REBEL WITH INSULKUL WESTERN BOOT

Brown, square-toed, and built around a tempered steel shank with a rolled shank area behind it. The rolled shank is the giveaway that this boot expects a stirrup as well as a floor.

The upper is full-grain leather over a soft mesh lining. A Cushion Flex insole sits above an EVA midsole, the sole carries a double row of stitching, and the outsole is a rubber that resists slips, oil and abrasion. The heel is a 1 1/2" rocker.

There is not much more to it, and that is the appeal. A boot with a steel shank and a rocker heel has already solved the two problems that make western boots tiring — no support through the arch, and a heel that stops the foot dead. Everything else here is finish. Brown is the colour that will still look correct in five years, the square toe is the shape most people want now, and a straight jean over the shaft is the only styling instruction anyone needs. Buy them a touch snug across the instep; a pull-on loosens where it flexes and never tightens again.