By Mary Webb
Cushe Navajo boots live up to their name. As the Navajo American Natives were efficient at adjusting to inclement weather, so are these Navajo boots! With December and January comes the cold, particularly in coastal and mountain regions out west. We laced up the boots and headed up to San Francisco and the Sequoia National Forest for some day hiking and a “little bit” of Christmas shopping.
These knee-high Cushe boots were gracious while slipping them on, the top of boot expanded substantially due to the elastic bands sewn securely on the sides. It’s a wonderful feeling to step into the Navajo, soft faux fur throughout the interior instantly warms your feet and calves.
Faux Fur is coupled with sanded suede to provide a solid foundation, particularly at the base. The suede encompasses the rear of the boot, with built in loops that accommodate the rope-like strings that crisscross their way to the top, snuggling you in warm like an infant Navajo in a papoose. A fold at the upper rear portion of boot adds assured support.
We really like the wooden motif that acts as a fastener for the boot. While it may take a try or two to get the wooden bead fitted into the looped string at other side, it does the job. It may be tricky to wear thick gloves while fastening the boots, but certainly a thinner pair of gloves should suffice.
The outsoles are made with Phylon EVA. Phylon is very lightweight, made of EVA foam pellets that are compressed, expanded in heat and then cooled in a mold. Navajo has a sleek molded design in the outsoles as well as a rubber toe cap. There are ample grooves in the bottom of soul that provide traction on wet surfaces.
Moisture along the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA will arise from the immense precipitation along the Pacific Ocean. We took the Navajo to the mat along the slick surfaces of the bridge and did not experience any difficulty regarding traction; the rubber toe cap offered assurance for the next step taken. Gusts along the bridge were reported at 30 miles per hour during our stay, and the feet were kept warm as the faux fur embraced the frontal padding. Wind did not find its way inside the boot due to properly stitched enclosures. These booties are nicely crafted.
Christmas shopping in Union Square challenged the Navajo boots on comfort, and they succeeded. The thick rubber soles absorbed a lot of impact along the pavement. The soft faux lining was kind to each step, and we still stopped for some window shopping and a coffee near the pier. Who wouldn’t!
Up in the Sequoias, there’s a lot of snow in the National Forest, more than three feet during our stay. While the Navajo are not meant to be worn as a snow boot, they don’t mind getting a sprinkling of snow on them. Again, we were kept warm and comfortable along the snow-paved trails of the Sequoia National forest, a difference of about 25 degrees cooler than San Francisco. Again, the thick rubber soles kept us a bit above the chilly ground and we liked that a lot. While we chose brown to accompany our wardrobe, the Navajo is also available in Black and Sand colors.
The Native Americans are very skillful at putting their resources to best use. Cushe accomplishes this objective in their choice of materials and purposeful design. For $150 MSRP, you can step into comfort without stepping out of budget.
Specifications:
Shaft Height: 11 1/2″ (size 7)
Circumference: 12″ (size 7)
Fit: True to Size
Insole: EVA
Outsole: Phylon EVA
Upper: Sanded Suede/Faux Fur
www.cushe.com