Inside the Factory Where Danner Builds—and Rebuilds—Legendary Hiking Boots

Since 1932 Danner has been making dependable boots for those that work hard and hike hard, and demand the high quality of material and comfort while doing so. Danner boots are known to last for decades, but the brand isn’t beloved for making great boots alone—it’s their long-standing Recrafting program working new life into well-worn boots that elevates it to legendary status. And now for the first time, you can visit Danner’s Portland, OR factory where they craft modern trailblazers like the Crag Rat Evo and repair icons like the Mountain Light and Danner Light.

At 59,000-square-feet, Danner’s Portland factory is the largest footwear manufacturing facility on the West Coast and home to over 200 skilled craftspeople with decades of highly specialized experience. The impressive facility has the capacity to repair and rebuild over 150 different Danner boot models, including the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX, a lightweight hiker developed in partnership with REI to utilize recycled materials and a Vibram Megagrip outsole.

To see these experts at work, visitors and locals alike can book a free in-person factory tour through the Danner website. Our tour lasted just over an hour and offered an up close and personal look at every aspect of production from stamping uppers from massive sheets of full-grain leather to the stitch-down process that joins the upper, mid, and outsole. To nerd out on boots being made is interesting enough, but seeing the real folks behind each machine, tool, and process is truly a special experience.

In the Recrafting Department, passion is a key component that's inadvertently built into every remade boot. "To me, it’s about being considerate of resources—seeing something not functional and making it functional again," says recrafter Stacey Clampitt. It's about keeping boots out of landfills and on people's feet.

As anyone with a favorite piece of gear knows, extending the life of a product is also about preserving memories. "You can tell when someone’s a welder, or when they work in forestry and are walking through a ton of blackberry bushes, “explains recrafter Austin Salazar. “It’s a story that the boots tell." With every repair, the experts at Danner also get to contribute to those stories, and ensure that it continues on. "Repair is a connection to the past—it’s a history of a thing in this world that can transcend time and continue to exist," says Clampitt.

Danner's standard Resole Service includes addressing the most common injuries a boot might sustain: fixing damaged stitches, replacing broken hardware, treating damaged leather. Replacing laces and insoles is part of the program, which is available on the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX and other classics. There's also a more premium Rebuild Service for more aggressively worn boots that goes even further—replacing the midsole, outsole, heel counter, shank, and liner. "We can get boots in totally destroyed and hand them back, polished and looking brand new, ready for the next adventure," says recrafter Quentin Davis.

Danner makes accessing the Recrafting service simple and easy, too. First, check that your specific boot model qualifies (most USA-made styles and boots made with stitchdown construction qualify). Then fill out a form detailing where your boots need the most love and pop them in the mail. If you're in the Pacific Northwest you can drop your boots off in person, too.

Whether you're dropping off a worn out pair for Recrafting or picking up your first, the Portland, OR Danner factory is worthy of a pilgrimage to see the history, skill, and passion on display.

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