I'm 70 now and had a successful auto restoration business for 50 years. In my twenties I lived in cowboy boots with over 100 pair, all different materials and textures. I also lived in leather pants, I had been in a horrendous car accident at 17 (hit by a loaded 4 ton truck whose driver wasn't paying attention) docs said I wouldn't walk, but I did, there was still a lot of pain, but found if I wore leather it kept my bod hot enough to ease the pain. Thankfully I had worked out regularly which kept me going. The boots I wore had walking heels and semi pointed toes. I quite often wore Tony Lama gray elephant skin boots with dark gray or black leather pants. I gave the boots to my best friend when they were several years old, still in perfect condition. Tom wore them off and on the rest of his life, to the grave this last year. He always said they were his favorites.
Incredible story. Thanks for sharing this. I never thought wearing leather could achieve something like that. Sorry to hear about your friend but it's awesome you were able to give him those boots and that he loved them so much.
That's awesome about the therapeutic value of leather pants. My orthopedic doc never mentioned it, despite donning fine western wear every day of the week (no white lab coat for this cat!). I too was hit by a truck: My pulomologist was like, "Wow, I thought we were for sure gonna hafta drain your left lung...but you karaoked the fluid away. Amazing!" (I know what that needle looks like, think I'll pass, thanks)
When my grandfather passed away a couple years ago I was lucky enough to inherit his Justin elephant skin boots that he’d worn since the 70’s! Still looks good to this day after 40 years..
Jeremiah did you notice a dramatic improvement in yer memory after trying the boots on? I've always heard elephants have a superior memory their entire life.
I have never worn shoes, always high end cowboy boots for 70 years. Smooth ostrich, elephant, full quill ostrich, and occasionally calf. You are very excited about the feel of those elephants and that puzzles me. mmy experience has been that the hide has little to do with fit but construction of the boot determines that. The toughness of ostrich and elephant pulled me their use
I got gifted a pair of elephant boots from the boot store I work for. I absolutely love them. I enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work! On a side note, that handtooled boot is not a Tony Lama, it is a Tanner Mark boot
I’m going on my 3rd pair of elephant hide boots. My first two pairs were Tony Lama, and my current pair are Lucchese. You’ve never had a comfortable pair of boots until you get a pair of Lucchese boots. The fit and finish is second to none. Don’t get me wrong, I like Tony Lama boots, but Lucchese is as close as you’ll ever get to a pair of custom made boots. I had seven pairs of Lucchese’s currently, and one pair of Tony Lama boots. The Lamas have had 10 half soles and heels replaced on them and the vamp and uppers still look great.
Jeez those sound like amazing boots. I think Lucchese fit really well too. Just tried out the Mad Dog 1883 and would love to try that style in elephant too
I knew I’d see this video soon! There really is nothing like elephant skin, it’s definitely my favorite. It’s a shame you didn’t get to take them home, but that’s completely understandable. I actually JUST got done with a video about mine, so it’s kind of funny I’m seeing this now. I guess that means it’s time to subscribe. Great content, thanks for posting!
As a 50 yr old man I disagree with using Elephant skin because they are highly intelligent, gentle creatures that are conscious of death within their herd.....I know, Ive grown soft. Honestly I thought they had outlawed Elephant products. BUT, that being said as teenager in the late 80's my parents give me a pair of Elephant skin Justins for Christmas and they were the best boots I ever owned. I probaly wore them for 8-9 yrs until they got to be to tight and I passed them on to a family member. I never did any kind of maintenance and they made it through many, MANY high school and college parties, but when I give them to him they were still a gorgeous pair of boots. He wore them until the soles were gone, then he got them re-soled and wore them on the farm as riding boots to they finally wore out. All in all them damn boots lasted well over 15 yrs. They were put through 9 kinds of hell and until he started strapping spurs on and trudging through water, mud and all kinds of muck daily, they were still good looking boots and it still took a few years to wear them out . 500 is not a lot to spend for something that could last the rest of your life. Nothing can out do Elephant leather, nothing.
I prefer good old American bullhide, cowhide, or calfhide boots. Because I am a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division Band, spit shining has become so ingrained in me, best results come with the above-mentioned leathers, and they are good and durable. Yes, I take good care of them. I have seen a pair of elephant hide boots that listed for $800. Needless to say, they were way out of my price range. I enjoyed the video, though.
Didn’t get finished. My elephants are sitting at the back door in use for about 5 years now, with repeated resoles constantly carrying my spurs. They are Rios of Mercedes and the construction is top shelf. If I had no choice but to buy Tony Lama I might start wearing shoes. The last pair I had back in the 80s lasted 6 months and blew out the side from pushing on a stirrup
I have a pair of gray Justin round toe ropers that I found at a thrift store. They are a size too large but had to get them. I wear them with an extra pair of socks. They are just badass boots and still look great years later.
@@JeremiahCraig when I get back home, I'll send you a pic of them. And my other cowboy boots if you like. I have just 3 pairs of square toe cowboy boots with me right now.
Had a pair of eelskin pay-attention-to-me pumps that were the next-best thing to going barefoot, in spite of the 4" heels. I got divorced in that pair of shoes, haven't thought about em in years...thanks for the memories!
Great video. I notice you can pull your boots off with one hand . I have to use a boot jack almost every time . Are yours too loose or mine too tight ? I love exotics but by the time you change to canadian dollars they are $750 to $850
Yours might be too tight. You should have a little slip in the heel so it shouldn't bee too hard to take them off. Exotics get super expensive they are a treat to have
@@JeremiahCraig they arent difficult to get i have two pair custom elephant one from blackjack of el paso tx and one from anderson bean of mercedes tx and rios of mercedes and black jack and lucchese still make them just not justin and tony lama because they decided to stop
Thanks fore sharing your experience with the elephant boots. We can't all visit some of these fine boot shops that you get to see and (this is not on you) but it is disappointing that we are unable to visit their website and see what they have in stock as their website lists the boot company producers (with logos) but this store is one of a few western boot stores that has a poor web site and doesn't show what they have in stock.
Yeah they have a pretty weak site and don't really know their inventory. Unfortunately you'll have to visit to get the full sense of things. They're old school like that
Wow. I love it. If you ever get the chance try a pair of Alberta Boot Company boots. Made right here in my home province in the city of Calgary. A pair is on my serious short list.
I bought a pair of gray elephant skin boots almost 30 years ago and they were very comfortable and durable. I don't remember the brand or what ever happened to them, but I did love them
I have a pair of Justin lizards from the '90's. Eventually, I'll edit & post my vid on how I repaired the skin (after being told by many a "professional" cobbler that they couldn't do anything with it)
I picked up a pair of Elephant in the early 1980’s I still have them and they are like a good leather work gloves. You can damage them. I spilled used motor oil on them and just wiped them off.
Did you get some?I had some years ago.felt more like your description of how the black boot felt..they were tough!had some Budweisers one night with friends & demonstrated just how tough they were by dragging my right boot down the hwy at 55 + mph.not a scratch.wore them at job as ski lift operator in booneNC a few years later.snow ,salt ect didn't agree with the soles.had them resoled .eventually put them on the street along side around 5 other pair of top notch iconic,expensive boots .think I was drinking that day too.the elephant boots were nacona I think.?.pionty,tight .not quite comfortable enough.paid in $250 range in 1987ish.how much were the black ones?I like the idea of ariat square toe comfortable boot with hybrid type sole & good insole.& if possible tough elephant skin.do they exist? I get attached to my stuff.repair rather than throw away.& More importantly,not dumb a kid any more.most days anyhow.let me know what you think when you have the time please.thank you.like your video style.you have a future on RU-vid if you want it and keep people's trust.my 2 cents. New subscriber,Burke,NC
Damn you got some memories with those boots! Anderson Bean has some hybrid outsole elephant boots. Haven't tried them though. Not sure how much the black boots were in this video but $500 seems to be the starting price for elephant boots nowadays. I still don't have any elephant boots but hopefully I will someday! Thanks for watching!
Thanks! Glad you liked it. Here are a couple more videos I've done on elephant boots since this one Tony Lama men's elephant boots: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_h4SKuO_MUQ.html Custom Siller Women's elephant boots: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XeFPrL4EBTc.html
No doubt! That's one of the reasons why I switched to wearing cowboy boots to begin with. I have a pair of cowhide boots that's lasted 14 years and still going strong
I imagine since you live in washington its hard to get elephant but hell down here in el paso you ive seen tons of people with it. Didnt think it was any harder getting them anywhere else since my cousin owns 4 pairs of elephant. But each city is different, we still got some elephant here once in a while more often than not. They are nice looking i bought my dad a pair for christmas and its his favorite boot. They are nice and classy jot my stile but i dont hate they are a must have boot. Good review man hoping ypu get a pair soon.
@@JeremiahCraig let me start off by apologizing for the typos lol my keyboard aint the best but definitely different cities have different rules hope to see a future review from home when you get some
It's legal and overseen by the UN. news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/wildlife-watch-zimbabwe-elephant-skins-trade/ I never got into hats. Maybe someday though!
Jeremiah Craig Oh ok ,I knew in ivory I think it has to be old ivory before the laws. My bagpipes have imitation ivory mounts but there are old bagpipes that have real ivory mounts., I do want to get a hat too when I get some boots . Since my hair started falling out I’m getting into hats too. Something different than the baseball caps I wear now.
Sorry but the seller wrough the toughness comes from what part of the elephant it comes from some parts are tougher than others the first pair are elephant ear the other probably from the neck tougher You need to go to El Paso TX that were all good boot makers are and outlet stores you being in a bar band and dont make a lot of money because you leave it at the bar to pay bar tab you could buy boots there there cheaper lol
You mentioned in another video that there are some great deals on well made used cowboy boots. You talked about Nocona as an example. What are some others? And what time periods should I look for? Thanks
Dude. I wanted to get a pair in Mexico back in the day. They were dark brown and shiny and they were awsome. Too bad I didn't have the money. I wish I did. They were soo beautiful...
3 года назад
A few years back one could not get Elephant Boots legally in Noth America they were banned for many years....
Amazing! I also get elephant leather boots last week ,! I know how special characteristic of this animal leather.. I can trust this leather than other strong animal's. but wanna care to wear bcoz beautiful pattern ...
Elephant-hide? Wow I didn't know elephant could be materials for boots! Thanks for the education! On a rather un-related note, should I invest in a second pair of western boots? At the moment I own a pair of Ariat Heritage Ropers. They are great boots so far but I've been wondering if I should own a pair of more exotic boots like Tecovas or Tony Lamas?
I think you should own a second pair. It will keep your first pair lasting longer and you can match different styles with your boots. Exotic is a great way to go. When I got my caiman boots years back I was able to wear boots for every occasion which was a real game changer for me because I really don't like dress shoes.
@@JeremiahCraig Thanks for the reply Jeremiah! My only problem with exotic boots is the leather sole. I do like the leather sole but the snow and the salt seems to always love to eat them up. And maintaining my boots have already been a pain in the butt. The only thing I can think of is mink oil before but they always seem to dull the colour of the boots.
Mink oil will darken leather. Use Bick 4. It conditions but won't change the color as long as you use it on the leathers it's approved for (it's great for a lot of exotics too). I know what you mean about the salt and stuff and the disadvantages of a leather sole. There are exotics with rubber soles our hybrid soles. Here's an example of an ostrich with a hybrid. Leather outsole but rubber at the ball of the foot and at the arch: yeehawcowboy.com/collections/mens-exotic-boots/products/mens-dan-post-chandler-full-quill-ostrich-boots-handcrafted-dp2984 Also if you're interested in buying used, I know a guy whose selling some very lightly used ostrich with full rubber soles. They are a 9.5D. Lemme know.
Ryan I’m not sure if you have ever heard of them but Anderson Bean makes some sweet elephant hide boots and they have a lot of sole options.. they along with Lucchese are my go to boots every time! That being said I recently got a pair of tony lama 1911 caiman belly’s that are amazing too
@@chrismarbut1534 I've heard about Lucchese but not Anderson Bean. The pricing of Lucchese is just out of my budget though. Will take a look into Anderson Bean.
I've always wanted a pair of elephant boots since a buddy of mine from college had a pair. I didn't know that they were being discontinued. I might have to call this guy and see if I can get a pair. They look so tough and rugged that's what I like. And everyday boots that won't fall apart... Great segment, loved it thanks
Was that the only 2 pair they had? I really don't like square toe, the black pair were very similar to the pair I had years ago how much were they? I wish I could find some in my size, I wear 10 1/2 EE. I only currently own 1 pair of cowboy boots they are Tony Lama Men's Chocolate Shrunken Shoulder Stockman (fancy way of saying dark brown bull hide) Do you do know the only part of an elephant boots are made from is the ear???
@@JeremiahCraig How much better is Lucchese than Tony Lama or Dan Post ? As an adult the only boots I have owned have been Tony Lama's but I am really wanting a pair of smooth Ostrich and the Tony lamas are around 180 dollars less than Lucchese and I really don't like Dan Post which are even cheaper. What do you think???
It depends. Sometimes I think Lucchese is overpriced. Tony Lamas are still great boots and you can get them for much less of a price and still have a great boot. Then again Lucchese also puts a lot of unique designs into their boots making them stand out a little more. As far as quality and durability are concerned I think base models are pretty similar.
@@JeremiahCraig Well I went boot shopping today and tried a pair of Lucchese's on and they weren't for me, I did buy a pair of Tony Lama Brown Brandy Ostrich with Tan Smooth Ostrich Upper, I went to buy black boots but they did not have any in my size that I wanted or could afford in stock and these boots were so soft I could not go home without them.
Okay guys; first off from a guy who's father made boots for a living.....elephant hide is way too thick for anything wearable....the leather you are talking about is elephant ear leather ...the only part of an elephant pliable and thin enough to use in clothing or boots. My dad made several pair of these back in the mid 70's and I know of one pair that were resoled 11 different times and each time the boot look like brand new...super tough. Twice tanned mule skin also makes a touch boot, as does shark skin. But, the texture and softness you can get from properly tanned elephant ear is like you said slipper soft almost like elk skin mocs in comfort..
It's one of them for sure. Boot makers can still cut this with a knife to make it though. Stingray can't be cut with a knife at all. Boot makers have to use scissors because it's so scaley and tough
I just have to know. Where did the leather come from? Did a hunter go and kill an elephant, which is an endangered animal Or did an old elephant die in some zoo or out in the wild and the company bought the hide? And if the hunter went and got the elephant? Why support the killing of endangered animals rather than go with a pair boots made from a different leather
The trade of elephant leather is controlled by the UN. There are two ways companies can get it through UN approval. One is the death of a domesticated elephant and the other is from the death of an elephant that has put human lives at risk. Like when a bear attacks humans in North America and the bear has to be put down. It is tightly restricted and these large cowboy boot companies would not be able to procure the hides anywhere else because they are constantly under a microscope from the UN and international import/export laws.
Also, although elephants are endangered there are many countries in Africa where they are a HUGE hazard and they want them gone. This is very similar to hogs in Certain places in TX where they are over run with them and considered a huge hazard.
@raz werner Thanks for your thoughtful question rather than assumptions. Too many people in the internet world jump to conclusions. I think Jeremiah Craigs answer to you and to Mike Ivy above were good explanations. Thanks for pitching in the conversation.
Hi bro, Joe from Philippines. I need your assistance in finding a store in your area who sells stingray roper boots overseas. I want to use it for formal occasions hehe. Please help me!
I don't know of any stores but you can join my boot group on Facebook and ask. There are members in the group who live in the Philippines and may be able to help. Go here: jeremiahcraig.com/boot group. Also YeeHawCowboy.com ships international. Use my code JCM10 to get 10% off. 👍
@@JeremiahCraig thank you my friend... I am finding it hard of what to buy, because of size differences in every boots... Is Dan Post boots are good also my friend?
@@JeremiahCraigoh thank God, ok I will wait for that my friend...😊👌 Thank you for your channel I learn so much about boots.. That is why I really want to buy 1.... 😊