This is the Red Wing Traction Tred Lite, it’s a safety toe work boot that meets ASTM safety standards, it has a slip/oil resistant sole that also meets ASTM standards, and it’s rated for electrical hazards.
Although it may look like the kind of vintage Chelsea boot you’d wear out on a Friday night, the Traction Tred Lite was designed from the ground up with a non-metallic safety toe and a slew of other modern OSHA features to make it ideal for work on construction sites, in factories, garages, and workshops.
This is the Red Wing Traction Tred Lite, it’s a safety toe work boot that meets ASTM safety standards, it has a slip/oil resistant sole that also meets ASTM standards, and it’s rated for electrical hazards.
History Speedrun: Red Wing Boots
Red Wing Shoe Company was founded in 1905 in Red Wing, Minnesota by Charles H Beckman – a local shoe merchant who wanted to provide loggers with footwear that was tough, long lasting, and comfortable. With support from 14 small local investors, the company soon established a reputation for making boots designed for farmers, miners, and laborers across the Midwest.
Early on in its history Red Wing shifted from traditional pegged and nailed soles to welted construction, meaning that the boots could be resoled when needed, vastly extending their lifespan.
In 1926 Red Wing launched the Gloria, its first women’s work boot, and in 1934 it introduced steel-toe safety boots, a sign that the company was focussing more on on occupational footwear for America’ rapidly growing industrial machine.
During the Second World War, Red Wing supplied military boots to countless GIs, as well as work boots to the men and women working in American factories producing everything from aircraft and rifles to ammunition and helmets.
Ownership passed early on to the Sweasy family, which still leads the company today after multiple generations. In 1986 Red Wing bought the S.B. Foot Tanning Company, its longtime leather supplier, in order to ensure full control over the quality of its hides. This partnership became central to the brand’s identity, as S.B. Foot’s oil-tanned leathers long ago became synonymous with Red Wing’s boots.
Although it may look like the kind of vintage Chelsea boot you’d wear out on a Friday night, the Traction Tred Lite was designed from the ground up with a non-metallic safety toe and a slew of other modern OSHA features to make it ideal for work on construction sites, in factories, garages, and workshops.
The postwar decades saw expansion into retail stores, the introduction of the urethane “SuperSole” in the 1970s, and broader adoption by oil, logging, and manufacturing industries across the United States.
At the same time, Red Wing boots developed a cultural following outside of the workplace, especially models like the Iron Ranger and the Classic Moc, which became staples in fashion and denim circles as far away as Japan and Australia.
Red Wing remains a family-owned business today, with factories in Minnesota and Missouri. Its Heritage line keeps traditional methods like Goodyear welting and triple stitching alive, allowing new generations to buy and wear the same work boots their grandparents and great grandparents did all those years ago.
The Red Wing Traction Tred Safety Toe Chelsea Boot
The Red Wing Traction Tred Safety Toe Chelsea Boot was developed to bring the old world styling of the Red Wing Chelsea boot range into the 21st century, offering full compliance with ASTM safety standards for a non-metallic protective toe, a slip/oil resistant sole, and electrical hazards.
The boot has a full grain, waterproof, oiled, and waxed upper made from Red Wing leather – that comes from US raised cattle with minimal surface imperfections. The HRO soles are designed to perform on high heat surfaces, and they have a minimum melting point of 475ºF or 246ºC.
The boot has a full grain, waterproof, oiled, and waxed upper made from Red Wing leather – that comes from US raised cattle with minimal surface imperfections. The HRO soles are designed to perform on high heat surfaces, and they have a minimum melting point of 475ºF or 246ºC.
Inside you’ll find a soft, removable polyurethane footbed and a Bontex® insole, and the boot uses classic welt construction so it can be resoled to extend its life. There is a sizing chart on the store page to help ensure you get the right size first time out.
The Traction Tred Safety Toe Chelsea Boot is available direct from the official Red Wing store here in sizes ranging from 7 through to 15 US, and they can be ordered in regular or wide widths.
Images courtesy of Red Wing
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