18 Brands Like Ariat for Quality Western Wear
You bought one pair of Ariat boots, they fit, and now every other brand in the shop feels like a gamble. Or the style you want has sold out in your size again. Ariat makes western and equestrian footwear alongside jeans, shirts, hats and work gear, and it lists men's western boots from $149.95 to $699.95. Most of its engineering goes into the middle of that band, which is exactly what makes it hard to shop around.
These 18 western brands give you somewhere else to look. Two of them have been making boots since 1911 and 1883, four are handmade in one factory you could drive to, and Laredo will put a leather boot on your foot for $104.95.
Quick comparison:
- Closest match on price and range: Justin Boots, Dan Post, Durango, Cody James
- Handmade and built to be resoled: Lucchese, Anderson Bean, Boulet Boots, Tony Lama, Tecovas
- Boots people stop you about: Old Gringo, Corral, Shyanne
- Cheapest way into real leather: Roper, Laredo, Double H Boots
- Hats and the full western shop: Stetson, Rodeo King, Cavender's
| Brand | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Boots | $168.95 to $669.95 | A first heritage cowboy boot under $200 |
| Tony Lama | $264.95 to $1,999.95 | Traditional western boots with 1911 heritage |
| Lucchese | $595 to $995 | An heirloom pair made in El Paso |
| Double H Boots | $129.99 to $319.99 | Working a shift in a western boot |
| Roper | $89.99 to $697.99 | The cheapest way into the look |
| Dan Post | $184.95 to $479.95 | Comfort straight out of the box |
| Cavender's | Mid-range | Comparing several brands in one basket |
| Anderson Bean | Premium, sold through retailers | Handmade Texas construction |
| Old Gringo | About $237 to $578 | Boots covered in embroidery |
| Tecovas | $375 to $775 | Goodyear welt bought direct |
| Shyanne | $107.97 to $489.99 | A women's western look on a budget |
| Corral | $219 to $879 | One pair that carries the outfit |
| Rodeo King | Not published online | Felt and straw hats, nothing else |
| Boulet Boots | Premium, sold through dealers | Canadian-made Goodyear welt |
| Durango | $79.50 to $665 | The barn, the arena and Saturday night |
| Cody James | $74.99 to $599.99 | Kitting out the whole family |
| Stetson | $240 to $540 | Hat and boots from one name |
| Laredo | From $104.95 | A decorative leather boot under $175 |
Justin Boots
Justin Boots is the closest like-for-like swap on this list, and men's cowboy boots on justinboots.com run $168.95 to $669.95, bracketing Ariat's own western range almost exactly. Justin sits in the same family of brands as Tony Lama, Nocona and Chippewa, so a large slice of the American boot market runs through one group.
The Stampede line is where the value sits. The Canter 11" Western is $169.95 and carries 56 reviews on the brand's own site. Spend up and you are into exotics like the Panama 12" caiman at $669.95. Jeans, shirts, hats, belts and work boots fill out the rest of the catalogue, which is the same spread Ariat offers.
Best for: A first real cowboy boot under $200 with a heritage name on it.
Tony Lama
Tony Lama has been building boots since 1911 and says so on the front of its own site. Where Ariat sells performance technology, Tony Lama sells leather quality and a shape that has barely moved in a century.
Men's western boots start around $264.95 for the Avett 11" in goat and climb to $1,999.95 for the Zamaro 13" in alligator. The Camarillo 13" Western at $284.95 is the pair most people picture. There is a Made in USA collection and a 1911 line for anyone who wants the heritage stated on the box, plus an exotics range in ostrich and lizard.
Best for: Classic western boots in the $265 to $310 band.
Lucchese
Lucchese has been making boots since 1883 and still runs its factory in El Paso, Texas. Men's boots run $595 to $995, which is where this list stops being about value.
You can design a custom pair over the phone with the El Paso factory, or in person with a bootmaking specialist at one of the Lucchese stores in Dallas, San Antonio, Nashville, Santa Fe, Denver or Oklahoma City. Ariat builds around cushioning and outdoor tech. Lucchese builds around a last and a welt, which is why owners get these resoled instead of replacing them.
Best for: One heirloom pair instead of three seasonal ones.
Double H Boots
Double H Boots has handcrafted boots in its own Pennsylvania factory since 1955, and the Union Built collection is the part worth knowing about. Men's footwear runs $129.99 to $319.99.
Customer feedback runs unusually deep here. The Jase at $294.99 has 117 reviews on the brand's site and the Dylan at $279.99 has 104. Steel toe and composite toe versions sit beside the plain ones, and the range splits into work western, classic western, ropers, lace-ups and chelseas. Ariat spreads itself between the arena and casual wear. Double H stays on the work side of that line and starts $20 lower.
Best for: A boot that survives a shift and still reads western.
Roper
Roper is the cheapest entry point on this list, with men's boots from $89.99 to $697.99. Check the address before you shop. Roper sells from eroper.com, and the roper.com spelling that older guides list does not reach the store.
The $89.99 Barnyard boot is black neoprene and a faux tan ostrich style is $109.99, so the low end is a real range rather than one loss leader. Leather styles run from about $204.99. Roper sells apparel too, with women's dresses at $46.99 to $65.99 and men's shirts at $52.99, which makes it the one brand here where a whole outfit costs less than a single pair of Ariat boots.
Best for: Trying a western silhouette before committing Ariat money to it.
Dan Post
Dan Post has made western boots since the 1960s and builds each pair through a 160-step process it details on its own site. Comfort is the pitch, and it comes from cushioned insoles and supple leathers rather than the outdoor technology Ariat is known for.
Pricing lands close to Ariat's. The Blayde waterproof is $184.95, the Stanley and the Maria are $259.95 each, the Murray in bison is $289.95 and the Tempe in full quill ostrich tops the exotic range at $479.95. Children's boots start at $79.95, which matters if the whole family rides.
Best for: All-day comfort without moving to a synthetic boot.
Cavender's
Cavender's is a western wear retailer with its own house label, which makes it the easiest place to put several of the brands on this list side by side before you commit to one.
Own-label boots sit in the mid-range, in the same territory as Justin and Dan Post. Boots, clothing and accessories all come under one roof, so a hat, a shirt and a pair of boots can arrive in a single order. Ariat sells only Ariat. Cavender's carries Ariat next to its rivals, which is the useful difference.
Best for: Comparing several western brands in one basket.
Anderson Bean
Anderson Bean started in 1989 in Mercedes, Texas, set up by the owners of Rios of Mercedes to make an all-leather cowboy boot at a medium price. The medium price has drifted upward since, but the construction is still the reason to buy.
Each pair moves through 24 stages in the South Texas factory, from leather selection to final inspection. Lemon wood pegs join the outsole to the insole, the heel is fastened with seven nails, and the welt is channelled over a steel shank. Leathers run from cowhide and goat up to ostrich, caiman and elephant, with Milwaukee hides for the linings and vegetable-tanned leather for the soles. Anderson Bean sells through retailers and publishes no prices online, so plan for premium money. An Ariat boot is designed around a midsole and a footbed. An Anderson Bean is designed around a welt, a shank and a peg line.
Best for: American-made construction you can inspect detail by detail.
Old Gringo
Old Gringo makes its boots in León, Mexico, and the decoration is the product. Embroidery, inlay and hand-work cover most of the shaft on the signature styles.
Listings on oldgringoboots.com recently ran from about $237 for the Baylor to $578 for America's Passtime, with the Mariana Tall at $419 and the Dungaree Denim at $311. The brand also sells belts, boot jacks, coin purses and boot care, so a pair gets looked after once you have spent that much on it. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from an Ariat work boot in every way except the price.
Best for: A boot that gets remarked on before you have crossed the room.
Tecovas
Tecovas puts 200 steps into a pair, each one shaped, stitched and finished by hand. Men's cowboy boots run $375 to $775, and Tecovas sells them from its own site and stores as well as through partner retailers.
The Doc and the Cartwright are both $375 in goat, the Doc Frontier is $375 in moss suede, the Emmitt in pecan ostrich is $675 and the William in dark pecan caiman is $775. Construction is Goodyear welted with leather outsoles and hung leather linings. Tecovas has grown well past boots into hats, denim, shirts and belts, which puts it closest of the newer names here to Ariat's whole-wardrobe approach.
Best for: Goodyear welt construction with a full western wardrobe behind it.
Shyanne
Shyanne is the women's western line stocked in Boot Barn stores, and it prices below most of this list. Boots run $107.97 to $489.99, with the bulk of the regular-price range between $150 and $310.
The Lucille is $209.99, the Toba is $189.99, the High Desert Tall is $249.99 and the Ricki suede bootie is $149.99. Apparel costs less again, with embroidered halter tops at $49.95, mesh mini dresses at $69.95 and the Drury faux suede vest at $99.95. Fringe, floral embroidery and tooled leather run right through the range, so nothing here is trying to pass as workwear. Where Ariat's women's range has to cover riding and ranch work as well as everyday wear, Shyanne skips the working half and prices accordingly.
Best for: Building a full western look for the price of one premium pair of boots.
Corral
Corral makes the loudest boots here after Old Gringo and charges accordingly. Women's styles run $219 to $698 and men's $229 to $879.
Hand-painted shafts sit at the top of the range, with the Phoenix and the Hummingbird tall tops at $698 each. Below those come glitter inlay florals at $288, python at $498 and the Liberty Eagle in alligator at $879. Nothing in the Ariat catalogue competes at this end, because Ariat builds boots to be worn hard and Corral builds them to be looked at. Check where you are buying, too. Corral sells from corralboots.com, while corralusa.com belongs to a furniture company with no connection to the boots.
Best for: One pair that carries a whole outfit on its own.
Rodeo King
Rodeo King makes hats, not boots, and that is the reason to know the name. Felt, straw and wool cowboy hats are the whole catalogue, alongside hat boxes, hat bands and protective covers.
The brand works out of a Texas shop and routes orders through Amazon rather than running a checkout of its own, so rodeokingco.com publishes no prices. Buy from that address rather than rodeo-king.com, which carries a disclaimer saying it is an unofficial fan site with no connection to the brand. Ariat sells hats as a side line to its footwear. Rodeo King does hats and nothing else, which shows in the shaping.
Best for: A working felt hat from a maker with no other product to worry about.
Boulet Boots
Boulet Boots has made cowboy boots in Canada since 1933 and is run by the third generation of the family. It was the first company to build cowboy boots in the country and still runs the largest cowboy boot factory there.
Every pair is Goodyear welted, the construction that lets a bootmaker replace a sole rather than write the boot off. Boulet sells through dealers instead of direct, so the site shows the range without prices and points you to a stockist. Expect premium pricing to match the build.
Best for: Goodyear welted boots from outside the Texas orbit.
Durango
Durango covers more ground per dollar than anything else here. Boots run $79.50 to $665, with most sitting between $140 and $250, so one brand can handle the work day and the night out.
The catalogue splits into western, work, rodeo-ready and exotics, and the Rebel Ultra-Lite and Arena Elite lines are where Durango puts its own technology, the way Ariat does with its performance range. The difference is the entry price, which is roughly $70 lower. One more address worth correcting while you are here. The store is durangoboots.com, not the durangoboot.com spelling still floating around older listings.
Best for: One brand covering work, riding, the rodeo and Saturday night.
Cody James
Cody James sells through Boot Barn, Sheplers and Country Outfitter, and it undercuts most of this list on leather boots. The Ranger Performance Western is $179.99, the Harper is $219.99 and the Ace Chelsea is $159.99.
Move up the range and the Black 1978 Carmen in teju lizard is $399.99, with an exotic pirarucu style reaching $599.99. Boys' boots start at $74.99. Jeans, shirts, hats and work clothing round it out, so this is a western wardrobe rather than a boot line with extras attached. Category for category it maps onto Ariat closely. The Ranger Performance Western at $179.99 sits $30 under Ariat's best-selling Hybrid VentTEK western boot at $209.95.
Best for: Getting the whole family into leather boots on one Ariat budget.
Stetson
Stetson has over 160 years behind it and treats boots as seriously as hats. Men's western boots run $240 to $540, with most styles clustering between $290 and $360.
The Puncher is the entry at $240, the Waylon and the Carlisle are $300 each, the Cash Zip Roper is $330 and the Austin in ostrich tops the list at $540. That band puts Stetson above Justin and well below Lucchese. The hat side still covers western shapes, the Open Road and outdoor styles, so the boots and the hat can come from the same order.
Best for: Buying the hat and the boots from one 160-year-old name.
Laredo
Laredo has been going since 1974 and is the cheapest leather boot on this list after Roper. The Axel is $104.95, the Maddie is $144.95, the Birchwood is $154.95 and the Myra is $174.95.
Decorative stitching and unusual shaft designs are the house signature, and the range covers western, stockman, dress and work styles in narrow, snip, round and square toes. That is more shape choice than the price suggests, which is the argument for Laredo over a cheaper unbranded pair.
Best for: A decorative leather boot under $175.
How to Choose the Right Brand for You
Start with the money, then the toe shape. Under $200 puts you with Roper, Laredo, Cody James and Justin's Stampede line, and all four use real leather at that price. The $250 to $400 band is the deepest on this list, covering Tony Lama, Dan Post, Double H, Stetson, Corral and Tecovas, where the differences come down to construction and decoration rather than quality. Above $500 you are choosing between Lucchese, Anderson Bean, Boulet and exotic skins, and you are buying a boot you will resole rather than replace.
If where the boot was made matters to you, the list narrows fast. Lucchese builds in El Paso, Texas. Anderson Bean builds in Mercedes, Texas. Double H has run its Pennsylvania factory since 1955, and Tony Lama keeps a Made in USA collection. Boulet is the outlier, handmade in Canada since 1933. Old Gringo is open about making its boots in León, Mexico, and Roper, Laredo and Shyanne do not publish a country of manufacture at all, which is part of how the price gets to $104.95.
Two addresses have moved since most guides were written. Roper sells from eroper.com and Durango from durangoboots.com, so bookmark those rather than the older spellings. If your day needs a safety toe rather than a riding heel, our guide to brands like Red Wing covers work boots properly, and brands like Blundstones handles the pull-on end of the shelf. For the jeans that go over the boot, start with brands like 3sixteen. Anything still unclear, get in touch or browse the rest of our articles.
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Written by
Spencer Lanoue
