In 1932, Charles Danner opened the doors of his small business in the logging town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. A man of unshakeable values and staunch work ethic, Charles aimed to outfit local loggers with high-quality boots at an affordable price. Charles called his company Danner Shoe Mfg., a name that would spend the next ninety years earning a global reputation and changing the game in American-made footwear.

By 1936, the great depression was in full swing, but as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” so Charles moved his boot business to Portland, Oregon, in pursuit of a booming West Coast logging industry. There, his “calked boots” (logging boots with spiked soles) sold for a then considerable $20, but local tradesmen were happy to pay it.

By the 1960s, John and Bill had taken over their father’s operation and partnered with a then-fledgling company called W.L. Gore & Associates, later known as GORE-TEX. That forward-thinking initiative allowed them to build the lightest weight hiking boot on the market, the legendary 6490 Boot.

Today, Danner is as committed as ever to creating the world’s best boots, employing stringent quality control safeguards at their Portland manufacturing house, and leveraging ongoing partnerships with GORE-TEX and Vibram to repeatedly change the game in the world of rugged footwear.

As they say, “the proof is in the pudding,” and in this case, the proverbial pudding is their iconic Danner Ridge. Featuring a GORE-TEX waterproof liner, Vibram outsole, and distinctly Danner rebuildable craftsmanship, The Danner Ridge is a modern hiking boot with roots stretching back ninety years.