First things first, I recently was sent my own site as part of a press pack based on the assumption that something I’d written was some kind of advertorial for a brand. Fuck that. What’s the point of that stuff? This isn’t “placement.” I don’t play that PR mouthpiece fuckery on this site. If it’s here, it’s because I’m a fan rather than an request to cover something, so please, please stop sending me releases for product placement here on your music, terrible “street art” prints or brand that makes wacky tees to match your hype shoe colourway and make you look like a sex offender. The internet is awash with insincerity. I’d sooner be somebody who (cue Just Blaze beat) really means it. Shouts to Tyler at WorkinNights for getting in touch though —- the Jes Aurilius ‘All Skrewed Up’ mix is soundtracking this blog entry’s creation.

Alas, the time has come to get all heritage again, because I don’t think there’s a better pair of boots in my wardrobe than the Danner Mountain Lights. I’ll be damned if I ever wear them to go off-roading in. After all, with their flashy Vibram Cristy soles that are devoid of lugs and intended for military, service or work, I’d almost certainly slip and fall to my doom in them. I did a warehouse stock take in them a few years back under the misapprehension that they were steel-toed though, but thankfully I’m not walking with a limp right now. Looking at these boots, in a world of synthesised histories, I think the Mountain Light deserves a little more historical context as a design classic and a breakthrough piece of hiking functionality. That’s a good enough excuse to cobble together an attempt at a narrative here. Gotta love those ‘Backpacker’ archives.

I love GORE-TEX lined gear and if you’ve spotted the gratuitous uploading of early 1990′s winter boot round ups from The Source that you can see in this post and this post, it always seems that Danner slipped beneath the radar at street level, despite being a particularly legitimate item. Vasque Hikers and Merrell Wilderness got some shine, and there was a lot of Havana Joe. And with Danner being a Portland-based brand, I even found myself scrutinising Sir Mixalot LP sleeves to spot a pair, given his Seattle proximity to the brand’s headquarters and factory, to no avail. To sate my own personal curiosity I’d also like to know who set off the red lace craze on hiking boots. Pivetta, Lowa, Limmer and Browning all seemed to have them as a focal point all those years ago, but I’ve seen it on ski boots from the 1940′s and 1950′s too, so who started it?

The Danner Mountain Light commenced life as the Danner 6490 (the hardier older brethren of the 7509 Climbing Boot) model back in the early 1970′s. While it didn’t carry the ‘Light’ name then, it was a shoe famed for its lightweight feel. If you’ve held a pair, you’ll note that they feel pretty weighty, but the 6490′s 3 pound and 14 oz on the scales was low in 1973, when a fair amount of hiking boots clocked in at 5 pounds. The 6490′s supple leather on the one—piece upper and minimal seams to rub on inside made it a boot without a break-in period, the Vibram sole maintained traction, a padded tongue ensured extra comfort while that ski-boot style wrapped tongue cover and bellow detailing made them waterproof too. Leather lined and built to last, Danner’s 6490, advertised in the mid 1970′s as the 6490 Mountain Trail Boot and boasting a glowing ‘Backpacker’ magazine review became a bestseller that, “Needs little or no breaking in.”

Enter the GORE-TEX era. Oft-debated, both at the time of its initial release by sceptical brand boffins and consumers alike, and now in an industry awash with breathable membrane materials, GORE-TEX’s laminated debut in 1976 via W.L. Gore & Associates was predominately apparel and tents— the footwear came a little later. While some brands ummed and aahed including Vasque (owned by Red Wing), Danner got involved early, recruiting Guillaume “Willie” Sacre to develop a lightweight, breathable boot. The project commenced around 1978. Willie met with GORE-TEX in New York around 1979. But first, a little background on Willie Sacre — Sacre was in the industry at a point when designers and developers seemed to bounce between brands. After working at Vasque, where it’s mind-boggling to think that Sacre may be a key mind behind both the Vasque Hiker and the Danner Light (though Patagonia founder Yvon Chounard also worked for Vasque and is confirmed as the man behind 1971′s Ascender I and II climbing shoes), before developing the first ever North Face boots in 1975. He also worked for Tirah.

Sacre created the Danner Light boot, with a shape akin to the 6490 Mountain Trail Boot, but a significantly lighter feel and leather paneling only where it mattered, using synthetic but rugged 1000 denier materials on the majority of the upper, resulting in a shoe that clocked in at a couple of pounds. Its extra killer application (and coincidentally, the similar sounding Donner Mountain Company/DMC brand had a rival product on the market at the same time, complete with GORE-TEX) was the GORE-TEX sock-like lining. Honed over subsequent years, a cursory look at Google Patents reveals that Sacre’s ‘WATERPROOF SHOE CONSTRUCTION’ (filed in 1983) has W.L. Gore & Associates as the assignees rather than Danner, with illustrations depicting the Danner Light boot and a GORE-TEX sock that could be sewn at the collar alongside Norwegian welts and Littleway construction. The Light was a groundbreaking moment for Gore and shoes.

The Danner Light’s success led to the 6490 Mountain Trail Boot being rebranded as the Mountain Light, to offer a hardwearing partner piece. In the early 1980′s the Mountain Light got a similar GORE-TEX lining to the standard Light. By 1982, Vasque saw the value in lighter hikers like the Light, and introduced their iconic Sundowner model that also implemented GORE-TEX. The Mountain Light leathers got darker during the decade in line with altering aesthetics, but the shaped stayed the same. With Ed Viberg of the excellent Canadian Viberg brand and Bill Danner being friends, if you’ve noticed a similarity between Viberg’s 66 Hiker and the Mountain Light, it’s apparently because Bill shared his company’s design with Ed, leading to the release of Viberg’s 66 design in 1985. By 1987, there was a complete Danner GORE-TEX collection and by the mid 1990′s, there was a distinct split between the cross hiker crossover styles that these looks birthed and hiking boots (the Danner Light and Mountain Light were firmly in the latter camp). Hikers came with a choice of a Vibram lug or Danner’s own nippled Bob sole for use on mud and sand, with the Airthotic “technology” for extra comfort. Around 1997, the Mountain Light celebrated over two decades of dominance with a sequel that kept to the essence (the Danner Light II dropped too) but replaced the leather lining with nylon.

I still maintain the Mountain Light is the best boot I own. Half a decade or so ago, our eyes bled at the £300+ pricetag on the Asia-only lug-free Cristy sole Mountain Lights when they cropped up on Rakuten. We would run the Yen through XE, but that dodge of hollering at P-Town locals (shouts to Claw) to visit the factory store and grab factory seconds for around $100, complete with a paper dot sticker to denote the point of defect (usually a tiny mark, but I did end with two textures of suede on a light brown pair). Bigfoots had to fall back, because Japanese demand meant that they only seemed to go up to a US10. Now they’re a little more available, in Mountain Light, Light and — just to cause a spot of confusion — a Mountain Trail Boot form as part of the Danner Stumptown collection. That name just evokes a vision of bearded twentysomething bellends in Woolrich drinking artisan caffeine drinks and Instagramming burgers while listening to Mumford & Sons on through their iPhone headphones — don’t you just hate self-hating hipsters like me? But the shoes are well worth your time — my platonic ideal of a hiking boot. Then again, I’m not planning on going on a hike any time soon, which makes me the real douchebag here.

This was originally posted on GWARIZM.

Gary Warnett has inexplicably forged a career out of a misspent childhood obsessing over hip-hop, films and sneakers. He is editor and some sort of manager at Crooked Tongues, a frequent copywriter for brands like Nike Sportswear and Arc’teryx Veilance, plus an occasional blogger on his own blog which is full of self indulgent, unstructured paragraphs like this piece. He also writes for Dazed & Confused monthly and semi-regularly for some other publications, sites and brands. When he’s not being professional with clients, he is cavalier in his approach to grammar and angry with his Tweets.

Photography: Hypebeast

American footwear label Danner has provided this look at a new item released for 2012. The Portland-based label has introduced this iteration of its Vertigo boot, which includes a Vibram sole and leather lining in combination with a suede exterior and a D-ring lace up. The Vertigo Crosby takes its name from the builder of the first framed home in Portland, Captain Nathaniel Crosby. Priced at $280 USD, the boot is constructed entirely in the USA and is available for purchase from the Danner online store.

Photography: Hypebeast

Originating in the Pacific Northwest, Danner traces its beginnings to the city of Portland, Oregon. Deeply rooted in its local history, it makes sense that the Light Heathman Boots garnered their name from the Heathman hotel – one of Portland’s longest standing and most historical hotels. The Light Heathman Boot draws its form and function from the needs of late 1920s timber barons and has remained one of Danner’s most comfortable and durable silhouettes within the line. The pair’s upper is made from a well-executed pairing of rich brown leathers and contrasting olive suede panels. A Vibram 2060 outsole serves as the foundation for the lightweight boot and is secured via customary stitchdown welting. Designed with the elements in mind, the pair includes a breathable Drilex mesh lining to wick away moisture buildup. Given Danner’s storied reputation, the Light Heathman is likely to hold a long lifespan and retails for $300 USD through the Danner online store.

Photography: Hypebeast

The Danner Stumptown collection is more than just a throwback heritage collection for Portland-based Danner Boots. It’s also a celebration of the in-sourced, American manufacturing from the days when the Pacific Northwest’s logging industry thrived. Joining the collection for Spring/Summer 2012 is the Vertigo Boot. Offered in a muted olive, full-grain leather upper, the Vertigo is a more sensible companion to a pair of jeans for urban or forest trekking. The leather lining stays true to the collection’s vintage lumberjacking roots, while the Vibram 2060 outsole keeps the boot lightweight and durable. The Vergito Boots are made in the United States and are fully recraftable, to extend the life of each boot.

Photography: Hypebeast

While most people are familiar with Danner in a lifestyle context, the Danner Melee line shows the iconic American brand’s positioning as an innovative footwear purveyor. Created for the most adverse of conditions and for elite forces, the Melee 6″ Canteen Uniform Boot is positioned with a strong performance connotation in mind, using a special 360˚ pentagonal low lug pattern for enhanced traction and a breathable moisture wicking liner for comfort. A specially developed patent pending Danner VIA tech using Vibram V-4 ultra-abrasion rubber ensures the appropriate control in all situations. The boot is available now for $130 USD directly via Danner.

In addition to its impressive roster of collaborative projects for next season, Danner links up with SOPHNET. to produce a new iteration of the storied shoe manufacturer’s classic Postman Shoes. Featuring a premium leather construction, the shoe’s solid profile has remained intact with black wedge soles rounding out the design. Reproduced in two understated colors, black and navy, each pair will hit shelves at SOPHNET. stores and select retail accounts.

Danner links with Japanese retailer Ships and its private label Ships General Supply to create a new capsule of hiking boots for this season. The last few seasons have seen a strong focus on the Mountain Light as Ships goes a different route choosing the Mountain Trail instead. A focus on materials manifests itself through the use of Horween-sourced Chromexcel leather as well as a branded Vibram outsole. Available now from the Ships Jet Blue store.

Storied shoemaker Danner has been known to collaborate with equally authentic brands, and with the New Year finally upon us, the Portland, Oregon manufacturer teams up with iconic label Stussy to offer the Mountain Ridge Mid. Presented in a similar light to Danner’s Mountain Light silhouette, this boot provides exceptional comfort with a GORE-TEX liner, Vibram outsole, and a full-grain waterproof leather upper. Complete with metal eyelets and contrasting red laces, the made in America Mountain Ridge Mid for Stussy will be available at Stussy Japan retailers on January 7 for ¥33,600 JPY (approximately $438 USD).

Available in mid-November, the Danner Stumptown Mountain Trail Willamette is a boldly-colored and finely crafted leather boot. Officially referred to as azure blue, the boots are made in the USA and named for the Willamette River that runs through Portland, Oregon. For those of you not afraid to bat a sartorial eyelash, these are available for purchase at Danner for $310 USD.

Source: GQ

Building upon our previous post we present additional details regarding the Danner Light Patterson Stumptown edition. Limited to 500 pairs worldwide, this handcrafted in America release features a GORE-TEX lining, Vibram Sierra sole, and a 650 last creating a slender profile. Currently available and retailing for $360 USD, Danner will donate $10 from each pair sold to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Photography: Hypebeast