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Background : I originally bought a pair of RDT Stan boots in oil black about a year ago after not being able to find their oil black Casper boot. All my boots thus far have been a type of tea core. I mostly just love seeing the boot develop and age. And tea core leather exhibited this better than anything else (imo). That is, other than a natural veg tan or most natural colored leather. But I could never get myself to feel comfortable in lighter colored boots. But I figure the color would change drastically eventually. So instead of grabbing a pair of oil black Casper’s, I went with the natural CXL. I’ve been on the search for these for a while. And was only able to finding smaller sizes in Japanese retailers. As soon as I saw Standard & Strange would list them on their website, I set my alarms. I bought them last Friday and got them the following Tuesday. I’ve since worn them for two days. (Pics are two days in)

Fit : RDT is notorious for having weird sizing. They’re made on RDT’s CBT02 last. My Brannock size is 11EE. I got my Stan boots in a size 11 as suggested by the retailer I bought them from, due to my wide feet. Most suggest going down 1-2 sizes. Now, the Stan’s fit me width wise, but the length I found to be too long. Because of that, I wore an insole which helped. Now, I figured the Casper boot would be similar, so I first tried on a size 10. But I could not get my heel to get into the boot, due to the placement of the zipper and narrow heel block. I then tried a size 11, since they don’t make a 10 half size. It fit very well, but there was still a bit of room length and width wise, but it’s almost perfect. I’ve since added an insole, which has made the fit perfect. That being said, if you’re in the market for any RDT, I’d try them on in person if you’re lucky enough to have a retailer that carries them in the area. Otherwise, S&S size breakdown feels very accurate.

Build : here’s a link to the boots from S&S. They list the build specs better than I’d be able to. What I love most about these boots is the subtle details. It’s a very simple boot, made mostly with one perfectly cut piece of leather, wrapped around the last during construction and only has one seam on the back of the boot. The hardware is RDT branded. It has custom labels and woven pull tabs. The main star I’d say is the leather. I would suggest looking up the Casper boot in oil black to see how the leather creases and drapes after many wears. It’s just spectacular. I’m sure most people here are familiar with Natural CXL, and most know how well it patinas. So I’m excited to see how quickly the color changes. I usually put my boots through the ringer and do not see them as precious things, so the process should be quick.

Final Thoughts : These boots are seriously the most comfy out the bat. They are a bit taller than your standard boot, so the extra leather going up your leg feels great, and comfy. I’ll be posting a follow up to my oil black Stan boots in the coming months. They have worn nicely and will still be in my rotation. But for the spring/summer, the Casper’s will be a second skin. Special thanks to the guys over at S&S. They’ve always been very helpful and are habitually the best. Thanks for reading y’all.