Helstons Rogue boots in black

The Rogue is a new-for-2023, formal-looking, ankle boot from Helstons.

 

Now Helstons has always made great boots. The are hand made in Portugal, where a lot of the very best European brands make their shoes and boots. Their boots are often a bit smarter than other motorcycle boots. I’m thinking, in particular, of their brogue’d Travel boots. Those boots take a bit of wearing in, but reward the persistent. In fact, Tom Cruise is a fan; such a fan that you will see him wearing them in Mission Impossible 7!

 

Now these new boots are quite different to Helstons’ other, smart ankle boots; we cannot say whether they are better; what we can say is that they are more comfortable and easier to wear.

 

They are still pretty formal. Turn up somewhere wearing them, and nobody is going to think that you’ve just jumped off a motorcycle; unless of course, you’re still wearing a helmet! They are, in every way, a city-dweller’s, office boot. The boot is what is known as a Derby.  It has a single seam of brogueing across the seam of the cap toe. The cap toe is configured as a second layer of leather; and this will serve to protect the toes from the gearchange.

 

Now the Rogue is made entirely from cowhide. It has a super-strong counter in the toe for protection, and another in the heel; again endowed with a single, brogue’d strip around the edge of the panel. Helstons describe this boot as having a stitched sole; and although that might be technically correct, this is not a Goodyear-welted boot. In other words, the stitching through the sole is just decorative. At the appropriate time you would simply have the sole replaced with a stick-on one from somebody like Vibram. The current sole looks like a classic Vibram or Commando sole, but again it’s a lookalike rather than the real deal.

 

But one of the things we like about the Rogues is that they are made from a softer leather, and are therefore much more comfortable to wear than than Helstons’ other, formal boots. You also get soft, padded protectors on the ankles. The interior is entirely calf lined. 

 

We have always liked Helstons’ formal boots. But they were not for everybody. They never felt great when you first put them on. You needed to have faith that they were going to soften up, and become comfortable. And invariably, they did, but you needed commitment.

 

These new boots give nothing away in terms of style or protection. But they will be nice to wear from the get-go.

 

Unlike some Helstons boots, the Rogues have no membrane; but the truth is that boots like this were never intended for riding in wet weather, even if they do have a membrane. If waterproofing is what you need, there are better options. The Rogue also doesn’t have an entry zip, but it has a much lower shaft than boots like the City and the Travel, so they are really not going to be difficult to get in and out of. Finally, of course, the boots are CE approved.

 

Now, our friends at Helstons are never going to admit this, but I know them well. I know how they operate; and I know how closely they monitor what we are doing. And so my guess is that this boot is a bit of a take on our most recent Trickers boot. It has a very similar profile, and it looks equally smart. Of course, our Trickers boot is many things the Rogue is not, but the Rogue is going to be easier to wear out of the box, and of course, the Rogues are half the price. And there’s a lot to be said for that!

 

The boots come in a lighter brown, and a colour called black. But don’t be swayed by that. Day-in-day-out, they’re dark brown.