# Clark's Desert Boot fit



## guernica (Jun 13, 2007)

How is the Desert Boot supposed to fit? The clerk keeps telling me that the ankle should not be fully constricted by the shoe but I somehow have a "loose feeling" (but I've never worn boots before so he might be right...) and just wanted to make sure that he's not mistaken. Any thoughts?


----------



## Moose Maclennan (Apr 20, 2006)

guernica said:


> How is the Desert Boot supposed to fit? The clerk keeps telling me that the ankle should not be fully constricted by the shoe but I somehow have a "loose feeling" (but I've never worn boots before so he might be right...) and just wanted to make sure that he's not mistaken. Any thoughts?


They do fit looser around the ankle than other chukka boots.


----------



## fruityoaty (Jan 18, 2008)

Snug in the heel and toe box, but loose around the ankle, is how mine fit.


----------



## The Continental Fop (Jan 12, 2007)

The current Clarks Desert Boot is garbage, a cheaply-made Vietnamese facsimile of the original, and has hands-down the weirdest fit of any shoe I've tried in years. I used to wear the originals and trust me, what Clarks sells now isn't even close. Try to find an older UK-made pair, or get a copy of the design from J. Crew et al. It won't be a great boot but it will be much more comfortable and healthier for your feet than the current Clarks Desert Boot.


----------



## srivats (Jul 29, 2008)

The Continental Fop said:


> The current Clarks Desert Boot is garbage, a cheaply-made Vietnamese facsimile of the original, and has hands-down the weirdest fit of any shoe I've tried in years. I used to wear the originals and trust me, what Clarks sells now isn't even close. Try to find an older UK-made pair, or get a copy of the design from J. Crew et al. It won't be a great boot but it will be much more comfortable and healthier for your feet than the current Clarks Desert Boot.


I totally agree. I've said this elsewhere, and I'll say it again here: I don't get the love for current clarks shoes (boot or regular). They are one of the most insipid shoes I have seen on the market. Maybe the older clarks was better, but the current ones are, as TCF puts it above, total garbarge.


----------



## unmodern (Aug 10, 2009)

+1 to fruityoaty. The first time I wore mine, I tried to lace them up tight around the ankle and the friction chewed up my heels. I've learned to leave them super-loose in the ankle. It's really important to size down, or the whole fit will be too loose. I sized down a half-size (7.5>>7) and that was just right. They do expand a bit.

As to their quality, I have had mine for a few weeks so who knows how long they will last. At $75, it is worth it. (They do look good when beat up, like jeans.) I'm sure the older, UK-made ones were way better (as with most things), but I think the new ones look classic and, worn properly (!), make for quite comfortable & versatile 3.5-season shoes.


----------



## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

I like mine. Admittedly, they're not orthopedic shoes, running sneakers, or hiking boots, just ordinary shoes with a rather spongy, bouncy sole. They're for schlubbing around in, and they look pretty cool with khakis or jeans.


----------



## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

Put me down for "what the...?" I couldn't believe how horribly they fit. If you make them small enough so that your foot isn't sloshing around they feel constricted. Otherwise It's like a foot bag that ties around the ankle!

Steer clear!


----------



## fruityoaty (Jan 18, 2008)

Trip English said:


> Otherwise It's like a foot bag that ties around the ankle!


Exactly, which is why they're for schlubbing around in.


----------



## Moose Maclennan (Apr 20, 2006)

I must admit I don't quite understand the fit problems with Clarks DBs. They fit just like any other Clarks of the same size from the last three decades. I suspect many are just unused to an unlined boot.


----------



## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

unmodern said:


> I'm sure the older, UK-made ones were way better (as with most things), but I think the new ones look classic and, worn properly (!), make for quite comfortable & versatile 3.5-season shoes.


Paradoxically, the one shoe you do not see in Clarks stores in England are desert boots. I have looked in a few. Clarks are on many High Streets.


----------

