Customer Reviews Red Wing Heritage 6" Iron Ranger

These are great boots and after six months they are really coming into their own, molding to my feet like the proverbial baseball glove. However, as you may have noted by other posts, getting the right fit is a bit of a chore. The best thing to do is buy two pairs and return one. That is scary at this price but Zappos' return policy makes and there is just no other way to be sure. Sizing help: If your feet are narrow to normal you are in luck; these boots are shaped for you. You might fit a full size down. If you have wide toes like I do you might have to stick with a half size down and accept a little extra length. I normally wear a 9 in shoes like Keens that have good toebox width. I wear an 8½ Iron Ranger and that is only to make my pinky toes happy. In all other aspects I would fit an 8. No matter what, they will not feel good right out of the box. Generally they will feel overly snug but in a weird way they may even feel too lose and too tight at the same time. Minor heel slippage is normal. Do not despair. They will soon conform to your feet. Snug spots will loosen and slipping spots (especially in the heel) will get more secure as your foot makes its own pocket. A word on insoles: One big difficulty is that you will need to consider whether or not you want an additional insole before you get the chance to break them in -- but of course that decision will influence what size you buy. All I can say is I thought I would want insoles but at present I like them without. I feel you should at least break them in without an insole and see how it goes. Oh and I concur with what others have said, they are not for icy conditions. Hope this helps.

Completely worthless on the snow. The sole Redwing chose for this boot is smooth as a baby's bottom. Perhaps this is how the original boot was sold, but I consider it a design flaw for use during the winter. Redwing gave the boot a nifty name. But there is no way this foot ware would be a viable option for a MN winter. It almost dangerous walking in them. With that said, off the snow they are very comfortable, past braking them in. Construction is second to none, and the vintage styling is great. If you live in a snow-less region, enjoy them year round. You won't be disappointed. Again, worthless on the snow.

Fantastic shoe, well made, very good leather - but does take time to break in. Shoe runs big, I usually wear a 10.5 to 11 and I got a 10 in this shoe. Must wear shoe with dark socks at first since the leather will stain white socks until broken in.

Great work boot that happens to look good with chinos and jeans. Took a couple of days to break in. Continues to get more comfortable with each wear. I ended up going a full 1.5 sizes down from my regular. Toe box is roomy, while the instep is narrow. Laces should be a couple of inches longer.

I bought these boots specifically for their looks and durability. They’re hand-made (in MN) and have a 50s look to them, which is what initially caught my eye. This is a sturdy boot and takes a bit longer to break in, but the initial fit is on point. However, as suggested by others, I did buy a half size down. Honestly, I’m probably going to buy the brown ones as well. That being said, to me this is more of a motorcycle/dress boot. The cork sole is great on everything, it even grips on ice, but packed snow and mud are a problem. They have no tread whatsoever so in snow you have walk around digging in with your heels. I would not recommend hiking in these, which is funny considering they’re called "Iron Ranger."

I've had my pair Iron Rangers in the muleskinner color (tan suede) for just over two years. I still love them. Two years folks! And I am hard on boots. As others have remarked they will be stiff and loose right out of the box; however, they conform to your feet. The stiffness eases and the looseness draw in, for one of the best fitting most comfortable boots I've ever worn. When I bought mine two years ago I bought two pairs. 10 and 10.5, after wearing both around the house (inside on the carpet, do not wear outside. Outside = no return, and no money-backy). Therefore, unless you're returning like me to buy another pair, spend extra money (you'll get it back) for two pairs upfront, and send the other pair back once you're sure. As an Army veteran I know good boots and I know bad boots, soldiers live on their feet. These are not the latter. I'll even venture to say the Iron Ranger is more comfortable than my old Jump Boots. Now I've seen a couple reviews where the person slams the sole. And I'll tell ya, and as you can clearly see from the pictures above, the soles do not have any grooves or teeth for gripping. They're not hiking boots. If you want hiking boots, use the little search feature Zappos has conveniently placed in the upper middle and go buy some Asolos (which I've used in combat and swear by). However, I digress. The Iron Ranger was fashioned after the old mining boots miners used, thus the cap toe. So yeah, not good in the snow. However, they grip like a son-of-gun in the rain. If you want some killer comfy boots that go with khakis just as much as they go with jeans...buy these boots. You'll be happy you did!

No one has ever complimented my foot wear until I started wearing these. I'm not much for flash; these boots are not flashy, but there's something awesome about them when I slip them on. I ordered one size down (9.5 D) from my sneaker size (10.5 D). That's not unique to this pair of Red Wings. My boot size has nearly always been 1 full size smaller than my sneaker size. I'm retired military, I'm a motorcyclist, I've worn a lot of boots. About 3 days to get them 70% broken in. In a week, they feel like you're wearing fine Italian gloves for your feet. I've never actually owned a pair of fine Italian gloves, but I imagine they might feel like this pair of boots after they're broken in. The shoe laces do seem short at first, but as the leather molds and sculpts to your feet, the lace length is perfect.

I bought these boots because my Doc Martens finally bit the dust. I was hesitant at first because of the price but I am so glad I spent the money. The boots are extremely well made, and can go casual to dressy no problem. I purchased an 11 EE when I normally wear a 12 in normal shoes, or a 13 in Nikes (just to give you an idea of the sizes). I have a wide feet and these fit perfectly. There was a three day break in period and now I love them. They are more comfortable than the Doc Martens because they come in the half sizes for people with larger feet (keep in mind you need to go a size down) and the docs stop half sizing at size 11. Overall awesome shoes. I have owned them for over a month. Definitely worth it.

Great customer service. I bought a pair that was too large, wore them around a bit and yeah, way too big. They took them back no worries and sent me out a new pair that I received the next day. Could not ask for more customer service than that. They have a lifelong customer in me because of this action. Oh yeah, absolutely buy at least a 1/2 size smaller than you wear. Mine are still roomy althought not too big and i am down a 1/2 size. If you have a regular or narrrow foot go a full size down. I needed a bigger tow box so went a 1/2 size down. I love them.

What great boots (when you finally get a pair that match and fit). The break in was easy, but make sure to buy half to a whole size under your usual street size. The heel is cut narrower than a standard D. Carefully check the workmanship as the cap toes are arbitrarily cut and sized.

These are exactly what I was looking for: retro, tough and purposeful but not with a sole that looks like I am about to step in a cow pie. They are close to a full size oversized with regular socks. If you add an insert or where liner socks... maybe just a half size over.

Simply put, these are the nicest boots I have ever owned. They look beautiful, function fantastically and come in wide sizes!!!! The craftsmanship is impeccable, and the materials are top notch. The price is steep, but I expect these to last a very, very long time especially since they can be re-soled. They took a little while (over a dozen days) to break in, and I still need to wear some thicker wool socks with them, but that is not really a problem. When I first received the boots, the oils from them transferred to any cloth that touched them, including pant legs and socks. The white socks I wore are stained permanently, but my pants recovered. If you're looking to invest in a good pair of boots that will last a long while, I suggest purchasing these.

This shoe is badass. Nothing but compliments since I got them. Break in is a few days. Felt narrow on my foot but they are wearing in nicely.

The best, made in U.S.A. For fast break in, run hot water from tap over front half of boot. Wear for 4 or 5 hours. Once or twice should do it.

I was looking at the Red Wing Gentlemen Traveller based on a recommendation and saw the Iron Ranger. I wanted something tough looking and comfortable, I used to wear Doc Martin's back in the early 90's, but now everyone has them. Break in was two days, with just a couple hots spots on the inner ankle bones. After a couple weeks, they are great. The comfort of all leather boots is simply the best and they aren't hot and sweaty like synthetic/Goretex hiking boots that I used to wear.I love that the boots are made locally, and quality is outstanding. Worth the cost. Only thing I don't like is my pants get caught all the time on the back of the boot, so I look like Andy Taylor sometimes.

Quality control on this, Red Wing's most popular boot, is loose at best...my impression is that they are just trying to get these shipped out regardless of slips in workmanship. Flubs I've personally encountered thus far: one boot 1/4" longer than the other, missed or broken stitches, one boot a different shade of brown than the other (different dye lots in the hides I presume... hey Red Wing, maybe try cutting a complete pair from the same hide!?), differently sized toe caps, crooked stitching on the toe cap, unacceptably large scars in the leather in prominent locations on the boot. All I'm saying is Red Wing: slow it down, make sure you are putting a quality product out there and...Consumer: check every stitch on your expensive boots and if it's not right, send 'em back. They run 1/2 size big, maybe a whole size big if your feet aren't wide (if you size down one whole size and your feet are not super narrow, your pinky toes might get crushed because they will most likely rest right at the toe cap stitching, which doesn't stretch like the rest of the leather). Anyway it is a good looking boot if you can figure out your size and find a pair with minimal flaws (good luck!).

Great boots. Do order down at least a half size. And do be prepared for an extensive break-in period. And then enjoy wearing them for the rest of your life.

Cool boots. Pretty stiff at first, and coming from Ecco dress shoes, they took some getting used to. Three weeks in now, and they're feeling good. Steep price, but I can tell I'm going to have these for a very long time. Excellent craftsmanship. Also, runs a full size bigger than my "normal" size. From other reviews on here, ordered both a full size and a half size smaller than normal, and the full was it. No worries thanks to Zappos' kick-ass, hassle free return policy. Will order from these folks again!

My first Zappos purchase and these boots make me so happy. They look great right away (yet still new). They fit beautifully, lace up easily and are just nice to touch. I am a big fan.

Half a size smaller was fine for me. I agree with one reviewer who contemplated getting insoles then thought better of it once the boots were broken in, which was maybe four or five days. It was pretty tough during that time but they now feel great and there is virtually no heel slippage as I originally had. There are awesome boots, they are probably the nicest that I have ever owned. Craftsmanship is top notch. It is true that the sole is not made for winter.

Another quality Red Wing product. These boots will last years especially when considering that you can send them back to Red Wing to have them refurbished (nominal charge). These are made in the USA. The leather for the cap toe was cut a little uneven (poor quality control?), but otherwise an excellent boot! I normally wear an 8.5 E or EE. I purchased the 7.5EE. They are just a tad tight now, but they are already starting to break-in and will fit perfectly. I recommend purchasing one full size smaller than you might purchase.

I love these boots. I normally wear a size 10 so I ordered them in a 10. Had to send them back for a 1/2 size smaller. With a thin insole, these bad boys fit perfectly now! They're a bit of a pain to break in (just ask my feet), but I can already tell it'll be worth it. Such a great look and the leather is smooth as butter. Compliments for days! Can't wait to break them in and rock them for years to come...

This is a great boot. I looks good with jeans or dress pants. Being a project manager at a construction company I needed a boot that would look good in the office and perform well when visiting a job site. These fit that category, plus they look awesome.

I have had these boots for over two years now. I cycle these with another pair of Red Wings for work as an insurance broker. I spend time in the office but also spend a lot of time in the field. I love these boots. Yes they were expensive. But the good thing about red wings is that they are worth the money if you take care of them because they last so long. I wore a hole in the tongue that needs fixing, but other than that they are holding up great. Take care of them with saddle soap/boot oil and they take care of you. I cannot convey enough how much I love my Red Wings. I have other pairs that I have had for almost 10 years. Buy these boots. I buy mine from a great local dealer.

These shoes have been great! Be sure to buy a full size smaller than what you wear, they really are that big. These broke in within a week. I could not ask for anything more from them!