When I find a favorite piece of gear, I tend to overdue it. Basically, I stock up, fearing it may be discontinued or otherwise become difficult to acquire, exacerbated by the fact that an increasing number of products are intentionally made to be unrepairable (more on this later). I understand this a scarcity mindset that’s largely irrational.

The Danner Mountain 600 is without a doubt the best boot I’ve ever owned, and—on account of the aforementioned tendency—I’ve owned four pair.

Three pair of boots, two light brown with red laces, one dark brown with white laces

While that may seem excessive, allow me to explain. I purchased my first pair of full-grain leather Mountain 600s around the time they came out in 2016. I immediately loved them, and wore them constantly for hiking and yard work for years, especially in the winter and shoulder seasons. They finally gave out this past summer, when the sole wore out and the leather split at the seams.

My favorite feature of that first pair of boots was that they were immediately comfortable—they didn’t require a lengthy break-in period, something that always dissuaded me from purchasing the comparatively famous (and repairable) Mountain Light. So when I needed a dedicated pair of waterproof boots for search and rescue, I reached for another pair of Mountain 600s.

Brown boots with red laces with Danner on the side, a gray midsole, and red outer sole

For my birthday one year, my spouse purchased for me the limited-edition Portland Timbers Mountain 600. I reserve that pair for special occasions, since to my knowledge, that particular edition really won’t be available again.

Dark brown boots with the Portland Timbers logo on the side and green laces with a white sole

Finally, I replaced my original pair of Mountain 600s with a new, identical pair of the full-grain leather version.

Brown boots with red laces with Danner embossed on the side, and a white sole

My reservation with these boots, particularly owning so many pairs, is that they haven’t been among Danner’s limited line of recraftable boots. Danner is located up the road from me in Portland, Oregon, and has for decades repaired and resoled certain versions of their boots, including the iconic Mountain Light. While I try to maintain them as best I can, I’ve felt uncomfortable buying a boot that has to be thrown out and replaced rather than repaired, justifying it only by virtue of these boots being extremely comfortable and requiring essentially no break-in time.

Well, thanks to Danner, I won’t have that dilemma anymore. My favorite boot now has a repairable option, the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX.

I, like many others, have been concerned about accelerating planned obsolescence, and the impact of capitalism’s propensity to flood the market with products that cannot be repaired, have a shorter lifespan than ever before, and/or require proprietary, corporate means to maintain. It’s degrading to both the environment and working people.

I won’t need to replace my boots for at least a few years, but when I do, I’ll know I won’t have to buy another pair for a long, long time.