These are my Grant Stone Elias Boots in Dune Cxl. I have 16 pairs of GS footwear. 12 pairs of boots including this boot and the Elias in Natural Roughout Cxl coming this week.

This is my first time ever with a pair of side zip boots. They’re my second pair of GS’s that’s in Dune Cxl. My first pair was the Diesel’s which are 3-4yo. I forgot how nice Dune Cxl/Natural Cxl looks brand new. Big fan, however, I hate that they get water stains so easily but to be honest doesn’t bother me anymore.

I love the last of these boots. The toe box looks so nice. It’s a combo of a cowboy boot and an engineer boot. It goes pretty high up on the shins. I got them a few days ago and brand new they made my shins sore. I was able to wear them all day at work and it quickly softened up.

To sizing. I am a 10D brannock. I wear 9D on the Leo last and 8.5D on the Floyd last. I also wear 9.5D on the Alexander, Campus, and the Sawyer last(these boots). My first pair was a 9D per the recommendation of GS. When I got them, I tried hard to get them on. I couldn’t for the life of me get my left foot into the boots so I didn’t try the right foot. I have heard people who get brand new engineer boots have to put a plastic bag over their feet to get past the throat. I tried that and I worked but the ball of my foot was super tight and painful so I took it off immediately. The 9.5D was still challenging because I always wear wool Grip 6 socks but I was able to get my foot into the left boot easily enough. It felt tight but a handshake tight. I tried on the right boot and took a few steps and realized they were the perfect size. I actually measured the length of the boots and the 9D in these was shorter in length than the 9D Diesel’s I had. Don’t know why. I really enjoy the toe box. It’s sexy imo.

Comfort came after 2 days of wearing. Cxl tends to mold to your feet easily and it is known to stretch. I am able to walk around with no issues and had some heel slip but that is gone now. Due to the shape of the toe, there seems to be a lot of empty space in the front. Still looks great.

I was never a fan of plain toed boots. I prefer the NST like the Ottawa’s but they aren’t coming out with anything new. These are plain toed but the toe is somewhat pointed so it looks good to me. I really like how they look with selvedge denim jeans. These are my first pair of side zip boots but they’re not my last. I’ve been on a hunt for other side zip boots but the only one I liked was from Viberg which were $1k+ and I wasn’t about to drop $1k on boots. Maybe when I’m rich. One day!

I like this style so much I decided to get the natural roughout cxl or “Marine Field Shoe.” It’s a light colorway so I know it’ll get dirty easily but that’s part of the charm. Things like stains and creases used to bother me(4yrs ago) but I find quirks like that on footwear charming. Especially on boots. These have thick creases where the boot bends(top of ball-maybe loose grain) but it doesn’t bother me however, if this was a 4yrs ago, I would’ve been a little upset. Prior to GS I only bought footwear at Nordstroms or Aldo and most of their footwear was PU leather or very shoddy leather so they would never really crease. If they did crease they would be tight creases. I have found that footwear that doesn’t exhibit creasing is low quality leather like Doc Martens. I don’t mind anymore. I have learned to embrace the creases.

I can’t wait to see how these patinate and I’m super excited to see what the Natural Roughout Cxl will look like in person and because I wear selvedge denim jeans I am confident they will get indigo crocking. I use the Patina Project app to research leather boots and I’ve seen some examples of what the Roughout will look like and I’m excited. Now, I will have 16 pairs of GS’s so I don’t know how much action they will get.

Photo of my Diesel’s on the right. Also Dune/Natural Cxl but 3-4yo. My second pair of GS’s. I’m hopeful my Elias boots will look similar to my Diesel’s in terms of patina. Super excited. However, I like to keep my boots looking pristine but these just got rained on so there are some water stains. It’s all part of the process.

There is also a black cxl version of this boot but it’s out of stock or else I think I would have gotten it. Another thing I’m a big fan of is that these have a dark brown welt which frames the boot perfectly. I think GS makes very good creative decisions. The all black will look great and I will most likely buy them when they are in stock again. Big fan of the Elias boot.

What makes me a little sad is that my favorite leather is shell cordovan and GS doesn’t intend on offering shell cordovan for these. Kim says it’s because it’ll be too hard to break in. I don’t know that I’d agree with her because I have the Maduro shell Diesel’s(my grail) and those broke in easily. We shall see!

Let me know if you have any questions!