Stylmartin Tank boots in ash

The Stylmartin Tank WP is a sneaker-style motorcycle boot aimed at the urban adventurer!

 

The initials WP denote that the boot is a waterproof one, meaning that it's equipped with a waterproof and breathable membrane. Of course, the weakness of any boot like this from a waterproofing perspective is that rain hitting the road as you ride along can bounce back up and vault the boot's shaft. And it can do this in a way that would be unlikely in a taller boot. 

 

The fact is that the Tank is going to be pretty much as waterproof as any ankle boot, but if you never want to get wet feet you should go for a taller, touring-style boot. The problem with such boots is that they tend to be quite ugly. They don't work as well with jeans. You can't wear them at work. And they're usually not very comfortable to walk around in.

 

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the Tank is its Nubuck chassis. Nubuck is not suede. Suede is made from the inner, more fleshy side of the leather. It is soft, but not particularly strong or hard wearing. It makes comfy shoes and slippers. Typically, Nubuck is crafted from the outer Top Grain leather; it is then sanded or shaved to give it a smooth, velvety texture. It is much stronger than suede. There's not a whole lot you can sensibly do to treat the leather, but Nubuck doesn't really need a lot of looking after. The Nubuck leather on the Tank is hydrophobically treated.

 

With the Tank you get a strong counter in the toe and another to add strength in the heel. In the ankles there are D3O pucks with hard outers. On both toes you get an extra layer of leather sewn over the toe box to protect your toes from the gear change.

 

The sole is pretty rigid. It feels to us as though there's a wooden shank in there, but we don't really know. But we think there's one because the central portion of the sole, beneath the arch, is totally solid, but there's bend in the forefoot to ensure the boot is easy to walk in.

 

Entry and exit are by means of both laces and a zip up the inside of the boot. You will still need to use the laces, but the zip means that you won't have to loosen them quite as much.

 

The rubber sole is a grippy rubber affair. It doesn't have a particularly aggressive tread pattern, but as we have said the Tank is road boot, and indeed specifically one designed for urban environments.