Cowboy Boot Materials and Benefits

If you take a look around our store, you’ll notice that we offer a lot of boots that stray a little from the traditional cowhide leather cowboy boot. From ostrich to crocodile, there’s a whole world of cowboy boot materials out there, and we want to help you better understand the benefits of each type of material so you can choose the very best boots for your application.

Cowhide Leather — By far the most popular material for western boots, cowhide leather is great for outdoor work, and it allows your feet to breathe. Cowhide leather is loved because it’s more affordable than most other boot materials and it wears well over time.

Ostrich — A highly desirable skin for boots, this unique material comes in a few different styles: Full Pin Quill, Partial Quill and Smooth. Full pin quill is very bumpy, while partial quill comes with some bumpy parts and some smooth parts, and smooth skin has no bumps at all. Ostrich boots offer the best of all worlds: a unique look combined with high durability.

Lizard — Another great option for cowboy boots is lizard skin boots. These boots often come from the skin of hornback or alligator lizards and feature some great and unusual looks. Alligator lizard boots come with the added benefit of being easy to shine due to the skin’s hard tiles.

Snakeskin — Featuring small, ornate tiles, snakeskin boots produce very complex patterns that can’t be imitated by other types of skin. This beautiful material can come from many different types of snakes, including rattlesnake, python, cobra and others.

Of course, these aren’t the only types of materials that can be used to make cowboy boots. Some manufacturers make boots from elephant skin, alligator skin, eel skin, anteater, goatskin, bison, elk, shark and even kangaroo. Any natural leather can work well for cowboy boots, and some manufacturers even make boots from man-made materials to cut costs.

Which type of material would you most like your next boots to be made from? Leave us a comment and let us know!

How to Make the Cutest Cowboy or Cowgirl Costume for Halloween

Halloween is almost here, and if you haven’t found a costume for your child yet, you might be panicking. The best costumes have already been picked over in most stores, and it’s almost too late to even order something online. Well, we have a solution that will be cute and useful for more than just Halloween: Dress your child up as a cowboy or cowgirl! A cowboy costume is super easy to put together, and as long as you don’t go too over the top, some of the costume can be worn throughout the year. Here’s how:

1. Start at the top — The most distinguishing part of a cowboy or cowgirl outfit is definitely the hat. Find a felt hat with a nice brim and people will know from blocks away what your little cowboy or cowgirl is supposed to be.
2. Pearl-snap shirt — A good pearl-snap shirt will really lend an air of authenticity to your child’s costume. Think about adding a denim jacket to the mix and people might mistake your little cattle rustler for a real, live cow hand.
3. Big-buckled belt — A giant belt buckle may be your child’s favorite part of the costume. Consider looking on eBay for an old rodeo champion buckle to really impress.

4. Jeans — Not only will they be great all year round, but jeans are an essential part of the cowboy dress code. With or without chaps, a pair of kids’ jeans will help your son or daughter look the part.
5. Boots — Throw on a pair of kids’ boots and your child’s costume will be complete. For girls, we love these Old West/Jama Pink J Toe boots for a little fun or the Corral Multi-Color Butterfly Kids’ Boots for extra authenticity. For boys, take a look at these Old West/Jama Square Toe Orange-Top boots to help your son look like he just walked off the ranch.
6. Optional Props — Consider giving your cowboy or cowgirl a lasso and stick horse for some additional cuteness. If you’re looking for a real splurge here, think about adding a large stuffed cow toy for your child to rope throughout the night.

Have you ever dressed your child up as a cowboy for Halloween? Leave a comment and tell us what you thought was the cutest part of his or her outfit!

Tailgating Essentials

With football season in full swing, it’s time to talk about an important topic: Pre-Game Tailgating Parties. Being prepared for the ultimate tailgating party can mean the difference between a tailgate to remember and one you’d rather forget. Before your next tailgate, be sure you have these tailgating essentials:

• Grilling Utensils, Fuel and a Grill — No tailgate is complete without delicious food straight off the grill. Be sure your event has everything you need to provide your guests with plenty of tasty food.
• Food — Whether you plan on serving light snacks or a more complete meal, you need to bring plenty of food. Be sure to think through the entire meal when you’re packing for your tailgate. For example, if you’re planning on cooking burgers, bring a variety of toppings, too: tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, onions, etc.

• Portable TV and Generator — You don’t want your guests to miss out on watching football while they attend your tailgate. Hook up a portable TV and generator and have the ultimate tailgating experience. If this is a little too extreme for your tastes, a radio will suffice. Just be sure your guests have a way of hearing other games.
• Coolers — Refreshments are a must at tailgates. Keep your drinks cold in coolers with plenty of ice. Be sure to keep a bottle opener and disposable cups nearby to make it easy for your guests to enjoy some refreshment.
• Paper Towels — Tailgates get messy. Bring plenty of paper towels so your guests don’t have grimy hands throughout the party.
• Proper Attire — Don’t forget to wear your team’s colors and a pair of comfortable shoes. We love wearing our favorite pairs of cowboy boots when we go tailgating because we can wear them all day long without any pain and they look great with just about anything.

Did we miss anything? What can’t you live without when you’re tailgating? Let us know in the comments!

Product Spotlight: Lucchese M1801Saddle Vamp Horseman

Lucchese has long been known for producing some of the finest cowboy boots on the market. For the last 130 years, this company has been making great boots by hand with the finest leather, providing some of the highest quality cowboy boots on the market. A huge number of celebrities, from John Wayne to Willie Nelson to Taylor Swift, wear Lucchese boots because these boots are some of the most comfortable boots available and make a great fashion statement.

If you’re looking for a pair of boots that looks as good as it feels, look no further than the Lucchese M1801 Saddle Vamp Horseman. These leather boots come with a 12-inch shaft made from tan, full-quill ostrich leather. They have full leather lining, leather insole and a leather outsole for ultimate durability and comfort. The intricate stitching on these boots puts a great finishing touch on the overall look of the boot.

These boots are part of the 1883 line of Lucchese boots, which is named after the year Lucchese crafted their first pair of boots. The 1883 line marks Lucchese’s rededication to craftsmanship, quality and fashion, and these boots are no exception. With durable construction and a great design, the Lucchese M1801’s are sure to be a staple of your wardrobe for years to come. The Lucchese 1883 line is all about creating modern classics, and the M1801 Saddle Vamp’s exemplify that goal.

At Boot Country Online, we offer a discount of $45 on these great boots, bringing their price down to only $470. When you order these boots online, keep in mind that they fit very true to size, and use that information to guide your sizing decisions. This item comes with free shipping, as do all orders of $49 or more.

Have you worn a pair of Lucchese boots before? What did you think? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Boot Country’s Five Favorite Movie Cowboys

After we wrote about five of the best Old West cowboys and cowgirls last month, we kept thinking about our favorite movie cowboys — the men who brought the Old West into the mainstream and inspired many children to pretend to be cowboys. We decided to devote a blog post to the greatest cowboys of film this month. Here are our top five favorite movie cowboys:

5. Paul Newman — Playing characters such as Butch Cassidy and Buffalo Bill made Paul Newman a household name. One of our favorite roles of his has to be when he played John Russell in “Hombre.” Newman doesn’t talk much through the entire film, and most of his character shows through his mannerism and actions.

4. Clint Eastwood — Originally starring in spaghetti westerns, Eastwood earned his persona of “man with no name” through his roles in cowboy movies. With movies like “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” Eastwood captured the hearts of many movie goers. The cowboy boots Eastwood wore in his spaghetti westerns are still imitated today for his biggest fans.

3. Gregory Peck — Few Western stars had the range Gregory Peck did. In his first major role, he played an awful villain in “Duel in the Sun,” but he could also pull off the conventional hero role in movies like “The Big Country.” Gregory Peck’s western boots transformed him into one of the cowboys everyone remembers from the heyday of Western film.

2. Henry Fonda — Everyone remembers Henry Fonda as one of the most upstanding citizens of the Wild West, usually because of his role in “My Darling Clementine” in 1946. Fonda could play characters with less integrity, too, though: Toward the end of his Western career, he played a cold-blooded killer in “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Fonda earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

1. John Wayne — No list of movie cowboys would be complete without John Wayne. From “The Searchers” and “True Grit” to “Stagecoach” and “Rio Bravo,” John Wayne dominated the genre and came to represent the Old West for generations of movie watchers. Rumor has it that The Duke wore Lucchese boots exclusively, saying that the brand made the most comfortable pair of boots he had ever worn and he would never wear another brand.

Who’s your favorite movie cowboy? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Product Spotlight: Corral Kids’ Brown/Gold Wing and Cross Boots

It’s back to school time, and you know what that means: It’s time to buy your growing kiddos a new pair of boots that they can be excited to show off to their friends. One of our favorite pairs of kids’ boots is the Corral Brown/Gold Wing and Cross. These leather boots are so fun and unique with the gold stitched pattern. A budding fashionista will fall for these boots quickly.

These boots are made for kids’ feet, offering a 10” upper and a lightly cushioned riding heel so the boots look great and feel comfortable on your child’s feet. The snip toe on these boots will give your little one the authentic western look she wants without sacrificing the healthy development of her feet while she’s wearing them.

Of course, the part of these boots that kids love the most is their look. The leather on these boots is a distressed brown crackle cowhide, which makes for a beautiful pair of boots. The wing and cross design is stitched into the leather with a gold thread, creating a great contrast between the design and the upper.

Like all Corral boots, the Corral kids’ boots are made by some of the finest leather craftsmen in the world down in Leon, Mexico (the capital of artisan boot making in North America). Especially considering that these are children’s boots, their quality is very impressive. The Brown/Gold Wing and Cross boot will not only hold up the whole time they fit your child’s feet, but they’ll also make for a great hand-me-down to a younger cousin or sister.

If you’re somewhere near our store in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, come visit us and try these boots on for yourself. If a trip to our store would be a little long for you, take advantage of our free shipping on all orders over $49 (this pair of boots qualifies for free shipping!) and order these boots for the special child in your life.

How is your back-to-school shopping going this year? Is there anything you’re still trying to find? Let us know in the comments!

Five Famous Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Wild West

At Boot Country, we’re interested in our nation’s past. As fans of western culture, we enjoy watching movies about the Wild West and reading about the most famous cowboys and cowgirls in our history. To share that interest with you, we’ve put together a list of five famous cowboys and cowgirls of the Wild West.

1. John Chisum — A wealthy cattle barron, John Chisum worked with the likes of Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving to assemble and drive herds of cattle from the southern part of Texas to New Mexico. Chisum reached the pinnacle of cowboy fame when John Wayne played him in the 1970 film Chisum.
2. Will Rogers — In addition to being a cowboy, Will Rogers was a social commentator, actor, vaudeville performer and humorist. Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Oklahoma. Rogers has been honored a number of ways, including having his name on the airport in Oklahoma City, a number of high schools and the final Benjamin Franklin class ballistic missile submarine, the USS Will Rogers.
3. Theodore Roosevelt — Did you know that the 26th President of the United States was a cowboy before being elected to our nation’s highest office? It’s true — in addition to serving as the name sake for the teddy bear, Roosevelt was a real horseman. When the United States began fighting a war in Cuba, Roosevelt went down to San Antonio and assembled a group of men who would later be named the “Rough Riders.” Roosevelt and the rest of the Rough Riders all wore the same brand of Western boots.

4. Annie Oakley — Undisputedly the most famous cowgirl of her time, Annie Oakley was a fantastically talented cowgirl and exhibition shooter. Growing up on the western border of Ohio, Oakley began hunting and shooting by the time she was eight years old as a way to feed her siblings and widowed mother. She was so successful that she paid off the mortgage on her mother’s farm by age 15 with money earned from selling the game she killed. Her cowgirl boots are still on display in Ohio today.
5. Buffalo Bill — The man who brought Annie Oakley into the spotlight, Buffalo Bill might very well be one of the most interesting people of the Wild West. Buffalo Bill started “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” a carnival-like attraction that toured throughout the country and in Europe. The show featured feats of horsemanship and sharpshooting by a number of famous cowboys and cowgirls of the Wild West.

Who’s your favorite cowboy or cowgirl of the Old West? What kind of cowboy boots do you think he or she might wear? Let us know in the comments!