Why We Built the Drew’s 1918 Collection: Bringing PNW Boot DNA to the Everyday Work Boot

There’s a pretty big gap in the work boot market today.

On one side, you have the classic American everyday work boot — the kind of boots generations of workers have worn from brands like Red Wing, Thorogood and Danner.

On the other side, you have the traditional Pacific Northwest boot.

Companies like White’s Boots, Nick’s Boots and Drew’s Boots have helped make the PNW style famous: heavy leather, substantial construction, serious support and boots designed for hard use.

But those two categories have become very different price points.

A good everyday work boot might land around $200–$300. A traditional handmade PNW boot can easily run $600, $700 or more.

At Drew’s, we kept looking at that gap and asking ourselves a simple question:

Why can’t we bring some of that old-school PNW boot DNA into a work boot that the everyday working man can afford?

That question became the Drew’s 1918 Collection.

Shop the Drew’s 1918 Collection →

Why We Called It the 1918 Collection

The name matters.

Drew’s was founded in Oregon in 1918.

For more than a century, we’ve fit boots for loggers, firefighters, ranchers, tradesmen and working people throughout the West.

Over that time, we’ve had a front-row seat to the evolution of the American work boot.

We’ve sold boots from some of the biggest names in the industry. We’ve worked closely with Pacific Northwest bootmakers. We've developed our own heavy-duty logger and work boots.

And after more than 100 years around boots, you start learning where the money matters.

Leather matters. Construction matters. The components underneath your foot matter.

Those lessons became the foundation of the 1918 Collection.

The idea wasn't to recreate a $700 handmade PNW boot for $200.

That isn't realistic.

Instead, we asked:

How much of that old-school boot philosophy could we put into an everyday work boot at a working man's price?

The Gap Between a Red Wing or Thorogood and a Traditional PNW Boot

We have a lot of respect for the companies that helped build the American work boot industry.

Red Wing helped define the classic American work boot. Thorogood has become synonymous with the American moc toe. Danner was founded right here in the Pacific Northwest and has its own deep history in work and outdoor footwear.

Then there's another category altogether.

Traditional PNW boots from companies like White's, Nick's and Drew's are generally much more substantial.

Heavy leather. Serious underfoot support. Leather components. Rebuildable construction. Boots made for loggers, wildland firefighters, linemen and people working some of the toughest jobs in America.

But not everybody needs that much boot.

And not everybody wants to spend $600–$700+ on a pair of work boots.

That's where we saw an opportunity.

We wanted the price and everyday wearability of a traditional work boot, but we wanted to incorporate some of the materials and construction principles we appreciate about old-school PNW boots.

A working man's boot at a working man's price — built with old-school PNW DNA.

It Starts With the Leather

Pick up a traditional Pacific Northwest boot and one of the first things you'll notice is the leather.

It's substantial.

We wanted that same feeling when somebody picked up a 1918 Moc Toe.

The Drew's 1918 Moc Toe is built with heavy 7.5–8 oz Crazyhorse leather. It's heavily oiled, durable and designed to develop character as it's worn.

We didn't want leather that looked great in a product photograph but couldn't take abuse.

We wanted leather that would look better after you worked in it.

Scuffs are okay. Scratches are okay. Patina is a good thing.

It's a work boot.

Treat it like one.

Shop the Drew’s 1918 Crazyhorse Moc Toe →

Leather Where You Can't See It

One of the easiest ways to make a boot cheaper is to save money on things the customer can't see.

We tried to approach the 1918 Collection differently.

Take the heel counter.

The heel counter sits inside the back of the boot and helps provide structure and support around your heel.

You don't see it. You're probably never going to post a picture of it on Instagram.

But it's important.

So we use a leather heel counter.

Could we use cheaper materials there?

Sure.

But that's exactly the kind of shortcut we didn't want to take.

A Genuine Leather Goodyear Welt

Construction was another area we cared about.

The 1918 Collection uses leather Goodyear welt construction.

Goodyear welt construction has been used in quality footwear for generations. Rather than simply cementing the outsole directly to the upper and calling it good, welted construction creates a more traditional and serviceable boot.

And we specifically chose a leather welt.

Again, it's old-school thinking.

It costs more. There are cheaper ways to build boots.

But our objective wasn't:

How cheaply can we make this boot?

It was:

How much boot can we give somebody for their money?

That's a very different way of developing a product.

Yes, We Put a Steel Shank in a Wedge-Sole Work Boot

This is one of our favorite details in the 1918 Collection.

A lot of people associate a steel shank with traditional logger boots and heavy-duty work boots.

We put one in the 1918 Collection, too.

Even though these boots use a comfortable wedge-style outsole, we wanted additional structure and stability underneath the foot.

So there's a steel shank inside the boot.

Again, you can't see it.

That's kind of the point.

The Drew's Safety Stitch

Then there's something you can see.

Look at the front of a 1918 Moc Toe and you'll notice an additional stitch running directly through the outsole at the toe.

We call it our Safety Stitch.

The front of a work boot takes abuse. It's constantly flexing. It gets kicked into things. It gets dragged across concrete. It's one of the places where sole separation can become an issue.

So we reinforce it.

Nothing complicated. Nothing fancy.

Just another stitch in an area where we thought the boot could use it.

The Crazyhorse Moc Toe combines that Safety Stitch with the 7.5–8 oz leather, leather heel counter, steel shank and leather Goodyear welt.

Why We Chose a Wedge Sole

The 1918 Collection wasn't designed to replace our logger boots.

It was designed for a different kind of work.

A huge number of people spend their days standing and walking on concrete, shop floors, construction sites, warehouses, garages, farms and ranches.

For those environments, a wedge sole makes a lot of sense.

That's why wedge-sole moc toes have become staples of the American jobsite.

We wanted that same everyday usability.

But underneath it, we wanted some Drew's DNA.

That's where the steel shank, leather heel counter, leather welt and heavier leather come into the equation.

One Philosophy. Three Different Work Boots.

We also knew one style wasn't going to work for everybody.

So the core 1918 Collection was built around three classic work-boot silhouettes.

1918 Moc Toe

The Moc Toe is the backbone of the collection.

The American moc toe is one of the most recognizable work boots ever made, and for good reason.

It's simple. Comfortable. Functional.

Our Crazyhorse version starts at $199.95 and combines that classic silhouette with heavy leather, a leather heel counter, steel shank, leather Goodyear welt and Safety Stitch.

Shop Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe Boots →

1918 Chelsea

Not everybody wants to lace up a boot every morning.

The 1918 Chelsea takes the same basic philosophy and puts it into an easy pull-on work boot.

The current 1918 Chelsea uses premium full-grain leather, Goodyear welt construction, a leather heel counter and steel shank.

The Brown Roughout is especially suited to work. Roughout handles scuffs, scratches and abrasion without needing to be babied.

Pull them on.

Go to work.

Shop Drew’s 1918 Chelsea Boots →

1918 Wellington

Then there's the 1918 Wellington.

We wanted a true pull-on work boot for the ranch, farm, shop and industrial environment.

The Wellington uses 5–6 oz barn-proof leather and carries the same philosophy through with a leather heel counter, steel shank and work-ready construction. The current soft-toe Wellington is $199.95, while the composite-toe version is $219.95.

Shop Drew’s 1918 Wellington Boots →

What About Safety-Toe Work Boots?

We didn't want the 1918 Collection to be limited to soft-toe boots.

These are supposed to be work boots.

That's why the collection also includes composite safety-toe options.

The current lineup includes a 1918 Composite Moc Toe and 1918 Wellington Composite Toe, along with safety-toe availability within the collection.

Shop the Complete Drew’s 1918 Collection →

Is the 1918 Collection a PNW Boot?

No.

At least not in the traditional sense.

And we think it's important to be clear about that.

When someone says PNW boot, they're generally talking about the heavy-duty logger-style boots associated with the Pacific Northwest.

Think heavy leather midsoles, substantial arch support, logger heels, stitchdown or handsewn construction and boots designed for extremely demanding work.

The 1918 Collection is different.

It's an everyday work boot influenced by what we've learned from the PNW boot industry.

We weren't trying to build a $700 boot for $200.

We were trying to take some of the things we appreciate about those $700 boots and ask:

Can we put this into a $200 work boot?

Heavy leather? Yes.

Leather heel counter? Yes.

Steel shank? Yes.

Leather welt? Yes.

Goodyear welt construction? Yes.

That's what we mean when we talk about PNW DNA.

Why Aren't the 1918 Boots Made in the USA?

It's a fair question.

Drew's is an Oregon company. We've been part of the Pacific Northwest boot business since 1918.

So why build the core 1918 Collection in the Dominican Republic?

Because of what we wanted this collection to cost.

Our target was to build a serious work boot at roughly the $200 price point.

If we built the same collection domestically, the price would be significantly higher.

Instead, we partnered with skilled bootmakers in the Dominican Republic and focused on specifying the materials and construction we wanted.

We didn't go looking for the cheapest finished boot we could buy and slap Drew's on the side.

We developed the boots around our specifications.

Then we worked backward to figure out how to deliver them at the price we wanted.

Read: Where Are Drew’s Boots Made? →

A $200 Boot and a $700 Boot Can Both Be Good Boots

This is something we think gets lost in the boot world.

More expensive doesn't automatically mean better for your particular job.

If you're cutting line on a wildfire, working steep logging country or spending every day on rugged terrain, you may benefit from a traditional PNW logger boot.

That's why Drew's still sells them.

If you're an electrician standing on concrete all day, however, a 10-inch high-arch logger boot may not make much sense.

The same goes for a mechanic. A carpenter. A warehouse worker. A farmer. A contractor. Someone climbing in and out of equipment all day.

Those customers may need something completely different.

They need a good work boot.

They need good leather.

They need support.

They need traction.

They need durability.

And they need to be able to afford to actually work in the thing.

That's the customer we had in mind when we developed the 1918 Collection.

So How Does the 1918 Compare With Red Wing and Thorogood?

This is probably the comparison a lot of people are going to make.

And that's okay.

Red Wing and Thorogood helped define the moc-toe work boot category in America.

If you're shopping for a leather wedge-sole work boot around this price range, they're naturally going to be part of the conversation.

We're not going to tell you those companies don't make good boots.

They do.

We simply approached ours from a different background.

Drew's comes from the Pacific Northwest boot world.

We've spent generations around heavy-duty logger boots, fire boots, ranch boots and traditionally constructed work footwear.

So when we decided to make an everyday moc toe, those experiences influenced what we wanted inside it.

That's why we talk about 7.5–8 oz leather, leather heel counters, steel shanks, leather Goodyear welts and reinforced Safety Stitch construction.

If you're comparing a Drew's 1918 Moc Toe with a Red Wing or Thorogood, we'd encourage you to compare more than the logo on the side.

Look at the leather.

Look at the welt.

Look at the internal components.

Look at how the boot is constructed.

Then decide which boot makes the most sense for your feet, your work and your money.

How Much Boot Can We Build for the Money?

That question probably sums up the 1918 Collection better than anything else.

We didn't start by asking:

How cheap can we make a Drew's boot?

We asked:

How much boot can we build for around $200?

Those are very different questions.

Could we make a cheaper boot?

Absolutely.

Could we make a more expensive boot?

We already do.

The challenge was building something in the middle.

A boot affordable enough to wear to work every day, with enough old-school construction inside it that we were comfortable putting Drew's on the boot.

That's why we called it the 1918 Collection.

Not because these boots are built exactly like boots were in 1918.

They're not.

The name represents the knowledge behind them.

More than a century fitting working people.

More than a century around leather work boots.

Generations in the Pacific Northwest.

And one pretty simple philosophy:

Build the best boot we can at a price working people can afford.

A Working Man's Boot at a Working Man's Price.

SHOP THE DREW’S 1918 COLLECTION →