Laredo Lodi Review: My Honest Opinion After Wearing

I picked up a pair of Lardeo Lodi boots, and from ranching to square-dancing to running around town, I’ve done enough in the Lodis to confidently say if they’re worth buying.

Laredo Lodi Overview

Laredo is a popular brand for affordable and authentic-looking Western footwear. The Lodi is a cowboy style boot built with a leather foot and a vinyl shaft, which is pretty lame considering you can get full leather boots for the same price.

It’s a square-toe boot with decorative stitching throughout, including an abstracted phoenix wing motif on the shaft, and medallion toe bugs on the foot. This boot also features a composition Stockman heel built with rubber and a cushion insole. 

Things to Consider Before Buying 

The main thing to consider is whether or not you’re looking for a real cowboy work boot. If so, the Lodi isn’t the boot for you. A lot of the Lodi’s product descriptions require you to read between the lines to figure this out though. 

For example, several Amazon listings use the phrase, “authentic cowboy” immediately followed by the qualifier “-style.” As mentioned, Laredo even describes the shaft as “leather-like” instead of straight-up using the words “vinyl” or “pleather.” 

My Hands-On Review

First Impression

To be honest, “cute” is the first word that came to mind when I took this boot out of the box. 

It’s like costume jewelry for guys. The vinyl shaft is too cheap looking to take seriously. Especially for a western boot.

To be fair though, the Laredo Lodi is stylish, with an interesting stitching on the shaft. The detailed pattern is made up of four different colored threads, adding a lively but not corny pop of color. In general, the overall stitching throughout the shoe is solid for such an affordable boot.

The foot is a slightly napped suede-ish leather, while the shaft is plastic. I thought the vinyl portion was real leather for about five seconds.

Once you look inside though, you can see how thin the material is. Give it a pinch, and its non-stretchy flimsy feel will fully confirm that it’s fake.

Each shoe is so dainty, I could juggle them. It’s definitely not a substantial boot.

When I first walked around the house in it for a good 30 minutes, it felt lightweight and comfortable enough, but I do have concerns about its longevity. 

Leather Quality and Care

I’ve had this boot for a month. I even wore it everyday for a week straight and it’s survived so far. But my experience with pleather is that it will definitely crack, and it’ll do this even sooner than the lowest grade genuine leathers.

Meanwhile, the real leather part is definitely low-grade. It scuffs and scratches easily, and I’ve not found a great way to mask the scratches. I tried using leather oil on it, and it does absolutely nothing to heal the imperfections. 

As far as cleaning goes, the standard cloth with soapy water works just fine, especially on the plastic shaft. Just don’t get water inside it.

As you could probably tell from my first impressions, I already knew that the Lodi wouldn’t survive on the field. To ensure a full assessment of the boot though, I did take it out on the farm. 

It lasted approximately thirty minutes. After some moderate splashback while I was filling up the horse trough, the left boot got soaked on the inside. This shoe wouldn’t fare well in the rain. Truthfully, they offer no more water-resistance than cheap tennis shoes do.

Even though the Lodi is more affordable than a lot of cowboy-style boots on the market, I’d say it’s way too expensive when it comes to the materials. This boot should be half the price given how cheaply it’s made.

Sole

The outsole is a light and flexible rubber material. It’s easy to walk in for hours at a time. I was able to walk a good four hours in this boot the first day I wore it.

The stacked heel is a nice visual touch, though it’s obviously glued on, not nailed on. This doesn’t bother me that much since it’s so comfortable to walk in. 

Plus, nail heads don’t always help when it comes to rubber heels, and the area around the nails tend to hollow out as the heel inevitably wears out.

As is consistent throughout the Lodi, the stitching on the sole is pretty solid. The cheap outsole rubber will definitely wear out before that stitching does.

Fit and Sizing

Its lightness in weight and bendable outsole make the Lodi immediately comfortable. This tricked me into thinking that the fit was normal.

After I wore this boot a few days in a row though, I noticed that the fit is actually a bit awkward. Laredo touts the Lodi as being wide-foot friendly, but it’s really only wide beyond the toe area. Despite the square shape, the toe feels cramped. 

It takes a few days to notice this, but once you get there, it’s hard to ignore. I took a break for a few days from wearing this boot after I became aware of the weird fit.

Strangely, after the break, they were comfortable all over again. It seems as if the pressure from the awkward fit needs to build up before becoming consequential.

Break-in Period

As a light and unsubstantial piece of footwear, the Lodi doesn’t need to be broken in.

I hoped that the fit issue was part of the breaking in process, but over a month in, and it persists. To the Lodi’s credit, it’s a comfortable all-day casual boot before the soreness builds up, and all it takes is a few days of not wearing it before it’s ready for you again. 

What Do Other Reviewers Say?

Most of the long-term positive reviews come from those who know exactly what they’re getting: They don’t want work boots, they aren’t ranchers, and they want something more than the shoes that come with the $50 cowboy costume at the Halloween store.

There are a small number of positive reports from people using them on the field. However, most of these reviews claim they’ve been using them for a short period of time. I can see how the lightness in weight and cool style is attractive in this situation, but I’m willing to bet that they’ll change their tune when they realize the fake leather and lack of water resistance makes this a weak utility boot.

That aside, if you’re looking for a true cowboy work boot, one reviewer said it best: “They look good from afar, but they’re far from good.”

Laredo Lodi Alternatives

Ariat Groundbreaker

The Ariat Groundbreaker is an objectively higher-quality boot than the Laredo Lodi, and in the same price range too.

Unlike the Lodi, this Ariat is constructed with full-grain leather on the foot and the upper. This means that it’ll last longer and age better, since you can actually condition it. It also has a proper synthetic mesh lining for moisture management.

Ariat is known for its 4LR technology which includes an effective shank for support that’s lighter and more comfortable than most shanks.

So why would you go for the Lodi at all, if both boots are similar looking and similarly priced? 

Well, if you’re really just going for the style and if you’re only planning to wear it a few times a year, the Lodi is generally much easier to walk around in. As light as the Ariat is for a work shoe, a full-grain leather boot with a shank will never be as lightweight as a thin pleather shoe with basically no lining.

That they’re the same price does make you think that the Laredo should be cheaper though.

Tecovas Cartwright

If you really want to level up, the Tecovas Cartwright offers far more function and performance than the Lodi. Of course, it’s also a lot pricier.

Its smooth cowhide leather is soft with a slight waxiness, making the shoe comfortable but protective, boasting high tensile strength (it won’t break under pressure) and abrasion resistance. It’s also super easy to maintain, only needing conditioning every three to six months.

If you’re looking for a boot that you can wear on long days on the ranch, or something that will look fantastic at the bar, then you definitely should choose the Tecovas Cartwright over the Laredo.

My Thoughts Overall

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