the end of the auction to bid. That's what most people do (and I do not recommend the use of sniping programs which are not fair to regular folks).
One last recommendation: pick your top bid price and stick to it. Avoid getting caught up in a last-minute frenzy with escalating bids. If the top bid is more than what you said to yourself you want to spend, let it go. You can find it again later from someone else. That happens a lot. Good luck, happy bidding!