I’ve had a pair of Rogue Ranger boots for about 10 months now and it’s time for a bit of a review.
I bought them from John Muirden at http://www.unbeatentracks.com/. This meant that I was taking a bit of a risk by buying them on-line, but with an assurance from John that I could have an exchange or full refund, I accepted. http://www.raymears.com/ also sells them for about the same price.
The boots are advertised as a light hiker/trail boot and are made entirely of leather. This means they are a non-technical boot and therefore a little heavier than some modern boots you can buy.
The Rogue range, including the famous hats, appears to be made in South Africa by Selke Leather for Rogue. There are a couple of other boots in the range; notably a new lightweight tracker boot and the more robust Trans-Africa.
When they first arrived I was surprised at the softness of the leather uppers and knew that these boots wouldn’t take much breaking in. Indeed, it was only a couple of weeks before they were as comfortable as any other boots I’d owned including some of the boots I had in the services. I’ll explain how I broke them in on a later post.
I would reiterate that these are a non-technical boot and I had to do a bit of work covering them in dubbin and wax to make them somewhat water-resistant; but despite this under nominally wet conditions (rain/damp) I’ve not had any serious ingress of water. For really wet conditions and stomping through puddles I wear wellies. For an “extreme” test I deliberately stood in a puddle for a good couple of minutes before I felt water seep through the seams of the uppers.
This winter, I have found the boots a little cold even with a couple of pairs of socks; but perhaps this would be the same with any boots apart from something offering a thermal lining. But even so, I don’t think they are suitable for a full winter season.
For a comfortable 2 season or 3 season light trail boot as described these boots are the tops. The strange, soft rubberised soles allow you to feel your way across the woods. They are in fact pretty good for stalking for this reason. I’ve not tried them at any distance on tarmac, but I would think the sole would wear down pretty quickly. For climbing or scrambling (not that I do a lot of this either) the sole is also ideally made providing good grip on smooth surfaces.
The soft leather uppers don’t really resist brambles and scratches too well, but I don’t buy boots for keeping them in good looks. I just slap polish on, cover them in dubbin and we’re ready for the off again.
The supplied laces are diabolical, fraying at the sight of a bramble, but the metal lace holes are 
pretty robust. The top 4 holes are a D-type swivel arrangement. (Please excuse me if I’ve not got the terms right.)
Technically, the inside of the boots are as basic as the outside and I suggest you might need some superior insoles to suit the shape of your foot. You might also wish to consider that the boots only comes in half sizes. I take a UK size 8 (Euro 42) but had to buy a 8½. Taking into consideration a replacement insole, an additional thin pair of thin socks and thicker wool socks, this was not a problem at all for me.
All in all, the Rogue Rangers are a comfortable, all leather, soft terrain, 2-3 season trail boot. At £59-00 they will probably be the most comfortable boot you would have bought at the price (if a bit heavy.) I will certainly be wearing these for the next few seasons.
Pablo.
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This is the home of Woodlife. You will find links to Pablos Woodlife (blog) the Woodlife Social Network (forum) and Woodlife Trails (courses) all on this page.
Very impressive!
Hi Mr P
Enjoying your blog as always, keep up the good work! I agree that the Rogue boots are a great bit of kit, here in the deep south I have made do with the 1/2 boot, great for 3 seasons and like you if it gets to wet its on with the wellies! I use the trusty old nik wax to give me that extra protection. I hardly needed to break them in, a few outings at best before they became almost like slippers! I use mine from walking the dog, shopping and even what they were designed for!!
Regards
Sailor
You should get some nice felt insoles. They boost the warmth of boots an awful lot.
Unbeaten Tracks still sell off their Rogue gear but I received the following email from Unbeaten Tracks:
Hi Andrew,
Unfortunately, we will not be ordering any more of the vellies. Regrettably we will be discontinuing the rogue range of boots due to quality issues etc……
We apologise for this inconvenience,
Kind Regards
I will try Ray Mears. I have the Vellies (suade boots) and they need replacing. They are the best footware I have ever owned in my life (and I am now 69).
Ampers.
Lyndsey Cartwright
Unbeaten Tracks Ltd
Ooops, The Lyndsey siggy should have been immediately after the line “Kind Regards”.
Ampers
In response to the message from Unbeaten tracks we would point out that Kendrick Imports have now taken over the Rogue Range of Outdoor Gear distribution in the U.K. (www.kendrickimports.com). All Rogue boots are available through Kendrick Imports with the Ranger Boot, Half Boot, Desert Boot and Trans Africa all to shortly be avialable directly from the website. Pete and Carol Kendrick have been involved with Rogue for many years in South Africa and would like to categorically assure all customers that there are no quality issues and that all products come with a full guarantee.
regards
Pete Kendrick
Great review and thanks. This really gives me heart as I am old school when it comes to boots. I like leather inside and out without any artificial liners. I just need to find out if I can get a pair exported to me!
Best wishes, Paul
You can get them in the UK from Kendrick Imports – prices on the web site included P&P to UK mainland addresses
Regards
Carol
…But will they ship to Transylvania?
Carol, I didn’t realise you were part of Kendrick imports. I think Paul Lives in Transylvania (true!) but he may be able to pick them up on a trip to the UK. I’ll pass this info over to him on the woodlife network where he is a member.
Hi Pablo and Carol,
I have just picked up on this message and thanks. I am going to try and get back sometime next month, so I could pick them up then from a relatives address. I just hope I get the size right first time as there won’t be time to reorder!
Best wishes, Paul
Hi Paul – if you want some help checking that you get the right size then please give me a call on +44 845 745 1281. Brgds Carol.
Can’t beat these rugged boots for practicality, but I’ve found some fantastic quality “luxury” country boots by a brand called Celtic Legend. I bought a pair of Chukka boots from http://www.arthurknightshoes.co.uk called Belfast, and although they’re £200+ they fit and finish were amazing!