The first thing you’ll notice when you pick them up is that they are incredibly light weight, weighing in at just a few pounds. If you are concerned about heavy plodding-encouraging footwear, then these are a good boot for you. The bottom sole is made of a squishy foam/rubber which seems a bit flimsy at first but have held up over the past few months without much wear or deterioration or loss of treads. My only concern is that the body its self is not sturdy enough to make much use of the thick grooves. You’re not really going to want to take these on a serious hiking trip, they are more for aesthetics or urban exploration.
The body is made of a cotton blend rip stop canvas-style fabric, with a striped lining as you can see on the inner sock lining. The striping, which you can fold up or keep exposed by button-down ankle cuff snaps is innovative for accessorizing and adding accents to your regular wardrobe. Not only that, but the striped material is made of Drilex an engineered fabric wicks sweat and moisture away. To me, this implies that Palladium is encouraging people to go barefoot in their boots, so that’s just what I did, with comfortable results. I actually rocked the sockless style on an eight-hour flight from Europe which was a hell of a lot more comfortable than those crappy pseudo-socks and slippers you’ll get on some flights.
The product description touts a two piece sockliner with a “hugging heel cup and thick die cut EVA create a comfortable stepping ground.” I’m not really sure what that means but my step has always been in fairly good form with these guys, although maybe a bit loose at times due to the light ripstop body. Again, I stress, do not take these on a serious hike, especially if you have ankle or arch problems.
Another thing, lets face it, guys like brands, logos and typography, even more so if they are done subtly and follow an aesthetic form – the Baggy Lites have a few. There’s one sewn onto both the inner and outer tongue, so that it is showing regardless if it’s folded up or not. Another smaller Palladium logo sewn into the grommet on the eye hole, printed on a contrasting fabric. There’s also a thick rubberized Chuck Taylor-style logo on the inner ankle lining that will get hidden if you lace them up all the way. Not much lost there, and all in all very subtle.
I feel like the boots were made with the tactile person involved, from the squishy soles to the soft pillowy Drilex lining and textured ripstop body, there’s a sensory zoo going on with them. With price (~$75) and lightness in mind, along with over all classic french minimalist design, I’d easily recommend Palladium’s Baggy Lites as an off season boot for all your styling pleasures. You can find them and a wide variety of killer styles and cuts at www.palladiumboots.com/
