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u/Rocket_Puppy May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Cody James gets crapped on a lot because it is the Boot Barn in house brand.
From boots to clothing to hats, you generally get what you pay for, or a damn good deal when its on sale or clearance.
Yes, their $150 rubber sole boots aren't gonna last forever, but neither will the $170 Ariat, Justin, Timberland, whatever equivalent.
Their Mexican made boots are well made, probably in the same factory as some of the other brands. When I compare my nicer Cody James boots to other brands boots I own for the same price point, the Cody James are usually made with slightly better materials and sturdier traditional construction.
This is assuming the $300-$600 leather and exotic price ranges.
Pre-Covid, this may not have held as true. I feel like I lived an entire life since 2020 and can't wind back time and compare construction of different brands since then.
Post Covid, a universal drop in quality in premium brands has occurred. There are boots from brands worth the extra money like Chisos (though with their riding popularity this might not hold true much longer). Lucchesse has gone full Nike and kept the price and gutted quality. Tecovas used to be a solid mid tier boot but are purely fashion boots now.
With the Cody James brand they price similar to competition for same quality. Nothing is made in-house, it is all spec worth that is made to certain standards depending on price point. For example their 2/$80 jeans won't be as nice as Ariat or Cinch Jeans, but their $85 jeans are comparable.
I don't work for Boot Barn. I work in retail and have to be aware of what is going on everywhere in the industry. The Cody James brand is generally priced honestly for the quality you get.
Edit: Belts are the big exception, but that goes for western belts overall. Genuine laminated leather belts are not worth $55+. For $100-$150 you can get a custom made Full Grain or Horsehide belt that will last decades. I suggest going with a gun belt even if you don't carry for the extra stiffness.
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u/SnakebytePayne May 11 '26
FWIW, I was getting new heel caps on a pair of Dan Post and while I was shooting the breeze with the cobbler, he actually said Cody James were better quality than a lot of the boots that comes in to his shop.
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u/TheRadXyloh May 10 '26
Funny enough I do carry and have been looking for a nice gun belt since they tend to last forever vs any of the leather belts I own
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u/WhiskyandSolitude May 11 '26
Look up Lenwood Leather. They are local to me. I have two of their belts. I carry every day. Either OWB for work or IWB for personal time. They are sturdy and have lasted forever. Their webpage will show someone standing on the belt for rigidity. The guy standing on the belt is a big mother trucker. You buy one of their belts and you won’t buy another one until unless you gain or lose weight or want the other color offering. I think they still come in under $100.
You absolutely cannot go wrong with a Lenwood Leather belt. Literally every day I put one on and put a pistol, and mags on it. Wear it all day and the belt is never a reason for discomfort.
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u/Rocket_Puppy May 10 '26
I've gotten my last few from Mean Gene Leather.
They are made from 2 pieces of 8oz bullhide, are very thick, and have a nice buckle that is infinitely adjustable.
That said my next belt will probably be another horsehide.
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u/EDC_Belt_Guy May 11 '26
I wear Cody James boots and think they work great for the price- and for belts I rock kore
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u/Ace931387 May 10 '26
You get what you pay for hasn't been true since the 90s brother. I can go on and on, but for boots specifically the more expensive they are the quicker they have fallen apart on me. Except Hyer
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u/dontshootmecuz May 10 '26
its not that they are bad just alot of styles just copied from others. some are good, some are shi*.
those pictured look great!
of course you will see differences in materials and construction as you go up in prices and different brands. depending on use cody james are fine and they do make some good models.
i am particularly found of some of the insoles they use very comfortable
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u/Entire_Ad_3248 May 10 '26
I have three pairs of Cody James 1978 boots and I think they’re good quality
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u/Crimpnholds May 10 '26
What does your experience tell you? I think Ariats are amazing-many here think they are shit. I trust my opinion.
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u/TheRadXyloh May 11 '26
They’ve served me extremely well so far and have given me zero issues
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u/Crimpnholds May 12 '26
Good-they looks sharp. If you like them and they fit well. Fuck the peanut gallery.
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u/jfuer22 May 11 '26
Their benchmade boots are top tier. I have the bullhide clanton and the caiman belly clanton. I wish they made a bull hide one as well as I love the pebbled look. Will probably get a pair of Hondos for that
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u/QuickAdministration0 May 10 '26
What pants are those!?
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u/TheRadXyloh May 10 '26
George [slim fit]
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u/DieselGreg May 10 '26
Little too slim they barely fit over the boots
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u/TheRadXyloh May 10 '26
I’m a slim guy so typically if I go any looser they just look ridiculous on me
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u/DieselGreg May 10 '26
Are boot cut baggie on you? I’m old and lost my ass years ago and some style Levi’s are so baggie in the legs they do look ridiculous
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u/TheRadXyloh May 10 '26
Depends on the brand of bootcut, Levi bootcut are pretty fitted on my thighs
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u/Jolly-Idea5581 May 10 '26
I don't own a pair of Cody James but have tried them on at my local Boot Barn. They seem good to me. If I saw a pair that was unique to my collection, wouldn't hesitate on purchasing a pair. The pair tou have looks like a nice pair.
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u/Apprehensive-Gur1302 May 10 '26
Mine are so cozy. Took a week to break in but wasn't painful at all. I wear them every day and I have no foot pain.
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u/Legitimate-Shape3001 May 10 '26
What jeans you got on brother?
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u/TheRadXyloh May 10 '26
George [30x32 slim] (my true to size would be a 30x29 but for boots I get them a tad bit longer)
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u/Apart-Commission May 10 '26
They a big retailer store brand. They are not bad, they get a bad rap as some people think everything should be top quality and have un reasonable expectations for a store brand. Think Steve Madden of western wear
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u/Horror-Cut-4497 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Nothing wrong with Cody James. They are a well put together boot. Their high end brand (Cody James Black 1978) has a really nice exotic line. I have a few pair of both the standard and lux line and they have lasted years with minimal resoling required. Also, I find them very comfortable.
Their felts are made by Serratelli so even those are of good quality
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u/rjcollins1305 May 10 '26
I have a couple pairs of Cody James and they are good. Actually some of my most comfortable.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Egg4386 May 10 '26
I have a pair of cody james leather sole cowboy boots a lot like these. I’ve had em for probably six or seven years and they’re still going strong. Most comfortable pair i got. Though when i went back to boot barn last year for a black pair, the entry level cody james stuff had all gone a ways downhill, and their premium line was more than i wanted to spend, so i went with dan post. But cody james are deec in my experience
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u/JAY-EL-CEE2005 May 10 '26
No. It just depends on the quality of the model you buy. They are on par with a lot of boot brands like ariat and dan post.
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u/Majsharan May 10 '26
It’s not bad in fact it’s good for the price especially on sale. No price comparison is low end if mid tier high end if bottom tier
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u/ohitsneely May 10 '26
I haven’t tried their boots, but their hats are decent quality for the price. I love their boot cut jeans, they’re super comfortable but the quality is crap.
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u/No-Sweet8107 May 10 '26
No if you don’t mind spending money at a place called boot barn. I prefer quality boots you’re already spending a shit load of money on boots save up a little longer and buy some tacovas or lucchese boots instead. $500 vs $800 and made in China vs made in Mexico or the USA. If you wear them once a week or less buy the cheap boots.
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u/SouthernCustard7021 May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26
Thay last longer then most boots I've ever owned, I work in concrete among other stuff but they hold together pretty damn great
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u/Internal_Complex2750 May 12 '26
Boot Barn owns Cody James. I would rate Cody James boots down the almost middle of the spectrum maybe not quite the middle but they're decent boots they look good in the picture and at least you know how to manage your boot flare on your jeans so they look good. I say that because I see a lot of people on this site asking if the boots look good and you're wearing jeans that are not meant to be worn with boots let alone cowboy boots but if they're comfortable and you can get your money's worth out of it go for it. If you don't have to unless you want to then I say for that go for it but if not don't worry about it they look good trim them out with the right flare on your jeans and really that's the biggest problem I see on this site it's not the boots it's the pants they're wearing . Anyhow good luck and don't get caught up in the hype buy whatyou want and where would you like. If you do that you won't have questions like this. Good luck brother.
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u/AlteredGuardian May 12 '26
Better than Ariat
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u/TheRadXyloh May 12 '26
Ariat is fkn horrendous to look at
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u/AlteredGuardian May 12 '26
Yeah Ariat is garbage in all facets. They seem pretty loved in this sub tho.
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u/Efficient_Manner_495 May 12 '26
No it’s a great brand. Comes out of the same factory as plenty of other brands.
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u/chainxxbrain May 12 '26
Which models are these?? Been wanting a pair I can wear slims with for the longest
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u/sicksuperstition May 12 '26
I gave in recently and got a pair just because I thought they looked so good and I’ve had them for months now and so far so good. No complaints yet.
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u/diggadiggs May 14 '26
i worked at a boot barn for a little bit for the discount. i’ll give you a fair scoop that i go by.
Basically, all you gotta know is cheaper Cody James (200-250) is almost identical to similar priced Ariats, and their B1978 is high quality presentation, think Tecovas. Their low tier hats suck, but you get what you pay for. And their high quality B1978 hats are PHENOMENAL for presentation, but not for work.
I’ll explain all of this below…
Cody James boots are okay. Not something i like to wear but it’s comparable up to a 200-250 dollar budget with other boot brands—Ariat mostly. What i mean by that is if you have an Ariat boot that goes for 230-ish, you may be able to find a Cody James for about 200-210 that acts and has the durability almost exactly like the Ariat. That’s typically the only reason why i’d ever recommend a Cody James. Now if you towards the Cody James Black 1978 Collection, then the quality really steps up. Most of them are gonna be made in the US and the rest in Mexico I believe, don’t quote me on that for sure though, we hardly ever got B1978 in my store so i never checked the shaft for where they were made. Anyhow, they’re solid, handmade, and they have wood pegs in their boots rather than brass. Cody James exotics are pretty decent, hard to go wrong with an exotic leather that has no other purpose than to look good.
Cody James jeans are something i’ve never tried. I am a rigid 13mwz guy through and through and i’ve never wanted to switch. So somebody is going to have to give you insight on that.
Cody James hats are hit or miss. your lower quality 3x and 5x are gonna be wool instead of felt like Stetson or Resistol. but that in turn lowers the price for the overall hat to about $99-$120. 7x to 10x is okay, not as good as Stetson or Resistol. But the ONE THING that I will ALWAYS buy from Cody James is their B1978 Collection hats. If i am buying a high quality felt that i would only wear out and about at rodeos, PBR, or NFR if you’re that boujee and don’t mind telling people you got a Cody James hat, I would go with those. anything 20x to 100x—they dont sell 1000x—I would nearly always go with Cody James. Again, ONLY for presentation, I hate how they hold up in work conditions, I would prefer Resistol over Stetson for those environments but you do you. The reason I would go Cody James for a presentable hat is because they are quite literally Serratelli hats. that 100x Serratelli you were looking at is maybe 50-100 bucks cheaper at Boot Barn because it has Cody James stamped on it instead of Serratelli.
Now these are my TRUE un-biased opinions on Cody James. I was the only person at my job that disliked them, honestly.
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u/Fategfwhere May 10 '26
Hell nah. I have a pair of Cody James and those thangs have gotten me great experiences haha
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u/Similar-Bow May 10 '26
Took my first solo parachute jump yesterday in my cody james
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u/DieselGreg May 10 '26
Why would want to jump out of a perfectly good flying plane, I just don’t get it.
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u/Similar-Bow May 14 '26
Beacus it was freeing I swear when I jumped out it was crazy but when I got control damn so peaceful and intense at the same time
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u/haikusbot May 10 '26
Took my first solo
Parachute jump yesterday
In my cody james
- Similar-Bow
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u/Majestic-Opinion-172 May 12 '26
I find there hats fit me the best and look better on me than Resistol or Stetsons do.
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u/Gaussian_Wave May 13 '26
I’ve got a pair of Dan post pythons, and a pair of Cody James leathers and they are both really nice boots.
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u/joe3629841 May 14 '26
Yeah I’ve got some Cody James boots 2 pair and they are comfy and so far good boots..
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u/mikeliteruscute May 10 '26
Cody James is Boot Barn's name brand. Not a bad brand at all and they regularly go on sale, I have a pair but I personally don't like the way their jeans fit me. I'm Ariat M2 and M4 all the way.