Limmer Boots The Oxford

Limmer’s Oxford is an old school leather walking shoe. It is firm-fitting and heavy, more than twice the weight of modern low hikers. They are also quite expensive for a low walking shoe but should last a long time—you can resole these, and the leather will last for years with normal care. I like how they feel, the soles offer nice traction, and I appreciate being able to wear them in social situations without looking like I just left the trailhead.

Basic Details

Limmer’s Oxford is a walking shoe. Average weight 2.25 pounds per pair, Goodyear welt, lugged sole, 2.8mm leather, fully leather-lined. Sold in mens' sizes 5-13. They aren’t cheap, $325 per pair. They fit true to size on my kind of wide feet. I generally wear them with Darn Tough’s mid-weight quarter hiking socks or Balega’s quarter height blister-resist socks—medium volume socks. 

Putting this in perspective, these weigh more than twice my Salomon low hikers, the X Ultra 3, and cost more than twice as much. For reasons I’ll explain though, I really enjoy these for day hiking and general wear. 

How They Fit and Feel

For me, the key to this shoe is the last—the shape of the shoe. The heel is about average, there is no insole and very little arch, and the toe box is on the wide side. I wear them with a pair of 3/4 length custom orthotics because I have very flat feet. 

I love how these fit. Like most leather boots or shoes made from leather this thick (it’s comparable to the leather they use in their ‘Lightweight’ hikers, but that’s thicker and more robust than most heavy-grade leather hiking boots), they are intended to form to your feet and require some break-in. At first, they felt slightly tight. After a few weeks of wearing and walking, they started to feel more comfortable. In the photo above, you can see the light creases over the widest part of the ball of my feet. No sliding around in these.

Whether you like the fit depends a lot on preference. If you want a shoe with a cushioned midsole or a more forgiving fabric/leather combination upper, like most modern trail runners and low hikers, you may not like these at all. I have been hiking in leather boots with hard midsoles and soles since I was a teenager and like that locked-in feel. 

Traction

The Oxfords have a lugged sole that’s 6mm deep. That’s comparable to Limmer’s lightweight hiking boots. Unlike the hikers, which have Vibram soles that are harder rubber, these are from Meindl (the German company in Bavaria that makes Limmer’s non-custom shoes and boots) and are just a little bit softer and more forgiving. I have walked an estimated 50-75  miles in these, and they aren’t showing wear except for the outer corner of each heel, which is always the first place hiking and running shoes start to wear for me.

These soles are good on dirt, sand, gravel, and rocks. They tend to trap mud, so you might want to clap them together and knock mud out of the treads before walking on your favorite carpet inside. 

Durability and Care

Should be outstanding. I wear two pair of Limmer hiking boots, the Standard and the Lightweight; they’re both over ten years old and in very good shape. The pair I wear most often, the Standards, were resoled a few years ago. 

I treated these with Limmer’s boot grease, which is a blend of conditioners (waxy hydrocarbons), lanolin, and silicone. It’s a good idea to wear these a little then apply some boot grease because it helps break them in. 

If they get wet, which mine did on a few occasions, I dry them out by initially crumpling newspaper and stuffing it inside the shoes. Newspaper absorbs a surprising amount of moisture. After that, I let them air dry. 

How I Have Worn Them

I have walked on local trails in the Oxfords since late fall, so closing in on six months of use. I’m guessing 50-75 miles on a combination of dirt, rock, and sandy trails, as we live near a big river. Though they do fine in the rain, I tend to reach for more modern Gore-Tex low hikers because I know they’ll dry faster if they get really wet.

Still, I ended up wearing these on some wet and snowy hikes, and no water intruded, no doubt because I had treated the leather. I also frequently wear these during the day on weekends and in a business-casual workplace. 

Takeaways

This is a five-star review because the Oxford is exactly what I was looking for and what I expected. They could be a replacement for modern low hikers if you don’t mind the weight penalty and are prepared to dry them out if they get soaked. For a weekend trip, I would probably opt for the modern low shoes. However, for day hikes, walking the dog, going from trail to pub, these are great options. The cost is also relative. They cost about twice as much as a good pair of Gore-tex low hikers, but I’ll probably still be wearing this pair ten years from now—after I had to replace my low hikers about five times.  

Background

Four or five months of walking, day-hiking, and general wear.