Nicks Boots and Wickett & Craig are a natural match for one another—Nicks makes some of the toughest work boots around, while Wickett & Craig are veg-tan specialists who create terrific leathers that can take a hell of a beating (or probably even give out a beating; some of their leathers are monstrously thick).
Nicks has utilized some of W&C’s well-known leathers to great effect in the past, including English Bridle, Milled Harness, and Oiled Latigo. Now, for the first time, Nicks is offering their first exclusive tannage from Wickett & Craig: Natural Double Stuffed Harness.
If you’re scratching your head trying to recall what it means for a leather to be stuffed, consider revisiting our conversation with Wickett & Craig’s Matt Bressler from a couple years back. We learned about W&C’s whole process from end to end, including the stuffing drums, which is where leathers like Harness, Latigo, and Bridle go to get impregnated with a potent mixture of oils, waxes, and tallows. This process is known as “hot stuffing,” as these drums are kept nice and hot in order to get the leathers to fully accept all of these ingredients.
This hot stuffing occurs roughly in the middle of Wickett & Craig’s whole tanning process—after the leather has been in the color drums, but before it’s been fully smoothed out, dried, and finished. In the case of this Natural Double Stuffed Harness, according to Nicks Boots general manager Grant Pemberton, the leather returns for one more trip in the stuffing drums right at the end. The result, in Grant’s words, is “veg-tan leather that’s just saturated in goodness.” It clocks in at a 6 oz thickness, and features a wonderfully distinct pull-up character, which you can see in action in the video below.
You can get a pair of these limited-edition boots in a 6 or 8 inch height, and everything else is customizable from the last to the eyelet color. Keep in mind only 100 pairs of these boots will be made. Don’t sleep on ‘em, or the only double-stuffed goodness you’ll be able to get your hands on are Double Stuf Oreos. (Which, as far as consolation prizes go, isn’t so bad.)
