RANCOURT & Co. Shoes - Made in Maine

[116]

Thanks

 

[makewayhomer]

has anybody had trouble getting in touch with Rancourt lately? I emailed them 3 weeks ago, then again a week ago...no response to either. (WRT resoling options)

 

[loxo]

has anybody had trouble getting in touch with Rancourt lately? I emailed them 3 weeks ago, then again a week ago...no response to either. (WRT resoling options)

Their busiest time of year is Thanskgiving to New Year, and it may be that your email got lost in the shuffle. I'd give them another email and see if they respond by the end of the week.

 

[Engineer05]

Picked up a pair of Rancourt x Trask Canyon boots in brown Cavalier this week. I believe they're on the 2592 last. Overall, I really like this colorway, and the wool quarters aren't too warm. They're a little tight across the instep, but I can already feel them loosening up. I'll take some proper pictures at some point.

 

[mbj88]

Hello all,

I'm looking at a pair of custom Rancourt pinch pennies and, after skimming most of this thread, decided to make an account to see if I could get a little more insight.

I really like this picture:



...but would prefer the sleeker silhouette of the pinch penny. Unfortunately, Rancourt only offers the pinch on a camp sole unless you're willing to fork over $650 for shell (which I am not). I contacted their customer service and asked if they could put the brown cxl pinch penny on the natural leather sole and they said yes, though it'd be considered a custom order and would run $395. I'm feeling a little flush at the moment and I'm comfortable with $400, but I want to make sure these will be perfect before I pull the trigger.

My primary concern is with fit. I plan to wear these exclusively sockless and would really like them to be comfortably snug around the heel. The bulging around the heel that you sometimes see really bothers me. Can any owners of the pinch penny talk about the sizing? I am a 9.5/9 (left/right) on a brannock and right in the middle between C/D width. I am going to use their made to fit program and have a 9D and 9.5B in my cart right now. Will the B width be far too tight? Has anyone sized down a full size (ie, an 8.5 in my case)? My experience with pull up leather has been that it stretches considerably. I agonized over the sizing of a pair of OSB trench boots and ended up ordering half a size down (as opposed to their recommendation of TTS). They were tight at first but have stretched perfectly. I also own a pair of AE camp mocs in chromepak which I also sized down (intending to wear them both with socks and without). They were also tight at first but have stretched so much as to be almost too loose to wear sockless.

I also read a post by user rydenfan who ordered his pennies with a "stitch down toe". I like the look of his shoes, but to my eye they don't look any different than these (shell version):



...is the stitch down toe something I must specify with Rancourt?

Thank you in advance for any insight you guys can offer.

 

[Kahuna75]

@Engineer05

Those are really nice looking...did you size them tts?

 

[Bakes11771]

@mbj88 I recommend going half size down from bannock. They will make you a different size for each shoe, if you like.

As you seem to be aware of, CXL will stretch considerably. IME, if you get a half size down, they will be uncomfortably tight for the first few wears, but eventually stretch to fit.

Just an FYI, their leather soles aren't that great. I would never consider them for a pair, personally. Since you are already going custom, you might consider the Reltex Shaker sole, seen here http://www.rancourtandcompany.com/men-s/cumberland-collection/cumberland-loafer.html

It's hand poured 100% natural latex. Super comfortable. The leather soles they use feel cheap under your feet. Thats the best way I can describe them.

 

[Jackboot]

@mbj88

You can also buy Rancourt pinch penny (also known as beefroll loafers I think) private labeled for Bass:

https://www.ghbass.com/product/fenmore+weejuns.do

These would not be a special order and would be less expensive, I think, if you can apply some promo from Bass (I think they offer 20% off if you sign up to their newsletter).

There may be other private labeled beefrolls with leather soles available. Maybe some folks in this thread can point them out.

As for sizing: personally, I have the same size rancourt loafers as I wear in almost all other shoes. I have not experienced the stretching issue that I hear talked about on here.

 

[Engineer05]

@Kahuna75 Thanks! I'm 9.5D/9E (L/R) on the brannock, and the tag size is 9D. They're on Rancourt's 2592 last, so they're a bit longer and more generous in the toebox. They're a little tight across the instep, but they should loosen a bit.

 

[Scarlet]

The heritage sneakers look absolutely delicious.

 

[Bakes11771]

I also read a post by user rydenfan who ordered his pennies with a "stitch down toe". I like the look of his shoes, but to my eye they don't look any different than these (shell version):



...is the stitch down toe something I must specify with Rancourt?

@rydenfan (or anyone else) What is a stitched-down toe?

 

[mbj88]

@rydenfan (or anyone else) What is a stitched-down toe?

If I understood him correctly, the shoe is stitched tighter at the tip of the toe where the upper meets the welt. This keeps the profile slim but, like I said, my layman eye can't spot the difference compared to their ready to wear shell model. Hopefully he can chime in.

Thanks for the suggestions @Bakes11771 and @Jackboot. I have a 9D and 9.5B on the way.

I was almost certain I wanted a leather sole but now I'm not so sure. I didn't like the LH sole they offer on their custom shoe builder, the one with the really rough looking texture. It appears that the "Shaker" has a slimmer profile and would pass as leather unless you looked close.

 

[Bakes11771]

Also worth noting... If you are interested in something a bit less casual than CXL, they also offer calfskin and a few other options...

 

[eljlakers]

Shearling lined CXL chukkas for a beautiful post blizzard day in DC. Note the Christy sole track left in the snow. #shoenerds

 

[halfnhalfnhalf]

Carnival time here in New Orleans: