The TankerPro from Nicks Boots lives in a niche all its own in the boot world. Certainly not a traditional work boot, but also not quite the most faithful reproduction of the mid-20th-century military footwear it pays homage to; yet, it’s just as hardy and overbuilt as its BuilderPro brother, offering a pull-on alternative to the lace-up style. It’s perfectly suitable for hard work, too, as workwear aficionado and video essayist Carl Murawski has found while using the TankerPro in his day-to-day.
Now, Carl has teamed up with Nicks to offer a very special, limited edition Vintage TankerPro. In Carl’s estimation, this is a slightly more dressy TankerPro. The Vintage TankerPro clocks in at an 8 inch height, two inches shorter than the original configuration, and a good compromise for the folks who aren’t looking for a boot that creeps too far up their calves. The uppers feature solid brass buckles and are made with a 6.5-7oz black Horween Chromexcel leather—a tad thinner than the 7-8oz leathers that Nicks offers for its work boots, yet it’s still pretty damn thick, thicker than the usual CXL you’ll come across in most other boots. This leather should age beautifully, of course, as it isn’t struck through with dye, meaning enough wear will reveal that teacore underneath the surface.
The thing that really sets these TankerPros apart is that they feature a half-sole, and not just any half-sole: Nicks got their hands on a crate of deadstock Biltrite neoprene soles, and they’ve paired them up with some deadstock Cat’s Paw heels. With these boots being built on Nicks’ moderately-arched HNW last, these soles look right at home, visually (and practically) well-balanced.
This run of the Vintage TankerPro is being limited to 100 pairs, though if you’re into the 8 inch height, it looks like Nicks will now be offering that as an option on their “heritage” TankerPro MTO page. Damn cool boots, these are. Grab a pair here, and be sure to watch Carl’s impressions of the Vintage TankerPro below.