Clark Desert Boots Review Is It The Right Pair For You ?

The following is our Clark Desert Boots Review of the original version of these boots.

To save you the time from having to scour the internet, we’ve burrowed through and aggregated all the helpful reviews we could on this pair of boots.

By not conducting research, you save time. Or, you can have a better idea of if this shoe is worth it.

Overall, we feel that these boots pair well with casual clothing. Moreover, presenting a great image due to their simplistic design and crepe sole.

However, they won’t provide the best comfort and best support for specific weather conditions.

Conversely, you could invest in low-cost adjustments to make these boots more comfortable.

Within this thorough review, we will analyze whether this Clarks Desert boot is comfortable in addition to its features.

Also, we will cover what other customer feedback said about these boots and alternative boots to accommodate any weak spots. Moreover, we will give our overall review and see if these shoes deserve 5 stars.

Follow along as we explore the Clarks Desert boot and whether they’re worth the purchase. After reading this post, you will no longer need to look for quality footwear.

Read on to learn more about the Clarks Desert boot, some of its features, and more.

Clarks Desert Boot Review Overview

When tasked by his family to search for a shoe style that could provide a competitive edge to his family’s company, Nathan Clark made a discovery.

A boot with a minimalist style and crepe sole worn by military officers.

From there, Nathan Clark transformed the image of these boots from something associated with the lower class to a shoe worn by gentlemen.

The rest from there is history. Now we’re given a stylish boot that’s durable for the most part and built with quality materials.

Now, we have the simple style presented by the classic version of Clarks Desert boots.

 If you’re looking for boots for your feet that look like Dr. Martens yet present quality and will give you an excellent image, you’re in for a treat.

Are Clark Desert Boots Comfortable?

If you’re not flat-footed or have narrow feet, then wearing this boot is comfortable. You’ll find that the squishy crepe sole is soft and comfortable.

Moreover, no matter what version you get, the leather will contour around your foot, giving you a comfy feel whenever you’re wearing them.

However, since this footwear has no material between the insole and outsole (shank), you with flat feet might feel a bit of extra pressure in your heel due to a lack of support.

Speaking of pressure, if you have wide feet, you’ll feel more of it as well due to the slim build.

Those who are curious and just acquired these shoes won’t take long to break them in. Because of this, you won’t feel the initial discomfort from buying them for long.

Are Clark Boots Good?

Clarks’ footwear has always had a great image. If you need a boot to wear to fit a casual style, these are ideal, especially if you have narrow feet.

For the price, you get a boot with stellar quality and a squishy inside that’ll support your foot as long as you keep them in good shape.

Because of how sensitive this shoe is to dirt and chipping, we wouldn’t recommend wearing them for any occasion other than strolling through concrete sidewalks or walking indoors.

You could wear them for events; however, be aware of where you walk.

With the number of 5 stars the desert boot received, we’d hope they’re good.

Are Clark Desert Boots Good For Winter?

Unfortunately, if you’re in an area that’s even moderately icy or wet, you should opt out of wearing Clarks Desert Boots until conditions get better.

There are a few reasons why this footwear is not suitable for certain climates.

For starters, these shoes have flat soles. Due to the lack of traction on this footwear, it may be difficult to stay on your feet while walking.

Stability’s hard to achieve with these shoes due to the lack of a rubber sole.

If you decided on getting the soft suede version, it would get soggy fast. Because of this, it might lead to molding if not handled on time.

If you chose a full leather style—for example, beeswax—and don’t care for it correctly, you might notice stains appear.

While you could deal with these marks, it might lead to something worse—irreversible damage—later down the road.

In December and January, where you might encounter colder temperatures or snow, the thin leather or suede won’t do your feet any good as they’ll likely suffer from the blistering cold.

Are Clarks Desert Boots Worth It?

Of course. However, based on what you’ll use these chukka boots for. Do you need a shoe that you can wear anywhere? Or, do you prefer something to wear when going out on the town?

If you save your footwear for special occasions that call for casual wear, they’ll last you a long time. Years, if you take enough precautions. Conversely, it’s the opposite if you frequently wear them.

If you’re looking for boots that you can wear on any terrain or stroll through the rain with, we recommend considering alternative footwear.

Otherwise, you could buy another pair of shoes to wear when you aren’t using your Clarks.

Clarks Original Desert Boot Features

To make the best decision when deciding on your boot, consider the following helpful features.

Crepe Soles

Crepe rubber is a coagulated (hardened) latex. It’s a long strip of textured, natural, and biodegradable material made by removing and treating sap from a rubber tree.

Clarks’ crepe rubber sole is textured, and wearing it will exude a casual image and give you the comfort you’ll often find in sneakers.

Here are some additional benefits of this sole:

• Organic style
• Decent traction unless it’s wet outside
• Crepe rubber is biodegradable and sustainable
• These soles are flexible, lightweight, squishy, and support most foot arch types

Unfortunately, with all the upsides of these soles, there are some minor downsides. For instance, due to their softness, crepe soles are delicate.

If you take a wrong step, arch your feet the wrong way when walking, or step on a rock, you could chip away at the heel or fray the edges.

Because of this, they won’t last long under continual stress. If you wear these boots every day, these soles might last a year and a half.

They also quickly accumulate dirt. While this con is easy to manage, you may find it annoying over time.

Ensure you’re aware of where you’re walking when wearing these to reduce the sole maintenance.

Quality Leather

One of the many reasons this shoe received many 5 stars is because of the excellent quality of the pull-up leather Clarks crafted this footwear with. It’s not too soft.

Pull up leather results from the manufacturer, saturating the boot with waxes and oils. If you bend them, you’ll notice the creases become lighter.

That’s the result of pushing oil away from portions of the leather.

While this pair of boots offers a lot of color choices, many aren’t entirely leather. Or, the styles may only offer leather uppers.

However, there is an option for 100% leather—the Brown Leather (or beeswax) style.

They’re stiffer boots and can display an interesting texture once you wear this footwear for a long enough distance, which brings us to our next point.

If you’re looking for a boot that gives off a patina image, you’re in luck. These boots will develop this look quickly.

Moreover, over time light marks might appear on your shoes due to wear. If you don’t like them, you can use your finger to rub away the marks.

To protect the Clarks Desert boot from the elements and protect them from getting worn out, you can opt for Clarks Weather Guard.

Here’s a helpful tip. Keep in mind that you might notice the leather darken and get soft.

Conversely, with these shoe’s pull-up leather, you don’t need to condition them as much in contrast to other leathers. About every six to nine months is fine.

Regarding breaking your shoes in, overall, it’ll take a few weeks for you to break in your shoes. You’ll want to break these boots in once you get them.

It might take at least a couple of weeks of continual use for the heel-slip to vanish and for the leather to stretch around your foot.

Style & Fit

These boots don’t hold their shape, so we don’t recommend wearing them if you are considering pairing them with a suit.

Conversely, Clarks Desert boot is an excellent choice for pairing with almost any casual wear outfit (except shorts).

About the suede variations, you’ll notice that their softer finishes seem roomier. Unfortunately, the softness of the suede version comes with a cost; you’ll see they stain easier and retain water.

You’ll notice that the leather stretches quickly—especially if you get a suede model—meaning that you won’t feel too much discomfort.

Eventually, these boots will appear as if you molded them to your feet.

Unfortunately, the Clarks Desert Boots aren’t Goodyear welted. The types of welts indicate whether the shoe is high quality.

It does have two rows of eyelet lace-ups. If you purchase the made in Vietnam version, they use metal rivets. However, the Italian version doesn’t.

These boots come with thin regular cotton shoelaces depending on which version you get.

The Clarks Desert boot comes in 15 sizes and over 30 colors. The colors you can choose from include:

• Various suede versions including Ginger, Grey, Loden Green, Rust, Nutmeg, Rust Brown, Dark, and Light Olive, Mushroom, Brown, and Black Combi
• Terracotta
• White/Black Grid
• Grey Combi
• Oak Suede New Suede
• A fair selection of the following leather styles: Dark Olive-, Navy Tumbled-, White-, Light Blue-, Midnight Blue-, Navy-, Wine-, Burgundy Tumbled-, Brown (Beeswax), and Tan
• Natural
• Black
• Deep Purple
• Navy
• Brown
• Olive
• Grape/Purple

Moreover, this footwear only comes in what Clarks labels as Medium (M) width, their standard fit regarding width. Some countries like the United States call this “D width.”

Unfortunately, this shoe is a better fit for you with narrow feet.

Clarks Desert Boots Customer Reviews

When digging through customer feedback, we’ve found that most think the Clarks Desert boot is beautiful yet robust.

Many of the 5 stars customers claimed that this footwear looked just like the image, which is a good sign.

However, when it came to comfort, this part is where we found different reviewers giving off contradicting stories. For instance, one review said the Desert boot fits fine.

Others said they were a bit too big or too narrow—not ideal for you who prefer shoes with more width. So, be careful when selecting your size.

To accommodate the shoe’s massive size, you can either pair them with thick socks or purchase them a full- or half-size lower.

Because United Kingdom—where Clarks is based—sizing is about a size larger (numerically) than a typical American shoe.

While it’s unclear if most buyers broke the boot in, many complained about experiencing discomfort when wearing these shoes for long periods.

Moreover, another review claimed that these boots lack arch support. But others contended that problems an easy fix with arch support inserts. Or to break the shoe in.

Also, some have claimed that their heels slipped when wearing these boots. However, they gave a helpful recommendation and suggested investing in heel grips to improve the shoe’s fit and support.

Overall, out of the over 850 customer reviews, past buyers gave the classic Desert boot 5 stars.

Chukka Alternatives to Clarks Desert Boots

Do you need footwear to wear on occasions where Clarks won’t cut it?

Do you need a style that isn’t too narrow? Or, a shoe to wear in the meantime before you invest in a pair of Clarks boots?

Here are some alternatives to the Clarks Desert Boot for you to consider adding to your collection.

Clarks Originals Desert Welt

If you don’t want to stray away from Clarks’ boots yet don’t want a soft crepe sole, the Desert Welt is the way to go. Definitely, an alternative to consider if you have flat feet.

Clarks crafted these shoes with a Goodyear welted leather sole; hence, the line’s name. The Desert Welt’s a newer version of the Desert collection.

 It’s similar to the Clarks Originals Desert boot in most ways, except what we previously mentioned, suede uppers and leather lining.

Red Wing Heritage Weekender

As opposed to the Original Desert complaints, the Red Wing Heritage Weekender is a good alternative for those looking for a chukka with rubber soles instead of a leather crepe sole.

These shoes make up for where the Clarks Desert boot doesn’t shine as much. How comfortable they make your foot feel.

These 100% leather Red Wing makes up for this weakness with their ComfortForce footbeds.

Clarks Men’s Bushacre 2 Chukka Boot

With over ten thousand reviews giving the Clarks Men’s Bushacre 2 Chukka Boot 5 stars, there’s a reason this Chukka boot is an excellent alternative for your feet.

They look great at a reasonable price point. While the Bushacre 2 boots have a synthetic sole, they’re beautiful and pair well with various outfits.

Due to sole wear, you get what you pay for with their price.

Sorel Madison Chukka Waterproof Boots

The Sorel Madison Chukka Waterproof Boots have a gum rubber sole instead of Clarks Desert boot’s leather crepe soles.

Moreover, Sorel built this footwear with waterproof suede materials.

Because of these additions, the Sorel Madisons are an excellent alternative for those who need to wear stylish shoes when it’s wet outside to keep their foot dry.