Courteney Safari Boots Ladies
Courteney Safari Boots Men
Create your own pair of Courteney Boots
The Courteney Boot Company
Premium handmade safari boots and shoes, exotic gameskin desert boots, gaiters and accessories.
Worn by Africa’s wildlife professionals and professional hunters in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia and South-Africa, Courteney is the jungle boot by excellence.
View the Courteney Safari Boot Collection – Men’s Safari Boots, Men’s Safari Shoes, Ladies Safari Boots, Ladies Safari Shoes
Watch the Courteney video here
Handmade Safari Boots, Safari Shoes and safari Accessories in Exotic Gameskin Leathers
Courteney safari footwear and accessories are manufactured in the old fashioned way that’s seldom seen today.
Their products are handmade to order by skilled craftsmen and women in a small workshop in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, using the finest gameskin leathers from renewable (CITES Approved) resources.
The Courteney collection combines natural gameskins such as Ostrich, Kudu, Cape buffalo, Impala and Hippo leather. With wild leather there will be variations in colour and texture, but your hand-crafted Courteney product will age gracefully with time. Gameskin is more comfortable to wear than bovine leather , and as the leather shapes itself to your ‘footprint’, your boots will become personalised and unique to you.
Unlike mass produced footwear, Courteney uses all-natural materials. The upper, lining, insole and sock are all natural leather, allowing your foot to breathe. Even the natural rubber soles, which are flexible and extremely quiet, are made in-house at the Courteney Boot Company.
The Courteney Boot Company has its roots in England, and all lasts are made by England’s best foot form maker, allowing to produce footwear that includes genuine half sizes for men and women.
The Courteney Boot Company guarantees your comfort and quality of products that will last many miles of enjoyable walking.
Veldschoen Construction
In shoemaking jargon, the veldtschoen, or stitchdown construction method is strongly recommended for boots and shoes which must be weather resistant and flexible.
The English translation of ‘veldtschoen’, the 17th century Cape Dutch name for what is technically known as a stitchdown, is ‘field shoe’. Today it is seldom spelt that way. In modernised Afrikaans the familiar footwear is known as a ‘veldskoen’ or a ‘velskoen’ – the former meaning field or bush shoe, and the latter skin shoe.
Now affectionately and commonly called a ‘vellie’ (pron. felly).
The stitchdown holds a special place in the southern African footwear industry. Developed by the Dutch Voortrekkers and Pioneers, it was a product of the African bush, a rough shoe made of untanned game hide on the Great Trek northwards. By the simplest definition of construction, the upper was out flanged and stitched onto the sole and runner. The original workshop for producing veldtschoens was near Algoa Bay at a place today called Uitenhage.
The veldtschoen shares with the sandal and the moccasin the distinction of being the world’s oldest footwear constructions. Clarks of England and others like Courteney have made the style internationally famous. Today, making stitchdown shoes and boots is a highly specialised and technically challenging process. Although unchanged from its original concept, today’s veldtschoen benefits from modern technology and the advantages of innovative shoemaking.
It all starts with the last, which is a carefully developed wooden or plastic foot-shaped form or model. It is three dimensional, similar to the average human foot but with allowances for the toes, movement and expansion. To ensure maximum support and comfortable fit, the Courteney lasts were manufactured in England by the makers of Clarks of England lasts. The footwear designer works on the last to produce a comfortable and stylish boot or shoe.
With the veldtschoen, or stitchdown, method of construction the upper material is flanged outwards during the lasting process and attached by adhesive and stitching to a layer of material known as the runner or midsole. The sole is then attached by adhesion. At Courteney we double stitch the gameskin upper to a Giraffe leather runner which is combined with a microcellular rubber mid sole for additional strength. Courteney soles are made at our workshop from natural rubber prepared to Courteney specifications, and are attached with a two part polyurethane adhesive.
The Courteney Boot Company has incorporated the old fashioned values of hardiness and durability with modern ideas to produce a genuine veldtschoen which, with care, will serve you faithfully, and become an integral part of your adventures for many years to come.
Courteney Boots Product Care
Cleaning leather Courteney Safari Boots
If your boots are dusty then wipe them with a cloth dipped in water with a very small amount of ordinary dishwashing liquid, and wrung out, then again with the cloth rinsed in plain water and wrung out. This will be enough to get the surface dust off before polishing.
If your Buffalo or Elephant leather boots are more dirty than dusty you can wash them:
✗ Do not put them in the washing machine
✗ Try not to get them too wet. Don’t saturate them.
✔ DO wash carefully with your own fair hands
✔ Stuff them with newspaper and shape, then leave in a cool, shady, airy place to dry naturally, and slowly, in a gentle breeze. ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ When dry, polish well.
The leather fibres burn easily, especially when leather is wet, and should never be dried with artificial heat.
✗ Do not dry near a fire
✗ Do not dry near a radiator
✗ Do not dry in the sun
✗ Do not dry in a tumble drier
✔ DO dry slowly in a cool, shady, airy place
If your boots have become wet from rain or puddles then wipe, leave to dry in a cool, shady, airy place, and polish.
Remember – your boots are made of leather:
✗ don’t stand in a river and fish in your Courteneys
✗ don’t stand at the edge of the sea and fish in your Courteneys
Cleaning Suede Courteney Safari Boots
Your Rhodesian vellies are hand-made of genuine Kudu suede in the traditional way.
You may wash them gently with lukewarm water with a small amount of ordinary dishwashing liquid, using a soft brush. Try not to saturate the whole boot. Blot dry with a moist, clean cloth. Pack the insides tightly with newspaper and shape, then allow to dry in a cool, airy and shady place.
✗ Do not dry near a fire
✗ Do not dry near a radiator
✗ Do not dry in the sun
✗ Do not dry in a tumble drier
✔ DO dry slowly in a cool, shady, airy place
✔ When dry, brush suede with a clean brush to restore the nap
Traditional cleaning: Since time immemorial the owners of bush vellies have ‘dry-cleaned’ theirs using coarse, dry maize meal and a stiff scrubbing brush. The meal absorbs grease stains and lifts dirt, and the scrubbing raises the suede ‘nap’ to its original condition. Simply dampen the outside of the vellies, coat them with dry uncooked mielie meal and leave to dry in a warm place. Brush off and they’ll look as good as new.
Cleaning Hippo Courteney Boots and Shoes
Hippopotamus leather has an absolutely beautiful striated appearance and is superbly soft and velvety to the touch. It is extremely flexible and durable as well as being really strong and comfortable. Hippo leather always carries scars from the tremendous battles waged during its life and these are wonderful characteristics of the finished leather. We deliver our Hippo boots with the natural ‘suede’ finish. You may choose to keep that suede look, or polish the leather in which case it will become smooth.
The ‘suede’ may be preserved by use of a good quality commercial preparation, and there are also very good cleaning products available.
Cleaning Ostrich Courteney Safari, Selous, Impi and other types
Courteney Safari Boots in ostrich leather are among the most comfortable leather boots you can buy. Ostrich leather is durable and can be dyed any colour. It’s also one of the toughest, yet most pliable of the exotic leathers. Full of natural oils, it has a high resistance to drying, cracking and stiffness. Caring for them properly will ensure they remain supple and last you for a long time.
To extend the life of your Ostrich boots and keep them looking great, it’s important to clean and treat them on a regular basis:
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Remove all the loose dirt and dust with a soft cloth or soft brush.
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Polish the boots with natural wax Courteney polish and buff with a soft brush or soft cloth in a circular motion.
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Do not use any household cleaning materials, chemicals or abrasive products.
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If the boots get wet, allow them to dry naturally away from sunlight in a cool airy place, then polish.
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If you get grease on the leather, sprinkle the stain with a light layer of talcum powder and let it sit for an hour. Brush off with a clean dry cloth.
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Other stains should be wiped off with a damp, not wet, soft cloth as soon as possible.
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Between outings, store your boots in a cool dry place, in the cloth bag provided. Do not store in a plastic bag.
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If the soles wear out they can be replaced easily.
Guarantee
Your comfort is important. In order to enjoy the full benefits of wearing Courteney safari shoes please read your Care of Courteney Instructions. Regularly cleaned and polished Courteney safari boots will serve you faithfully, and become an integral part of your adventures, for years to come.
The Courteney Boot Company guarantees their footwear for twelve months from any manufacturing or material defect and will, at their discretion, repair or replace your purchase. Please note that the guarantee does not cover damage caused by abuse, negligence or accidents. Normal wear and tear can be expected. Guarantee benefits do not result in an extension of the guarantee period, nor do they bring about a new guarantee period.
Courteney Boot Company Guarantee
Courteney Safari Boot Sizing
How do I select the right pair of Courteney safari of selous boots?
Courteney products are made in UK sizes.
Courteney MEN's come in large width.
Courteney Ladies come in narrow width.
Stocked models MEN
Courteney Safari MEN in Brown Kudu Suède with leather facing. Courteney Safari Boots MEN , from the Courteney Boot Company in Zimbabwe Africa. Exotic game skin boots here in KUDU leather.
Courteney Safari MEN in Canvas and Buffalo Leather - These boots are leather lined inside Safari Boots MEN or Jungle Boots MEN from The Courteney Boot Company in ZImbabwe, Africa. Leather and canvas jungle boots MEN.
Stocked Courteney Boots for LADIES
Courteney boot Patrol Ladies in Brown Kudu Leather
Courteney Boot Safari Ladies in Buffalo Leather two-tone
Courteney Boots Safari Ladies in Buffalo Leather two-tone
Courteney Boot Safari Ladies in Buffalo Leather two-tone
Exotic Game Skin Leathers used
Gameskin leathers are more comfortable to wear than bovine leather, as well as being more beautiful:
Buffalo leather has a very noticeable grain as the fibres are thicker and more widely spaced. Buffalo leather differs from cowhide in thickness and flexibility giving an exceptionally comfortable boot. It also absorbs and releases moisture making it comfortable during both summer’s heat and winter’s cold. Buffalo leather is incredibly durable provided it is well cared for.
Buffalo leather will take your footprint (conform to the foot’s shape) but will not stretch, and will become more supple with the passing of time provided it is regularly polished.
Hides vary from buffalo to buffalo depending on the time the hide was taken, the age, gender and maturity of the animal. Scars and markings are intrinsic and to be prized.
Kudu leather is a lighter, softer leather, and features a lot more scratches as Kudu graze among thorn trees in the bushveld. We make no attempt to disguise these natural markings and scars which give the leather its character and which should not be seen as faults. This leather is wonderfully strong and durable yet its softness makes footwear with slipper-like comfort. Semi aniline tanning gives Kudu leather a soft silky touch and a very stylish look. Kudu is reversible and we use both the leather and the lush textured suede, often in combination.
Impala has all the same properties as Kudu leather. We use Impala leather suitable for lining, collars and tongues for our footwear, and for our haversacks.
Ostrich leather is one of the most durable leathers because while the fibres of most leathers lie parallel to each other, the fibres in Ostrich lie in a random criss-crossing pattern thus making it stronger. Ostrich is very thin and very pliable, soft to the touch, naturally oily and resistant to drying, cracking and stiffness. Ostrich leather is exotic and known for its unique quill pattern made by the empty quill follicles which swell closed, leaving a high round bump. It is a costly, exclusive luxurious leather, and its unique appearance and qualities give it timeless appeal.
Hippopotamus leather has an absolutely beautiful striated appearance and is superbly soft and velvety to the touch. It is extremely flexible and durable as well as being really strong and comfortable. Hippo leather always carries scars from the tremendous battles waged during its life and these are wonderful characteristics of the finished leather. We deliver our Hippo boots with the natural ‘suede’ finish. You may choose to keep that suede look, or polish the leather in which case it will become smooth.
All leathers used by the Courteney Boot Company are dyed through, never spray-dyed or painted.
The fact that our products are made from gameskin leathers does not mean they can be cared for differently from any other leather product. Gameskin is still leather. It can withstand a great deal of abuse and getting wet but provided it is cared for, and cared for properly and regularly, it will last a long time. (see Product Care)
CONSERVATION NOTE
Our luxury gameskin leathers are all from CITES-certified/approved, renewable sources and are hand picked for quality. Each individual animal had a natural life. Wild spaces are only allowed to exist if they are used profitably. Thus, wild, free-range leather does more to preserve the natural environment, than cattle ranching.
Origins of The Courteney Brand Name
A tribute to Frederick Courteney Selous. Born in London December 31in 1851 , Frederick Courteney Selous, was was a British explorer, officer , conservationiste and professional hunter.
From a young age Selous was interested in ornitology and natural history in general. As a kid he started dreaming about Africa mainly inspired by stories from Dr. David Livingstone, and William Charles Baldwin in particular. At the age of 19 and after his studies in England and abroad in Gemany and Austria, he left England for South-Africa.
As an African exlorer he was one of the first to exlplore the region between Transvaal and the Congo basin, gatherin large knowledge of the region of actual Zimbabwe. Under impulse of Cecil Rhodes, he led further explorations in Zimbabwe as member of the British South Africa Company.
Selous the big game hunter and conservationist:
Frederick Courteney was a professional elephant hunter for many years. Noticing the decline of species south of the Zambezi river, he and some other professional hunters lobbied at the colonial governments to pass laws enforcing hunting regulations and creating game reserves. The Selous Game Reserve in southeastern Tanzania is a hunting reserve named in his honor.
Frederick Courteney as a soldier:
Courteney took part at both the Matabeland wars as a leader of the Buloway Field Force.
In the First World War at the age of 64, he rejoined the Britsih army fighting the German Colonial Schutztruppen. On January 4th 1917 he got deadly hit by a German sniper while leading his troops as a Captain. He was burried under a tamarind tree near the place of his death, at Chokawali on the Rufiji River, in today's Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania than part of German East-Africa.