The Red Wing Iron Ranger Traction Tred Boots: Made In The USA

This is the Red Wing Iron Ranger Traction Tred, it’s the first time the venerable American boot company has ever combined their famous Iron Ranger leather upper with the more modern (and comfortable) Traction Tred outsole.

In the 119 years since it was founded in 1905, the Red Wing Shoe Company has risen to become one of the most enduring bootmakers in the United States, and they still make many of their products in America.

This is the slightly darker Amber colorway of the Red Wing Iron Ranger Traction Tred Boots, the image at the top of this post is the lighter Oro color.

The Red Wing Shoe Company

The Red Wing Shoe Company was founded in Red Wing, Minnesota in early 1905 by Charles Beckman with the backing of 14 local Red Wing investors. Beckman famously focussed on making long-lasting boots that could handle whatever their wearers did in them, from logging and mining to trapping, hunting, and farming.

In 1909 the company switched over from using pegged-and-nailed construction to Goodyear welted construction, a newer process that involved stitching the sole and upper together in such a way that the sole could be quickly replaced by a cobbler – further extending the lifespan of the boots.

Red Wing would manufacture vast quantities of boots for US soldiers during WWI, then make a small fortune producing boots for oil field workers during the boom time.

As the 20th century progressed new model lines were released, there were boots for hunters, safety boots with steel toecaps for industrial workers, boots for women, boots for soldiers during WWII including the famous “Skytrooper” paratrooper boots, hiking boots, sports boots, waterproof boots, and more.

The Iron Ranger upper has that distinctive capped toe and uses heavy duty leather, with steel eyelets and hooks, and Goodyear welt construction.

Of all the Red Wing boot designs the most enduring is the Iron Ranger, released in 1922 and developed specifically for the workers in Minnesota’s iron ore mines in the Mesabi mountains. These boots were made with thick leather, they had a double toe cap, double stitched construction, steel eyelets, and a Goodyear welted sole.

The Iron Ranger boots quickly became bestsellers for Red Wing, and they’ve remained in production ever since. Generations of American workers have worn them, from iron ore miners of old to the software developers of the modern day.

The Red Wing Iron Ranger Traction Tred Boots

The Red Wing Iron Ranger Traction Tred Boots are a new development from the company, as noted in the introduction, marrying the Iron Ranger leather upper to the Traction Tred outsole for the first time.

This combination provides the long-lasting, hard-wearing properties of the Iron Ranger with the modern Traction Tred sole providing excellent slip, heat, and chemical/oil-resistance.

This is the Red Wing Traction Tred outsole it provides excellent slip, heat, and chemical/oil-resistance, and it can be replaced when it wears out with years of use.

The boots are available in sizes ranging from 6 to 13 US and there’s a sizing chart on the website to help you get the right fit first time. They come in either the lighter Oro or the darker Amber colorways, both of which are shown above and below, and they retail for $349.99 USD directly from Red Wing.

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