Clarks Desert Boot 221: Worth the Upgrade?
Price: $230
Why Buy?
The Clarks Desert Boot 221 offers materials and construction that makes the $230 MSRP look like a steal.
Why Avoid?
The Clarks Desert Boot 221 has looks that are not for everyone, and is a step down in comfort
Specs:
| Model | Desert Boot 221 |
| Height | 4.5 inch |
| Materials | Suede / Crepe |
| Size | 12 |
| Weight | 655 g / 1 lb 7.1 oz |
| Construction | Stitchdown |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
History:
I know what you’re saying – a Clarks Desert Boot review? What is this, 2015? However, I think that joke might ring a little bit too close to home over at the folks at Clark’s. After becoming the defacto choice for a guy looking to dress well during the rapid increase in #menswear (it’s still the symbol for r/malefashionadvice), the popularity of the silhouette has dropped significantly.
Clarks has tried a number of times to revive the style. They’ve gone cheap, offering the Bushacre. They’ve gone expensive, offering a Made-in-England variety in 2018. (That didn’t end too well.) Finally, we have this one here, the Clark’s Desert Boot 221. A revamped take on the desert boot, designed to offer a more premium and contemporary model for a new generation.
As someone who missed the boat on Clark’s back in the day, I thought now might be the time to see if this new model can play in the modern world. And, maybe more importantly, can it justify its price at more than 50% more than a regular pair of desert boots.
Looks:
Upper:
When the Clarks Desert Boot 221 first came out of the box, I have to say I was more than a little impressed. The Suede upper on this pair, sand colored, is fantastic. Not nice for a mall brand, but great full stop.
The nap is fairly minimal, but it feels extremely substantial. The boot is unlined, though you would never guess. Every other pair of Clarks Desert Boots I’ve seen have been a little bit floppy around the collar – these are anything but. I have to admit, they do lose a bit of their “college professor who doesn’t care” vibe, but the tradeoff is probably worth it.
The next thing you’ll notice on the upper is the last is just slightly different. Using a last with a bit more of a sprung toe, they fit into the chunkiness that is spreading throughout fashion in 2021 and 2022.
Once you’ve taken all that in, you notice the stitching is just about the cleanest you’ve ever seen. There isn’t much on this boot, but I genuinely can’t find a single flaw in the stitching at all. The stitching on the upper is genuinely as straight and even as the pair of Edward Green Chukka boots reviewed a couple weeks ago.
Unfortunately, the painted eyelets came scratched out of the box. It isn’t the end of the world, of course, but it does take a bit of the wow factor away. The only other flaw, if you can call it that, is that the “CLARKS” logo on the side. My shoe has it on the heel, where the promotional pictures have it around the collar. I probably prefer the promo pictures, but it isn’t a big deal.
Inside, it’s much the same. The C.F. Stead logo on the side is a great touch, and all the stitching is just as perfect.
Mid- and Outsole:
If you read the marketing material on the Clarks Desert Boot 221, this is where they spend most of their time. I can see why; it is really the most attention-grabbing part of the boot. Everything about it is beefed up.
Starting with the less noticeable, the midsole is substantially thicker on this pair, adding some visual weight. This midsole is attached with stitching that is again extremely clean and even.
Moving onto the very noticeable, these things come with thickest crepe soles I’ve ever seen on a pair of shoes. Nearly an inch thick under the ball of your foot – and double that at the heel – these things dominate the visuals of these boots. It is the defining feature of the 221, and will make or break the boot for you.
If you think they might look a little big in pictures, it’s more exaggerated in person. This isn’t a good or bad thing – but you should know about it.
Summary:
I am more than a little impressed with how the Clarks Desert Boot 221 look out of the box. If it wasn’t for the low-quality box, you could have told me they were from any number of more prestigious brands and I would have believed you. They are really that good.
The outsole has a bit of 70’s sleaze built into it. These are not boots that blend into the background, but demand attention as you walk by. Not least because you’re 2 inches taller than people are used to seeing you.
Fit & Comfort:
Fit:
The Clarks Desert Boot 221 fits very true to size. You might see people telling you to size down, but I’d only do that in comparison to your sneakers. I take these in a size 12, which is the same size I take in the Allen Edmonds 5 last the Alden Barrie last. For comparison, I take a size 13 in most Nike sneakers, and a size 12.5 in Adidas Stan Smiths.
This version of the Desert Boot is very accommodating, especially in its wide, round toe box. However, some may find this accommodation leans partly into being a bit of a sloppy fit. This feeling of insecurity is only accentuated by having just two eyelets placed fairly high up as the adjustment point. However, unless you’re planning on going back in time and using these in an actual battle, I think on the whole the fit is a positive.
If you’re interested in seeing a sizing list of all the shoes we have reviewed, click here.
Comfort:
Most of the upgrades to the Clarks Desert Boot 221 are real upgrades, but surprisingly they take a pretty significant step back on the comfort front. The crepe that they use in the sole is much, much harder than what you find in a traditional desert boot. In an extremely unscientific test, I am able to push my finger in around 5 millimeters into the outsole of another pair of desert boots I have, where I can only push in around 2 millimeters into these. They try to offset this with a softer foam insole, but I personally find this doesn’t do nearly enough.
The outsole isn’t hard, of course, but it is definitely harder than you might expect. Especially given the thickness of it.
Elsewhere, the boot is much more structured than you might expect for completely unlined suede. I don’t mind this at all, but typically shoes made with this material feel like socks. Not the case here.
Overall, the comfort of these boots is a little bit disappointing. Seeing the pictures, I was expecting a cloud-like ride, but they are a definite step down compared to the normal line.
Materials & Construction:
Materials:
The materials on the Clarks Desert Boot 221 are a real upgrade from what you might be expecting from the brand. The suede is thick, a word you’re going to see a lot through this section. Measuring a few spots, the average thickness is around .12 inch or 3.1 mm.
Woven into this suede are a pair of waxed, flat laces (they also come with stretchy round laces). I’ve complained about expensive boots with cheap laces before, and this is the reason why. On a comparatively affordable pair of boots, these laces knock it out of the park. There are zero reasons why other brands can’t use the same supplier.
Around you heel is a leather heel counter cover, and a leatherboard counter. Well within what is normal for a boot in the $200+ price range.
Underfoot, a full leather liner runs the length of the shoe. Under that is a ¼ inch of ortholite foam. Further down is a thick (there it is again) piece of leatherboard. This piece is so big that it’s a visually important part of the shoe, easily double the size or more of what is found on normal desert boots.
Rounding off the fairly simple boot, a thick (ok, last time) crepe sole with a double thickness heel can be found. If you didn’t know, crepe is basically a type of liquid rubber that is tapped from trees. It’s laid out in sheets, building up to create the sole. While this harder crepe is a definite let down in comfort, it’ll almost certain last longer than the traditional crepe outsole.
Construction:
The Clarks Desert Boot 221 is made using a simplified stitchdown construction. If you want an in-depth guide to stitchdown construction, click here. However, if you want the cliff notes version, the upper on the shoe is faired out, then stitched down to the midsole. The midsole is then glued to the outsole (though some models will include the outsole in the stitching).
This is one of the most basic ways to make a shoe, and is a fairly affordable option. They can be resoled, but generally it’s easier to rip off the outsole and glue a new one back on.
I should also add that Clark’s uses a Portuguese factory when making these, rather than their typical factory in Vietnam. While really good shoes can be made in less developed countries, and really bad ones can be made in highly developed countries, in general if a company is building in a country with higher labor costs it’s because they are expecting a higher quality product.
In the case of these boots, that extra attention to detail is pretty clear.
Ease of Care:
When taking care of the Clarks Desert Boot 221, at least in this Sand color or the White option, you need to acknowledge that light colored suede will get dirty. Of course, the crepe outsole will be too, so at least it will be matching. If that isn’t something that is acceptable to you, these are not the boots for you. They do make them in a black suede for the U.S. market, and a brown suede if you live in Europe.
That being said, it might not be as bad as you think. (At least for the upper, those outsoles will be black in 3 weeks.)
Clarks is using C.F. Stead suede, and those guys are better at making repellent suede than anyone else. While this isn’t “repello” suede, it still will be more resistant than you might expect. With a suede brush and a bit of suede cleaner, these should remain presentable for the life of the outsole – assuming you’re not using them for hiking.
By the way, don’t use these for hiking.
Pricing & Value:
Pricing:
As you can probably guess, all the upgrades that the Clarks Desert Boot 221 has are reflected in the price. For an MSRP of $230, they are an $80 increase in price over the base model. Though, it should be mentioned that, like all Clark’s products, it’s pretty easy to find them on sale if you look. Prices are constantly changing, but at time of writing they seem to be going anywhere from $90 to $150, depending on size and color choice.
If you’re looking for a nicer alternative to the regular Clark’s Desert Boot, there are a few options that you might want to consider in addition to the 221.
First, the Clark’s Desert Coal is another option that is marketed as an upgrade to the Desert Boot. It comes in at $160. These are going to be slightly more affordable than the 221, though they don’t have quite the same wow factor out of the box.
Another alternative is the Grant Stone Chukka, priced at $292. If you want to go even higher in quality, this will add even more upgrades. Most notably is going to be the goodyear welt, though that does make them more formal than the other options here.
Value:
I’ll make a confession – one of the reasons that I never owned a pair of Clarks Desert Boots was that I never thought they offered a good value. For $150, the finishing just wasn’t there to justify paying a premium price over whatever off-brand was sitting on the shelves at Nordstrom Rack for $39.99. I am happy to report that, when it comes to Clarks Desert Boot 221, that these are actually something that I’d be happy to pay for. Especially at the price of when they are on sale.
Quality work and quality materials cost money. When it comes to these, it’s clear Clark’s spent the money to try and provide a good product.
Wrap Up:
The Clarks Desert Boot 221 is one of the most surprising boots that I’ve reviewed in a long time. I bought them as part of a longer-term series on Chukka boots (keep an eye out) with no real intention of putting them into the rotation. I was planning on doing a quick review, maybe make a few jokes about Nike Killshots and OCBDs, and then pack them back up and send them back.
Instead, these have completely won me over. The construction is top notch, and the materials wouldn’t feel out of place on a boot that costs twice as much.
They are far from perfect. $230 for a pair of boots that are difficult to resole is tough to swallow, the 70’s inspired outsole thickness is not going to be for everyone, and it’s stiffness in a desert boot is just weird. All that being said, Clarks tried to recreate a premium version of the desert boot, and the 221 does just that.
If you’re in the market for a pair of desert boots, be sure to put this one on your list.
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