Red Wing is putting a fresh spin on a closet staple with the Iron Ranger, unboxed here, in timeless Oro Legacy leather.The Iron Ranger has been around since the 1930s, when Red Wing built it for iron ore miners working in northern Minnesota. The six-inch design still centers on a leather toe cap, and that’s carried through every version the company has put out over the decades. This time around, it comes in Oro Legacy brown leather, adding to the rotating cast of finishes Red Wing cycles through each season.Beyond its worn-in and weathered look, the build hasn’t shifted either. Goodyear welt construction and Puritan triple-stitching hold the upper together, both meant to make the boot solid and repairable rather than disposable. Inside, leather insoles sit over a cork midsole that softens and shapes itself to the foot the more it’s worn. Nickel speed hooks handle the laces, standing out a bit against the leather. They also make putting on and taking off the Iron Ranger a breeze.Down below, a modern Vibram 430 Mini-Lug outsole handles traction, and the No. 8 Last shape keeps the wider, rounded toe that sets the Iron Ranger apart from other boots in Red Wing’s lineup. Close to 100 years after it was first made, the boot still looks and functions almost exactly the same – one of the few work boots that moved into everyday rotation without getting redesigned along the way.Pick up your own pair of Red Wing Iron Ranger boots over at Red Wing’s official website.
