All boots look better worn hard and loved deeply.
Not exactly a controversial statement! But we decided to put it to really the test all over again, in the fouth-annual Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome presented by Grant Stone and Nicks Boots
Nearly 1000 noble entrants became one with their chosen pair(s) of boots or shoes for six months straight, starting Oct 2024 and ending April 2025. Decks were built in these things. Telephone poles were climbed. Mountains were summited. Rivers forded like it was the goddamn Oregon Trail. Luckily, no dysentery was reported.
Of course all of this is absolutely ridiculous—I mean c’mon it’s a boot wearing contest—and absolutely the best.
At the end, our esteemed judges selected 45 total winners, every one of them remarkably deserving. There will be prizes for each of them, oh yes. Very good ones! But the greatest reward of all is a pair of boots you’ve spent six months deeply connecting with and understanding your pair. And with any luck, absolutely loving them for years and years to come.
Just below sits our celebration of all 45 winners—we strongly encourage you to check out the links to the Patina Project app profiles for each boot. It’s really quite fun indeed to go all the way through the half-year progression and see it all happen, whether to inform your thoughts on what your next pair or leather might be, or just to enjoy some legitimately remarkable footwear and aging.
…Or to decide what to enter in the next Thunderdome!
And our YouTube video rundown of the Top 20 finishers—10 from the Work Dome, and 10 from the Open category—is just below. It’s another fantastic way to get familiar with the winners.
Alright let’s do this! Your winners from the 2024-25 Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome. Enjoy.
Open Dome Grand Prize Winner
Patina Project App Profile: baschdln
IG: @baschdln
Self-Made Monkey Boots
Conceria Cloe Crust Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome Grand Prize Winner
Patina Project App Profile: januardwijuang
IG: @januardwijuang
Briselblack Bootmakers The Keeper Type 2 Engineer
Maryam Toscanello Waxed Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 2nd Place
Patina Project App Profile: ABPhoto
IG: @alexbellusphoto
Parkhurst Allen
Tempesti Cognac Veg-Tan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 3rd Place
Patina Project App Profile: Chilly
IG: @boots_and_bigas
Maryam Natural Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 4th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Unsung
IG: @unsung.house
Unsung Prototype LTT
Horween Natural Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 5th Place
Patina Project App Profile: William
IG: @williesleathers
Willie’s Handmade Boots Engineer
Maryam Toscanello TPR Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 6th Place
Patina Project App Profile: JoshFulton05
IG: @jl.fulton
Horween Black Chromexcel Roughout
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 7th Place
Patina Project App Profile: ahuebner
IG: @bootdegenerate
WM Beijing 1978 Garrison Boot
C.F. Stead Amber Brown Waxed Repello Calf Roughout
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 8th Place
Patina Project App Profile: KVanDev
Fortis Boots Antasena Side-Zip
Indonesian Black Teacore
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 9th Place
Patina Project App Profile: EarthToneDaddy
White’s Boots Farmer/Rancher
Seidel Tanning Natural Double Shot
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 10th Place
Patina Project App Profile: BiengerZ
IG: @ravenbienmasana
Willie’s Handmade Boots Monkey Boot
Horween Natural Latigo
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 11th Place
Patina Project App Profile: cliff.bar.nett
IG: @cliff.bar.nett
Sagara Bootmaker Boondocker
Horween Dark Brown Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 12th Place
Patina Project App Profile: amvoith
Unsung House Jim Casy Roper
Wickett & Craig Natural Latigo Roughout
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 13th Place
Patina Project App Profile: mjig76
IG: @mjig76
Willie’s Handmade Boots Monkey Boot
Horween Moc Latigo
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 14th Place
Patina Project App Profile: rustic.boots
IG: @rustic.boots
Horween Raw Natural Wooly Chromexcel
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 15th Place
Patina Project App Profile: kaldisgoat
S.B. Foot Briar Oil Slick
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 16th Place
Patina Project App Profile: cuffcheckdenim
IG: @cuffcheckdenim
Gallun Leathers Teton Waxy Stag
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 17th Place
Patina Project App Profile: solestandcool
Role Club Underdog
Shinki Hikaku Hand-Finished Black Horsehide
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 18th Place
Patina Project App Profile: stepped_in_dookie_again
White’s Boots Packer
Seidel Tanning Red Dog Oil Tan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 19th Place
Patina Project App Profile: TangibleLily929Wife
Nicks Handmade Boots Packer
Wickett & Craig Natural Double Stuffed
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 20th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Patrick_I._Nas
Badalassi Carlo Saddle Tan Minerva
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 21st Place
Patina Project App Profile: Polish Engineering
IG: @borrowed_hands_wooodworks
Oak Street Bootmakers Country Loafer
Horween Natural Chromexcel Roughout
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 22nd Place
Patina Project App Profile: akito
IG: @akito.boots
Akito Wholecut Side-Zip
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 23rd Place
Patina Project App Profile: mreams99
Red Wing 953
Self-Overdyed Velva Boomer
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 24th Place
Patina Project App Profile: kenmar1010
IG: @stitchdownlog
Horween Smooth Tan Chamois
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 25th Place
Patina Project App Profile: tgetzen
Wesco Boots Mister Lou
Maryam Natural Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 26th Place
Patina Project App Profile: nothomeatl
IG: @not.home.atl
Grant Stone Traveler Penny Loafer
Horween Marbled Black Shell Cordovan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 27th Place
Patina Project App Profile: onelastboot
IG: @onelastboot
White’s Boots x Baker’s Boots Bounty Hunter
Horween Cinnamon Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 28th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Tillman
IG: @tillmandiy
Self-Made Geobasket
Horween Natural Essex and Shell Cordovan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 29th Place
Patina Project App Profile: thenewreligion
IG: @ahremdee
Self-Made Cowboy Boot
Kango Tobac Ostrich
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Open Dome 30th Place
Patina Project App Profile: farroyo81
IG: @leaf_and_skin
Premium Waxed Leather
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 2nd Place
Patina Project App Profile: ShinyHuntr91
IG: @shinyhuntr91
Nicks Handmade Boots Builder Pro MTO
Horween Natural Dublin
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 3rd Place
Patina Project App Profile: reothich
IG: @reothich
Walker Golden Retriever 984
Brown Leather
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 4th Place
Patina Project App Profile: DocLineman
IG: @doclineman
Horween Tan Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 5th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Pale_Highl1ght
Nicks Handmade Boots x Butterscotch LB Triton
Horween Black Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 6th Place
Patina Project App Profile: theakkid
IG: @the_ak_kid
Nicks Handmade Boots Tanker Pro
Seidel Tanning 1964 Ash Grey Roughout
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome is 7th Place
Patina Project App Profile: traceycortez
IG: @tcortez1
Franks Boots Type 1 Commander
Horween Black Teacore Cypress
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 8th Place
Patina Project App Profile: saintnick
IG: @saint_nckk
Nicks Handmade Boots LTT Heritage
Horween Black Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 9th Place
Patina Project App Profile: a1moyer
IG: @jmp19862002
Horween Color 8 Chromexcel
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 10th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Zeonic
IG: @ZeonicGato
Seidel Tanning Red Dog Oil Tan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 11th Place
Patina Project App Profile: RandomLurker541
IG: @randomlurker541
Brown Combo
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 12th Place
Patina Project App Profile: ImaGoat
Nicks Handmade Boots Builder Pro
Law Tanning Brown Smooth Shrunken Bison
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 13th Place
Patina Project App Profile: evsnova74
Wickett & Craig Chestnut English Bridle
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 14th Place
Patina Project App Profile: Scope75
IG: @scope_75
Fudge Crazy Horse
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Work Dome 15th Place
Patina Project App Profile: kweso
Frank’s Boots Type 1 Commander
Seidel Tanning Chocolate Oil Tan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional Grant Stone Pair
Patina Project App Profile: SIDO
Horween Marbled Black Shell Cordovan
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional Nicks Boots Pair
Patina Project App Profile: JY
Horween Brown Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional Tricker’s Pair
Patina Project App Profile: madeofbirds
IG: @madeofbirds
Horween Natural Chromexcel
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional Caswell Boot Co Pair
Patina Project App Profile: BenCh0074
IG: @elbenchap
Caswell Wilson
Du Puy Dark Brown Country Calf
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional White’s Boots Pair
Patina Project App Profile: wildflowersnboots
IG: @leaf_and_skin
White’s Boots MP
Horween Dark Brown Waxed Flesh
Six Months of Wear
Day One
Exceptional Standard & Strange Pair
Patina Project App Profile: itsnotbriatall
IG: @itsnotbriatall
Unsung House Desert Fever Dream
Maryam Natural Rovescio Sego Horsebutt
Six Months of Wear
Day One
