Price: $799 + Options

Why Buy?

The White’s Bounty Hunter in Wickett & Craig Latigo feel special in a world of special boots, and seems to get the best bootmakers to make them.

Why Avoid?

The White’s Bounty Hunter in Wickett & Craig Latigo might not be worth the cost increase over a standard Bounty Hunter.

Specs

Model	Bounty Hunter
Height	8″
Size	11.5 E
Weight	1.631 kg / 3 lb 0 oz
Materials	Wickett & Craig Leather / Rubber
Construction	“Handsewn Stitchdown”
Country of Origin	United States

History

100wears has taken a look at the boots built by White’s before. In fact, 100wears has already taken a look at the 350 Cruiser, the boot that the Bounty Hunter is based on. What more can possibly be said?

Well, other than the fact that I think that White’s makes the best pacific northwest boot out there and wanted to justify picking up another pair, it goes back to a basic question: is the Baker’s Bounty Hunter worth the cost premium over the 350 Cruiser?* Further, can the upgraded version made with Wickett & Craig leather – one of the most expensive pairs of White’s you can get – possibly be worth it?

Taking a step back, it’s probably worth asking what the Bounty Hunter is. The White’s Bounty Hunter is a Baker’s exclusive model that starts off as a 350 Cruiser. What did Bakers do to change it? Well, off the bat, nothing.

What makes the Bounty Hunter different is that you can change it. Ordering a 350 Cruiser from White’s or other retailers gives you 3 choices: leather, size, and 2 choices in width.

The Bounty Hunter is a little bit different. My math might be slightly off, but some quick back-of-the-napkin calculations gives me around 6.8 trillion (6,889,195,929,600) possible combinations before you account for size and width.

Of course, just because a combination exists doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. You could get an olive, tan, and black monstrosity. For this pair, I decided to get something close to what Baker’s themselves made for the promo pair pictures. Let’s find out if they’re worth it.

*While Baker’s almost always runs around $20 more per pair, at time of writing they were actually $20 less.

Build

Here is the Build Sheet for this specific pair, just for reference:

• Last: Semi Dress
• Height: 8”
• Wickett & Craig Leathers: Latigo (Baker Exclusive)
• Clastic Toe Box: No Thanks [Different from Stock Build]
• Top: Cut Top (standard) [Different from Stock Build]
• Logos / Embossing: No Logos or Embossing [Different from Stock Build]
• Pull Loops: Leather Pull Loops
• Hardware: Antique Eyes & Hooks
• Sole Trim: Standard Trim (Double Row Stitch)
• Midsole: Single
• Heel Base: Standard
• Heel Lifts: Standard
• Edge: Natural
• Sole: Vibram 700
• Length: 11.5
• Width: E

Looks

Upper

Starting off, the White’s Bounty Hunter’s design is about as classic work boot as you can get. A plain toebox, standard quarters, and a heel wrap that just hints at the leather support inside. It’s a time-tested style that worked 100 years ago, works today, and will work in 100 years. I also should add, this boot has extremely clean stitching and panel matching. I’m not sure if that is due to this being made with the higher end leather, but it’s cleaner than my other White’s and way cleaner than any pair of Nick’s I’ve ever seen.

Going into the details, you need to start with the Wickett & Craig Latigo leather. It looks amazing, with one caveat. This leather has a decidedly showy pattern on it. That’s why I love it, but if you were to wear this to an actual job site, it might catch you some looks. For the same reason I would suggest the cotton laces over the leather. It just works better.

I also have to say, I love the unstructured toe on this pair. Again, it’s probably not the best if you’re actually working in these, but for everyone who has been trying to capture that mid-2010’s Viberg toebox collapse – stop looking. This is it, right here.

One strange thing – the antique eyelets are silver. Not polished nickel like the other option, but definitely not antique brass. I don’t hate the look, but it isn’t what I picked on the build sheet. Speaking of the eyelets, they do have a lot more spacing between the hooks than the eyes. Again, not a huge deal (and nobody but you will see unless you’re wearing these with shorts), but flagging just in case.

Mid- and Outsole

The bottom half of the White’s Bounty Hunter is also amazingly clean. Especially for a pair of Pacific Northwest Boots. I’m not sure if they give this leather to the workers who have been their longer or just dumb luck, but the stitching is surprisingly even around the welt.

Underneath, the V700 (also known as a V-Bar) outsole is quickly becoming one of my favorite choices. It’s extremely durable, but more comfortable than something like Dainite. I will say, I think the 8” height would have been better balanced with a V100 (the thick lugged option).

If I were to place my order again, I would probably switch the outsole to that, but I still love the way these look.

The Bounty Hunter’s default heel is a logger heel. This means that there is a slight curve. After owning both I think I prefer a block heel visually, but the logger heel offers much better comfort.

Summary

Visually, the White’s Bounty Hunter in Wickett & Craig Latigo is a stunning boot. From the incredible depth and extreme pull up of the leather, to the well made upper, this is among the best boot in this style I’ve ever held in my hands.

I’m a suburban dad who works in a glass office building in a major city, so this doesn’t bother me, but if you do plan on doing real work in these, there are some changes I would make. That isn’t directly to the Bounty Hunter per-se, just something to be aware of. Build the tool for the job.

I find these work great with a pair of heavy weight denim that has faded just a bit so the blue comes through a bit more, alongside a flannel shirt. I’ve also been able to wear them with a pair of five-pocket cords. They are a bit too clunky to wear with my typical go to of chinos and an oxford, even in a heavier weight fabric.

Fit & Comfort

Fit

The White’s Bounty Hunter is currently only available on the 55, or Semi-Dress, last. In the past, you could find it in other options and may be able to in the future, though I really like this last so I would pick it either way.

When fitting for the 55 last, you’ll find that people tell you to size down a half size and I agree. However, you should know, it isn’t that this last fits particularly large. As part of the design, the last has a very high arch, which changes the way your foot rests. If you modify the arch – either directly or through changing the heel height – your foot will take a more traditional shape and you likely will need to go with your more typical size.

The 55 last is also slightly on the narrower size compared to what you might be used to. A lot of guys who can normally fit OK into D width will want to go up to an E. Speaking of E, this is another benefit of the Bounty Hunter over the 350 Cruiser. Where the 350 currently offers only two widths – D and EE – the Bounty Hunter offers 9 (!) ranging from AA to FF.

In summary, I would suggest that most people go down a half size from your brannock, but strongly consider going up a width if you’re anywhere above average. Of course, if you order through Baker’s, they will take tracings and give you sizing recommendations. I did that initially to get my size.

Comfort

When taking about comfort of White’s boots, including the Bounty Hunter, it’s important to be clear on what you mean by comfort. In the traditional sense of the word, something like an Adidas Ultraboost, these wouldn’t fit the bill. However, these offer something others don’t – stability. These boots do an amazing job of holding your foot in place and supporting it throughout the day.

I do need to point out one thing specific to these boots. The latigo leather used on these is not particularly soft. In the limited time I’ve had to wear these, I’ve found it develops a fairly deep crease you can feel when you wear them. That will hopefully improve with time, so be sure to keep an eye out for a review after 100 wears down the line.

In any case, while I might not want to wear these all day due to their weight, I wouldn’t have a problem wearing them for just a day or just an evening.

Materials & Construction

Materials

Like I stated at the beginning, the big benefit of the White’s Bounty Hunter is that it allows you to customize to your heart’s desire. I will cover the materials of this specific pair, but yours will almost certainly be different in some way.

Starting with maybe the most notable, the uppers of these are made in a latigo leather. Latigo was originally designed for whips, meaning the leather is both stiff and durable. Vegetable tanned then stuffed, you get the patina and characteristics of veg tanned with the weather resistance of chrome. As mentioned above, it does carry some of the drawbacks of veg tanned leather, but is better than most.

It is also a pain to work with, which limits your customization options compared to other leathers.

Elsewhere, there is very little compromise in these boots. The insole? Veg tanned leather. Midsole? Veg tanned leather. Heel cap? You guessed it – Veg tanned leather. Arch support? Of course, Veg tanned. etc. etc. Other than the real metal eyelets and the rubber outsole it’s a lot of veg tanned leather in these boots.

Speaking of the outsole, the the Vibram V700 was designed with two goals in mind – durability and not tracking dirt inside. To achieve that, the Nitrile compound is fairly tough. I don’t find them uncomfortable, but they will be harder than some rubber outsoles. You can find out more about suggested uses for Vibram outsoles here.

White’s does not use the Nitrile heel, instead opting for a Quabaug rubber in a softer compound.

Construction

White’s Bounty Hunter – like most of their higher end boots – uses what they call “Handsewn Stitchdown” construction. I’ve always taken issue with how they renamed this a few years ago, because it doesn’t do the boots justice.

White’s construction is different due to the inclusion of the handwelting. Handwelting is one of the most prestigious, and laborious, ways of making footwear and is typically reserved for brands like Enzo Bonafe, Zonkey, and Saint Crispin’s.  

Where most welted shoes attach the welt through what is effectively a glued-on piece of canvas known as gemming, hand welting shoes sees the maker sew the welt directly to the upper leather by hand. This welt is then sewn to the outsole – with White’s differentiating themselves by also sewing through the upper in a stitchdown style.

I can only guess as to why they downplay the handwelting and play up the stitchdown – maybe they think people view “stitchdown” as tougher than “welting”? In any case, it’s an extremely well-made process that is nearly impossible to find anywhere else.

Why should you care? While stitchdown construction has great benefits for the weather compared with other constructions, the big issue is that the upper leather is exposed. Kick a sharp rock, have a bad cobbler do a resole, etc. and all the sudden the entire boot is trash. This construction offers a replaceable welt, meaning if there is damage along the edge, you can repair the boot. Plus, you give up no weather resistance.

Ease of Care

The White’s Bounty Hunter is not going to be an entirely care free boot. While latigo leather was originally designed to be weather resistant, we’ve come a long way in the years since this leather first came out. At the end of the day, it is still a veg tanned leather. This means that you’ll need regular conditioning to keep it water resistant. I personally suggest Bick 4. It should help prevent that bright color from fading and is among the most affordable options. Baker’s recommends Saphir, which is undeniably great, though much more expensive.

You also need to be sure you use shoe trees regularly. This is true for all leather footwear, but especially boots like these with thick mid and outsoles. Without sturdy trees you’re going to get really extreme toe spring. Or, in other words, the toes will curl up. This not only looks strange, but can cause medical issues. Just use them.

Almost every pair of cedar trees from Amazon will do 99% as well as any other, so I’d suggest getting whichever you like the look of. White’s does not sell branded trees anyway.

The one draw back of the really cool construction is that most places probably won’t know how to resole them. Or, at least won’t be able to do a good job. I personally wouldn’t trust anyone but White’s or Baker’s to repair these. With such a limited choice, expect to pay up. Prices are always listed as a range, but for a model with this construction expect to pay at least $200-$250 plus shipping.

Pricing

The White’s Bounty Hunter in Wickett & Craig Latigo starts at $799, and can go up from there. Things like a rolled top or structured toe box can each add more. That works out to a $100 premium over the normal Bounty Hunter. You can get the price higher – for example, it’s possible to order them in caiman leather – but I believe this is the most expensive way to spec up a pair of White’s made out of cow.

Baker’s charges real shipping costs, but for a pair of heavy boots that might need to be shipped across the country, figure on another $20-50 dollars.

It is possible to get that price down. Bakers runs a constant 10% off with email sign up on your first order, and often has 15 to 20 percent off deals on Father’s Day and Black Friday.

Alongside the price, it’s also important to consider the cost of time. Currently, Baker’s has a 4-6 month wait time for White’s boots. That’s already a fairly long pair of time, but this pair actually took almost 8. To be transparent, while Baker’s does list 4-6 months for this pair, they also note specialty leathers can take more, so that might be an issue of not updating every instance on their website.

If you already have several pairs of boots to wear that isn’t a huge deal, but I know most people buy footwear when you need footwear. If you can’t wait, Division Road has a number of 350 Cruisers in great make ups.

Are the White’s Bounty Hunter in Wickett & Craig Latigo Worth It?

If your primary focus is on value, which is the core purpose of this site, it’s hard to say that any boot that will realistically cost more than $900 to get to your door is the right boot for the value focused. There are multiple states where the average monthly rent is less than that.

Of course, you already knew that. You didn’t get 2,500 words into a boot review only to be shocked that $1,000 is a lot of money.

Let’s focus in on two questions more specifically. First, is the Bounty Hunter a worthy upgrade over the 350 Cruiser? And, second, is the Latigo upgrade worth it over the plethora of options on the standard model.

Is the Bounty Hunter worth the upgrade over the 350 Cruiser?

I’d say definitely. Ignoring the fact that at time of writing it’s actually cheaper, the $20-40 price increase for the Bounty Hunter you’ll typically find is easily worth paying for. Pacific Northwest boots, and White’s in particular, has a long history of being custom made for you. To fit what you need them to do. The Bounty Hunter is currently the best way to do that.

Plus, Baker’s offers a 2^nd round of quality assurance on your boots, in addition to what you get at White’s factory, and the excellent sizing advice.

Is the Wickett & Craig Latigo upgrade worth it?

This one I struggle with a lot more. To be clear, it’s a really cool leather. The pull up is unreal and this particular shade is hard to find anywhere else.

At the same time, you give up a lot to get it. First, obviously, is the price. I know that this is a Baker’s-exclusive color, but it’s still – $100? The price difference between an entire hide of Chromexcel and a hide of W&C Latigo is nowhere near that large.

I think the counter to that would be that this leather is much harder to work with, so takes more labor, but that gets to the second issue: with this leather your modification options are significantly limited. The W&C model can’t have two tone, steel toe, toe cap, lineman’s patch, leather lining, or a lace-to-toe design due to the characteristics of the leather.

Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted any of these, but it’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re paying more and getting fewer choices.

I don’t regret getting the Latigo, but that’s because I was looking for something different than my several existing pairs. For most people, I think a pair in Burgundy (Color 8) CXL will give you an extremely similar experience for a lot less money.