Last updated 1 September 2026
Disclaimer and Editorial Policy
Everything in the log was bought with our own money. Nothing here is sponsored, no link on this site earns us a commission, and no manufacturer has seen an entry before it published.
That is a short list of promises, so the rest of this page explains what they mean in practice and where the limits of our knowledge sit.
Money
How Is This Site Funded?
Out of pocket, by the three of us. There is no revenue attached to anything published here.
Gear in the log
Bought at retail, at full price, by one of the editors. No samples, loans or press units have ever entered the log.
Affiliate links
None on this site at the time of writing. If that changes, affiliate links will be marked in the text and named on this page before they appear.
Sponsored content
None. We do not accept paid placements, guest posts or link insertions.
Manufacturer contact
No manufacturer reviews an entry before publication, and none has ever been offered the chance.
This matters because the whole point of the cost per season column is that somebody paid the cost. A free jacket has no cost per season and belongs in a catalogue, not in a log.
What the numbers are
Are These Figures Test Data?
No. They are field records: purchase invoices, repair invoices, seasons of use counted in a notebook, and a few caliper measurements.
A laboratory controls its variables. We do not. A boot in our log walked particular ground in particular weather on particular feet, and another pair in another state may do better or worse. The figures are honest about what happened to our items and they are not a prediction about yours.
Specifically, treat the following as what they are:
- Cost per season is arithmetic on real invoices, not an estimate of what an item should cost.
- Seasons of use are counted as days in the field, not as months of ownership. Two people counting differently would get different numbers.
- Repair prices are what a specific shop charged us on a specific date in the northern Rockies. Rates vary widely by region.
- Blade measurements come from a hand caliper on a workbench, with the tolerance that implies.
Brands and photographs
Are You Connected to Any of the Brands You Show?
No. Products appear in photographs because they were on the bench that day, not because anyone paid for the placement.
Where a maker’s mark is visible in an image, it is there as a matter of record. It does not indicate a partnership, an endorsement, or a recommendation, and we do not attribute failures to a named product on the basis of one item.
A Note About This Domain
The address whitesoutdoor.com previously belonged to an outdoor and tackle retailer. Welt & Edge is not that business and has no connection to it.
We are also in no way affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to White’s Boots, Inc. of Spokane, Washington, or any other bootmaker. Any trademarks mentioned anywhere on this site belong to their owners and are used only to refer to the goods themselves.
Not Professional Advice
Nothing here is safety guidance, legal advice or a substitute for a qualified tradesperson.
Sharpening, repairing and rebuilding gear involves edged tools, machinery and chemicals. If you follow anything described in the log, you do it on your own judgement and at your own risk. Where a failure could hurt somebody, take the item to a professional.
Corrections
We publish corrections rather than quietly editing. A corrected entry carries a dated line at the foot saying what changed and who reported it.
Found something wrong? Write to Lowell Trask, editor, at [email protected]. We would rather be corrected in public than be wrong in private.