They were going to put a few on the road full time but they decided against it because they didn't want to overdo it and wanted to keep it a special once - twice yearly event. The RM truck is a highlight in the bush.

Thanks for the pictures. Such a nice lookin' truck....wouldn't mind driving that for the weekend.

You would not like to live there shooey unless your shoe collection was nearby. Maybe you could take the RMW road train?

Fascinating, at times I fancied being out in dream time in the outback - being one of them road train drivers miles away from anywhere. Just the desert and me, either it would drive you over the edge, or you would become a poet at one with nature.

Hello,
I'm new to the forum, and have been reading some of the discussion re RM Williams. Very interesting....and concerning. I wanted to share some thoughts and experiences of RMW's I think are apposite. I've been wearing them for 20 yrs or so, which is not that long given their heritage. The quality has declined, noticeably. Comparing a pair made in the early 90s with a pair made 1 yr ago the quality of stitching around the elastics for e.g. is not what it used to be, but when compared to a vintage pair from the 60s it's like they were made by two different boot makers. Outer sole is much softer sole leather and thinner. They don't wear as long or well, even if you only wear your boots 2/3 times a week. A casual chat to a few repairers reveals they believe and know so too.

The stitch tension is much looser, spacing wider. The older boots are much tighter, and last much longer. Although when I've mentioned it to senior staff at the RMW's boot room they deny it.


Without knowing what is discussed in meetings with production management, now or over the last 25 years, it's a bit mystifying why this is so. The usual explanation of cost cutting may explain most of the why, but from chats I've had with old timer boot makers, saddlers and repairers, they bemoan the declining quality/standard of base materials like sole leather, inner soles, even thread quality, as well as the skills of closing and blocking. Some have said the rigorous, even obsessive attention to detail has been so significantly watered down since the 70s that any claim by RMW's to be committed to fostering old skills through mentoring and apprenticeship needs scrutinising. I wonder about the tension of maintaining time honoured skills that take time, resources , against commercial considerations? Maybe they’re managing it, but it can't help.


But then I think it's more fundamentally that so called artisans now simply are not as good as they were 40-50 years ago, listening to the old timers they had a very different attitude to the notion of what standards meant and how to uphold them.

I no longer buy boots 'off shelf' nor do I go for the yearling uppers. Every pair using yearling for uppers have cracked or split despite following care instructions. Through bitter experience I only get MTO boots and request the Willow. The leather is much more durable. I also insist on Double leather stitched and screwed soles, like they were done before the early 70s. When I asked the shop assistant at their George St store if this could be done, they point blank said no they don't, although at first they didn't know what this meant. So I contacted Mike Williams and he said they still do it, if requested. It pays to be persistent, even annoying, because if customers just accept what they offer, and don't push and insist, they'll just carry on a trajectory of downward standards. Eventually ( I fear ) if people don't know they do double soles, for instance, they wont ask for it, and management or some nuff nuff will say, well lets ditch the service. That’s how/where the rot sets in. That’s what happened with a lot of the old last numbers like the B588 at RMW's. They just binned them.


So I would urge old and new customers to go the MTO route. But even that's no guarantee standards are better or maintained. I recently had a pair of ‘Countrytype’ boots made, an older style from the 60's catalogues. When I received them the maker had ground/beveled the welt sole edge up to the stitch line. Not good. I raised it with them and now I insist that a senior boot maker makes them. No beveling.

Really all these issues should be standard practice for the boot room, but it seems it isn't.

I also think that the direction towards and away from durability, for boots at least, in recent years hasn't helped matters. Comfort soles, casual styles, sneakers, and now the dynamic flex versions in my opinion are the thin edge of the wedge. They should be going the other way.


I read the comment that the core service of hand made boots will continue for many many years. Maybe. But there will come a time when RMW's have to take stock and honestly assess if the boots being made now meet the strict standards RM himself stipulated. There needs to be clearly articulated benchmarks, not a philosophy of evolving processes for contemporary market demands…which invariably means short cutting, and using cheaper materials, and a gradual erosion of standards over time. They would do well to look at their back catalogue, the core business of making durable, tough and beautiful boots. They used to do it very well. Whether they can stop the rot is another question.  There also seems to be a greater emphasis on more and more product lines and collections that are frankly superfluous to a boot nut like myself. So I wonder how influential the head designer is or has been in this process. More and more apparel, accessories etc.


I note that the disquiet and dissatisfaction of customers on many other forums is growing, and what they're complaining about should be a matter of concern to RMW's. Poor or inconsistent construction, over working edges with grinders, using poorer quality edge finishes, and then there's quality of uppers and soles.  These need to be addressed. The issue of design is another problem RMW's hasn't grappled with. I mean for goodness sakes, they barely acknowledge the pedigree of their older boot styles. It seems the Craftsman means everything, just because it's their top seller.

I'm in the process of discussing another order for a style called the Zug Grazier, last seen on their style sheet in 1972. Discussions so far have been positive. But already I've been told some things can't be done, things that were once done.
When they're made I'll email some photos, if you like. Get your thoughts on them.

My last thought. RMWs needs to become fully bespoke, like Vogels in NY, and John Lobb and Foster and Sons in London. The argument put to me that they’re not geared up to doing this is complete rubbish, considering how small scale these bespoke boot makers are. It can clearly be done, it's a matter of will. There’s obviously some internal cultural resistance that needs to be overcome. But I’m not holding my breath.