Welcome to our first blog post!
We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves a little and explain, what it is we are trying to do at GHC OUTDOORS.
We are a new footwear supplier based in the East Midlands of England. Our focus is on providing repairable, sustainable and traditionally crafted footwear for those who love being in the outdoors.
We are a family-oriented company and the idea of providing footwear, came not just from a love of the outdoors but also, because we believe it is the most important part of any outdoors kit.
We’ve spent hours in all weathers as dog owners. We enjoy working in the garden and we are also nature enthusiasts. We take long hikes in our local area regularly. We know that getting the right footwear for any of these pursuits is essential to getting the most enjoyment out of them.
So back in April 2025 we said to ourselves, why not try selling footwear? Only, we didn’t just want to be a hiking boot store or a generic outdoors store. We wanted to focus our efforts onto footwear that could be repaired, was sustainably made and where possible traditionally crafted. It’s been a steep learning curve!
A lot of footwear can be repaired. But many people chose not to do this. We would love to change this attitude. 300 million or more items of footwear go into landfill every year in the UK alone. We hope to change this. We don’t want people to look at footwear as being fast fashion and we don’t want people to see footwear as being disposable. So, why not provide people with footwear, that could serve them faithfully for years and years?
When we look at the sustainability of a product, indeed any product. We believe that this is increased dramatically, when traditional skills are used. So we said to ourselves where possible, we have to focus on goodyear welt construction, stitch down construction, Blake stitch etc. We aren’t against other methods of construction. Great developments have been made in recent years, particularly in the Hiking boot market. Manufacturers offer resoling, recycled materials are being used regularly and consumer awareness is growing. However, it must be noted that sometimes these products still have extremely complex and long supply chains.
The parameters of what we have set out to offer, are therefore quite strict. But we believe that these will ultimately benefit us all. We can be more environmentally friendly and keep traditional skills alive. It’s small steps!
We also wanted to offer something else to our potential customers, a guarantee that all of the footwear we chose to sell had been on our feet. We’d always know the product. It might not count towards much, but what’s the point in selling a product that you don’t love?
So, with that said and we know there’s much more to discuss on the topic of sustainability, we thought we’d start our blogging journey off with a little review of a Boot that we’ve trudged a fair few miles in. It’s a character this one. A loveable Rogue!
This boot has somewhat of a cult following. The Rogue RB5 Trans Africa. A premium stitch down leather boot designed for the South African bush. More specifically, it was intended to be used on the Cape to Cairo walk back in 1998. This is a boot with pedigree.
If you’d like to see a full breakdown of the specifications, please click on the Walking/Hiking tab on our homepage.
Let’s kick things off, with a simple question. Why would you buy a pair of boots designed for southern Africa, if you are in the UK? Come to think of it, why would you try selling them!?
Well, the short and most obvious answer is that you are going on safari. You need a pair of tough boots designed for that part of the world and you have no intention of wearing them in the UK.
Or like us, you strive to be the individual in any situation, enjoy those jealous looks and love hearing “where did you get those from?”
It might surprise you to find out that these South African exiles, have performed surprisingly well here in the UK. Both in the great outdoors and in generating envy among others we’ve met on the trail.
When we took our boots out the box, we were greeted by the rich smell of leather and were amazed at how soft this leather is. The ankle padding had the feel of a luxury car interior, reminiscent of something you’d find in an old Bentley. The boots felt premium yet rugged. In terms of the aesthetic maybe they aren’t for everyone, but they scream functionality. They were begging to go out for a walk.
Putting them on, it became evident that the sizing is a little generous. Presumably, in the heat of southern Africa you need that extra space in case your toes start to swell. In all honesty it felt nice to have this extra space. It felt natural. Relax and unrestricted.
Now, some people get a tad confused by Rogue’s sizing, because they seem to all be half sizes. This .5 refers to the extra toe space. The length is pretty true to size. The thing is though, extra toe space can soon make a boot feel a lot bigger!
The author of this blog is a 9.5/44 in just about every boot. The Rogue 9.5 gives him a thumb width of toe space. So, if you were a size UK9, you may consider going down to a rogue 8.5. If you are unsure about your size though, don’t panic we can always measure an insole for you, to compare to the measurements you’ve taken at home. Not a problem.
Lacing up is rapid and the full bellowed tongue makes you feel secure and confident. If you happen to be one of those people who like to tie a surgeon’s knot or two and really lock your heels in, you’ll find it easy with these.
When we first stepped out in these boots, it was June. The weather here was just perfect, the kind of weather we dream about in the UK. Particularly those of us who love being outdoors. When we embarked on our first walk, we could feel the leather sort of pop and pull itself into shape. It felt strange at first, quite difficult to describe. You hear about how footwear slowly moulds to the shape of your feet; this was happening rather quickly.
We didn’t feel any rubbing whatsoever and there was no sign of a hotspot starting to form. Always good news! Strangely you could compare the experience to putting on a new pair of trainers.
The grip impressed us a lot too. It’s just a proprietary sole from rogue; it doesn’t claim to be anything special but in the sandy soil and rocky paths it felt purposeful and clawing. In the dusty baked woodland floor, they crunched along happily. A very good use of old truck tires!
After 10 miles we called it a day. Ten miles of walking in a new pair of boots, straight out of the box! Magic! Now admittedly, we do a lot of walking at GHC. Some of us have feet that frankly shouldn’t be seen without socks. If seen at all! But still they were a pleasure to walk in.
We’ve heard people say, that you need strong legs and feet for this type of footwear. When we first spoke to Rogue in South Africa, we were told that these were designed for African feet and for feet that work hard all day long. We thought they brought a greater sense of ground feel and perhaps, many of us in Europe aren’t that used to this anymore. However, we didn’t feel exhausted wearing them and our feet didn’t hurt after this walk. Although, we were of course aware that we hadn’t had our regular walking boots on.
So, no blisters, no swollen toes and no stress. We could now understand why you’d want a pair of these in the African bush.
We got back home and thanks to the lacing system, practically stepped out of these. We do like that in a boot.
We kept on testing the RB5 boots through June and July, mainly on early morning Dog walks and didn’t notice anything concerning. They became so soft and supple. Like a kind of leather slipper with a grippy sole.
When the time came for these beauties first clean and tidy, we decided to use a mink oil wax dubbin. The softness after this treatment was unreal. They are actually really quick and easy to clean up too. There wasn’t any reason for choosing this product say over a traditional beeswax, it was just there so we went for that one.
By September we started to wonder if we were going to have to retire the RB5s and bring out the winter walking boots. But we felt a slight reluctance to do this. We’d gotten so used to stepping into them and going out. It seemed a shame to say goodbye to them, just because the weather was getting a little damp.
So, we decided to buy some cheap liner socks and some cheap waterproof socks. We gave them a good clean up and rewax. We also decided to run some fabric wax around the outside of the boot, where the midsole was exposed and rubbed some in on the inside of the boots too. We wanted to try and make a barrier around the stitching. We had no idea if this would work but thought, why not? We quickly ran a hairdryer over this application of fabric wax and they were done. Ready for a little test.
So off we went. Walking into puddles, walking through wet grass and trudging along the damp woodlands floors. It was really good fun to do, and we were excited to see if our efforts had paid off. When we got back home, we rinsed the boots off under the hose pipe, just to give them another blast of punishment! We were keen to see how the boots looked inside.
When we took the boots off, we were pleasantly surprised. We had dry feet, and the boots hadn’t taken on that much water at all. Now clearly the biggest aid was the waterproof socks, you do not want to get cold wet feet whilst out walking. These were a good idea. But what surprised us was how little water the boots had taken on. There was a dampness around the toe box but nothing shocking. They didn’t feel that much heavier and dried quickly in a room with air circulating around them.
Now, we wouldn’t recommend that you take these on the Pennine way in the winter. But we had at least proven that they aren’t just for Southern Africa or just for drier climates. We’d say that the Rogue RB5 is a three-season boot. The waterproof socks could be used if you’re expecting a damp morning in the Spring or Summer but wouldn’t be essential by mid-day. In early to mid-autumn it would be best to wear the socks but there may be the odd day where they aren’t essential. Quite surprising really.
We have heard about adding a shoe glue around the sides of the soles (not the stitching) where the rubber meets the midsole and maybe we’ll try this one day. What we wouldn’t want to do is make a repair, or having a new sole stuck on difficult for a cobbler. We want these to last.
Sad news though. The RB5 is no more, what we have in stock at GHC are some of the last ones ever made. The RB5 has been replaced by the RB2 (see our walking and hiking section for details). So, if you want to own a pair of these bush legends, get them while you can!
So, these aren’t just for Africa. They will serve you well for a good portion of the year here in the UK. They are also repairable and sustainably made. They are handcrafted and with a little modification, perform as well as most modern synthetic hiking boots. What’s not to like?
We could see these finding themselves on winter sun getaways too. For those days when you feel like an adventure away from the pool and your flip flops won’t cut it. The nice thing about these boots is, with a quick brush down they’ll look smart at the bar or restaurant that evening too. Stitch down footwear always does!
We hope that you enjoyed our first blog post. Please feel free to let us know about our terrible grammar! We look forward to creating more of these posts for you to enjoy. Hopefully, we’ll get to know each other more!
Enjoy your next outdoors adventure and enjoy it in sustainable footwear!
THE GHC TEAM