The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/livinganachronism11221 I know some people will ask about what to do if you want authentic looking shoes but need arch support. There are shoes made with hidden modern support or modern soles. The shoes made by Armstreet are like this, though I have never personally used shoes from them, many of them appear to be based off of direct historical examples, and are made to have the comfort of a modern shoe.

I think one thing to keep in mind is for some time periods there won't be a big range of materials to chose from. For example, there may only be a single local tannery and the majority of the leather would be from local farm animals. So people would end up with a lot of matching gear, eg belts, pouches, etc simple due to that being the only source of material.

Babe, wake up! New Living Anachronism vid just dropped

I never thought of it before, but low boots and leg wraps make a lot more sense than tall boots in so many ways...

There's a lot that can be learned from footwear. Ancient Romans loved sandals with nails in their soles. They gave good traction on soft ground, but were ironically absolutely horrible in cities and on streets! The advantage of sandals was that water would run out fast, if you step into a puddle, or cross a river. Japanese seem to have had a strong aversion to closed shoes as well. This might be explained by their warmer temperatures and obnoxious humidity, which could result in trench feet... Moreover, later when Tatami transitioned from beds to flooring, they needed to quickly get in and out o shoes. Thus, Geta were near ideal for their requirements. The iconic musketeer boot isn't just style over function. The brim can actually be unrolled so that a shin-high boot suddenly covers the entirety of the leg. Apparently, it was more comfortable to wear them rolled up. The heel secured the stirrup and the boot was still rather lose (like modern cowboy boots, perhaps worse), which makes sense when you all of your horse and don't want to get dragged along... The long-toe shoes had their equivalent in armor. At least there the rolled-up toe was bound up so that it doesn't get in the way, but it was still fully articulated, which probably increased the manhours by another 100... WWII soldiers still had leather soles and no padding inside (perhaps cork, but mostly leather). This could be very slippery in certain circumstances. Modern shoes have shivs securing our arch, too narrow toe boxes, and have unnecessarily high heels, and try to compensate with excessive padding. This means that most modern people have deformed feet and walk completely differently. You can even see this comparing skeletons! Plus, it does affect martial arts.

I found out something important about leather soles! Medieval leather soles (and a few modern high-quality soles today) were made from leather that was tanned in a specific way, because only then it would be solid enough, not rub off and be waterproof. It was achieved basically by burying the leather for 1-3 years underground surrounded by oak bark pieces, shifting it every three months or so. But! 😱 Although that used to be a central and usual material to use centuries ago, that leather is hard to come by these days! Media in my country claims that the last tannery to make it closed in 2022, but some research found a very few workshops that talk about that process in their websites and say they still make it. Of course such leather is expensive as it takes so long to make. >> Maybe we have no idea how a real leather sole behaves! >> We should really create a demand!

The shoe and legwrappings makes a lot of sense when you remember that making things is energy and resource intensive. Getting leather involves someone killing a cow or hunting another animal down, curing the leather, sewing everything through a tough material and the more work you can cut out the better. It's the same reasons why coats and jackets became really popular after sewing machines were invented. Before that it was easier to buy a bigger piece of cloth, treat it with wax or some other kind of water resistant material and just drape it over yourself to keep off the rain and win. A coat and jacket requires a ton more stitching and outright work to make.

I use a modified plains Indian moccasin myself. They are so comfortable I wear them near daily even in wet or snow. Properly oiled they are very water resistant. My suggestion would be to get a slightly larger size than your foot so a heavy sock can be used in cold weather

“Stepping through time” is a great reference for medieval shoes. This book is organized by the construction details of the shoe, not by region or time period. It is a great visual reference for the medieval shoe maker.

Nice supple leather boots you have there , Adventurer.

as someone who's been cosplaying for the last decade before shifting into reenactment/ren faires, I wholly attest to your notion that people pay attention to footwear, even if it's subconscious, footwear can really make or break a costume lol

You missed a sole option. It was more common prior to the medieval period but was still used in the period: hobnailed soles. It's a heavier sole with hobnails driven through, the point then bent and driven back into the sole. This creates a type of cleat that is great for outdoor terrain. I believe there is also evidence for hobnails in pattens as well. The big thing to watch out for is that you'll slip and slide on any kind of hard surface (wood, concrete, rock, ect.)

I'm writing a story where most of the main characters come from a mountainous climate, and I've been wondering for a long time what kind of shoes they would wear. This video helps a lot.

Now I'm just thinking of dutch wooden shoes. Definitely practical I swear.

Wow, just last night I was trying to explain to my daughter why Daddy makes so much noise when walking around the house and I don’t. But I couldn’t think of a good reason other than “old house, more weight.” I’ve developed a barefoot stride because I spent much of my youth hiking in the woods - you guessed it - barefoot. THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING

In the game I'm working on, the only characters I've designed with 'structured toe boxes' on their boots are dwarves. The look is just fitting for them, I've found.

4:50 that looks exactly like the typical basque footwear we use when dressing up in period clothing, so funny!

The video I've been waiting for

Yesss, the Ranger's Apprentice reference!! I love your channel Kramer, it's such a great resource for writers like myself. I'm currently working with a Ranger OC, so having these criteria to help me figure out what boots would make most sense for him is awesome. Also, just seeing the completely different walking gaits in hard-soled vs soft-soled shoes was absolutely mind-blowing, I never realized how unnatural walking with hard-soled shoes looked until now.

The footwear of an outfit is the most difficult to figure out. It makes everything else seem more plausible, and authentice.

I love that intro Kramer, the ranger arcetype is my favorite.

Pattens are extremely effective at keeping your feet dry and as a result warmer, I use mine regularly and dont find them dificult to walk in.They are like having your own personal little wooden floor that travels with you!

Great vid! Love the boots. Gotta catch up in the footware category. Nicely done!

really cool research, and very nice boots :) I find it interesting that the evolution of shoes in UK/Europe is mostly caused by paved roads preventing the leather turn show from lasting, that is also why people started adding hobnails to shoe soles to try to stop the leather wearing through. I also always believed that pattens were were a medieval London invention because, while people might not mind water soaking through turn shoe seams to there feet if they had a nice warm woolen sock on underneath, the raw sewage that was all over the roads of London was an entirely different problem Also, a little warning: as a long time barefoot shoe user I can say with certainty that walking in the correct/natural way wearing footwear that allows the foot to work in the correct and natural way is better not just for your feet, but for your whole body, however hard paved roads aren't a natural thing, so using minimal footwear for long times on them (paved walking trails and around the city etc...) is not good for your feet/joints, minimalist footwear does have it's place, as does modern footwear

I'm currently creating a Dúnedain-inspired outfit(video of it on my channel if anyone wants to see), and boots are pretty much all I'm missing. I'm going with boots similar to your moccasins, a pair of suede boots with thick laces wrapped around the shin, just like yours. They're made by Leonardo Carbone, as I simply don't have the skills needed to create my own...

I used upholstery leather to make a pair of boots and used crocheted jute as a sole liner. Some fur wrapped around the tops helped keep the warmth in

I understand that medieval people tended to step forward onto the ball of their forward foot. As though testing to make sure the ground in front of you is solid, or as though you were walking across a frozen lake and leery that the ice in front of you is thin and might crack and plunge you into the water. We grew up walking heel to toe, meaning we stepped forward onto our heel. They stepped forward onto the ball of the foot. Try walking like that. It’s strange, but is actually more natural and effective and you’ll injure yourself less than stepping onto your heel, especially in slippery conditions.

I have been homeless for about a month. I look like a LARPer adventurer, I wear "barefoot" boots and based my fantasy characrer look from these: sno-seal, boots from etsy. I wear them, and wool leg/arm wraps, pants, a leather belt/utility sash, a vest, wool button shirt, and a poncho, with a hood. My mountain bike, is my mule, right now.

I fully agree with your take on rigid-soled shoes when hiking and have my own problematic experiences with inflexible hiking boots. One pair of hiking boots I bought had stiff leather uppers that basically turned the bottoms of my legs into rigid capital Ls. The soles were thick rubber but might as well have been a wooden plank - fine on perfectly flat surfaces, but if you're on a curved surface (like, y'know, bloody near any decent-sized rock you'll ever find) it was like trying to balance a plate on a bowling ball. The issues down at my feet were "outsourced" to my knees and hips since, unlike my ankles, those parts of my body could actually move and had to take up the entire task of stabilising me. We were making our way up a mountain stream bank, jumping from rock to rock and it was hard going for me because my footing was not stable. Finally I gave up, took my boots and socks off and carried on completely barefoot - it was far safer since my feet would adapt to the surface of the rocks and my ankles could flex to accommodate. Since then, my hiking footwear has been supple - sneakers and running shoes at first and now purpose-made "trail runners".

Awesome video. Proving once again why you’re my favorite youtuber (next to Shad)

For traditional waterproofing of shoes and other clothes rub your shoes with beeswax and then heat them with a hair dryer, repeat a few times. The wax will melt and make a layer preventing water from penetrating the fabric.

Just made a pair of these last month. Put in comfy modern insoles from a cobblers supply shop. Added floppy top for looks. Wore them for Halloween 'Puss in Boots' costume. Now weather is colder wear them around the house. Very comfy.

There's something to say for "barefoot" shoes. Many years ago I saw a documentary about an indigenous people in (I think) South America who can walk and run great distances barefoot. Comparing their running technique with a marathon runner on sport sneakers, scientists found out that the way the tribesmen ran, touching the ground first more at the front of the foot instead of at the back, put way less stress on the bones and muscles of their feet. It may very well be that because of the way modern shoes are cushioned humanity developed a different way of walking that isn't how the human body was designed to walk. They concluded I may even be responsible in some cases for back- and muscle problems. After learning about this I have made a point of walking more often in this toe step way, at least around the house. That intro was epic, I jumped up at the sight of the silhouette. Only difference is your boots are clean and not "caked with mud". Only thing that would've made it even better is if there had been less light to add to the mystery.

Boots were for those whose legs needed protection, which thus meant labor in fields, forest, or military; the former two were strictly activities of low class/caste (aside from hunting as sport, such as _par force_ ) and thus were an indication of low social status and rank. Conversely, the affluent, who were mostly inside, often deliberately wore fine and delicate shoes as a show of wealth and position as their lifestyle-walking around less and on smooth stone floors and carpets of estates, courts, were far less rough on feet and footwear and thus not especially damaging to delicate footwear. Fashion changed during the Late Middle Ages, where boots became more common generally and raised from ankle to mid-calf to knee-high or over, to a great degree due to the connection to horses (and military fashion was always in-fashion). We also get lots of pictures of peasants, serfs, and laborers wearing tall boots in the Late Middle Ages, although they are notably quite loose. The length of toes was an indication for _part_ of the Middle Ages-mostly a High Middle Ages and 14th century thing. It waned significantly through the Late Middle Ages (regulations, among other things), and showed up in other ways through the 15th and 16th centuries (the 16th is easily construed as a transitional period from Medieval to Early Modern). As for soles, jackboots came in during the... 13th century? Maybe 14th. And rougher, sturdier laborer's footwear often had additional layers of leather at the sole, and/or hobnails. There were also pattens were mostly to protect the more delicate shoes when a person wearing them _did_ go outside in rougher terrain, or as fashion. Soles were also not as big a concern then as shoes were usually worn over woolen hosen (sometimes linen, sometimes silk for the wealthy) that are like _very_ thick woolen socks and themselves significantly cushion your foot. Something that must be kept in mind with period art and extant artifacts is survivor's bias; period artwork has a _strong_ bias towards the middle and upper classes and castes, and the common laborers often wore and repaired their shoes until they fell apart, making them especially unlikely to leave extant finds, and leather finds are rare to begin with because they decay quickly.

as someone who has worn both historical mocs and historical turnshoes let me say that as far as wear and weather resistance there is minimal differance in design if you discound the one piece buttseamed sabatons where the seam runs under the sole of the foot. I don't have th skill to make that pattern so I have no experiance with it. Weatherproofing is more dependent on the quality of the leather and skill of the cobbler

Something else that informs footwear design is that fact that walking in general was completely different in the medieval world, from Europe to Asia. Instead of walking like we do today, where our heels touch first, the ball of the foot touched first. Through examining both artistic representation and bone wear, we see that before the advent of hard surfaced roads/pathways, they walked toe-to-heel. Then, combined with fashion changing as well as more roads, heels were added and strides changed. Toe-to-heel walking/running lets you test the ground more and not commit as much to a step. Imagine walking through some grass and step on a rock or in a hole. if your heel is first, all your weight is shifted onto that obstacle. But if your toe is first, you can feel there's a hole and not trip as easy. I highly recommend trying out toe-to-heel walking, especially while wearing period garb for the full experience. I now walk like this all the time, when it's too dark to see where I'm stepping, or if I'm running in a field where the same is true. Lets you very easily avoid obstacles by simply shifting your weight and bounding around it. It uses different muscle groups as well, so your legs will get a more rounded workout

Really good video -- has that classic 'scratch the surface in a good way' vibe that sends you off down the rabbit hole to learn more. "But what about _caligae_ ? When was the Turkic/Persian boot invented? When did the army stop wearing _puttees_ ? What did Byzantine soldiers wear on their feet? What did pre-Roman Celts wear? When did pattens go out of use? Why did the Dutch choose wooden clogs anyway?"

Years ago I found a design I really like, based on a bog burrial find. A single piece turn shoe with a seam along the top, and up the back. The construction leaves a modest point at the toe.

I went for puttees and anckleboots. I went for the cheaper option for shelf bought medieval buckled anckleboots(that were priced around the same as a pair of joggers and happily fit perfectly)as i may use them on more rugged and rocky terrain and wear through them quickly. I also got puttees to help close the top of the shoes and to help support my anckles, and protect up to the knee on the front of my trousers or hosen from sticks etc when ranging deep into the untamed wilds of the frontieer.

You have the best insights! Thanks for sharing them.

10:15 I read Ranger’s Apprentice when I was a kid. You earned my subscription.

Those boots turned out great, good job. I also like chart you showed, i screenshotted it and saved it for later use.

Great video with interesting takes!

Just commenting that this is helping me build character outfits in my novel, thanks for making it.

I've done dark ages reenactment for the last 10 years here in Australia, turn shoes I find to be exceptionally comfortable vs modern shoes. Australia, when all's said and done, is a country with a culture of thongs/flipflops, and a well made pair of turnshoes are a blessing, the lead advantage I've found with them, is that eventually the sole will wear through so all you need to do is retrace that sole and restitch the upper to the new sole. The two pair I currently have are a pair in the hedeby style ankle boots with laces 10-11thC, and toggled Anglo-Saxon turn shoes 11-12thC. One thing I'd add to the learning how to step in them, is learning to lead with the ball of your foot, something that Roland Warzecha also mentions in his "How to" vids on "Viking combat". I've done one form or another of martial arts since I was 10, so it hasn't been that much of a learning curve for me to learn to walk almost "Pidgeon toed" in these shoes. It also helps in combat/sparring sessions as you generally don't have a grippy sole on these shoes, which can be an advantage and disadvantage on different terrain. Learning how to slide the foot like you would in karate in almost an L shape is generally how I teach new combatants how to step in sparring.

As a writer and illustrator, resources like you are so invaluable!!

You videos always give me inspiration. Ty)

As a wannabe Larper, I find your videos very helpful in my future attempts in costume creation. I've started binge watching your channel today. Your video's on costume are very informative!

I was laboriously searching historical and precise informations on medieval clothes for D&D charadesign, and your channel seems awesome! +1 sub!

Always well researched and very informative!! Great job as always fellow adventurer!

I have made a few pair of the "Iron Age" shoes you show at 4:51 and they are amazing! I love them

moccassine-like shoes have been present in the medieval period else-where as well, look up opanke shoes in europe. there's also advantage to having open shoes in humid or rainy weather, since it is faster to dry feet. a lot of people just straight up went barefoot in mud and such, or used clogs. other than that, wool socks are a huge advantage since they keep your feet warm even when wet.

This was a nice video. I appreciated the recognition of the great variety of footwear dating back to the medieval period and your focus on creating a 'fantasy' look. Also, congratulations on getting a regular sponsor.

Amazing. I hope your going to show us some footage of the construction with some tips and tricks. That was a really good episode and they keep getting better.

This was really informative and interesting, and it works for both costuming and for writing. Especially nice that you took into consideration a larger geographical area. Thank you for this video! And you strike a really good Aragorn in the opening there.

I like the shoes you made. Well done

Hey, first time visitor. Interesting content, engagingly told. I also thought that your sponsor was an excellent choice! Mostly I watch boot videos, but more from a craftsmanship angle. I enjoyed it. Thanks.

A odd bit of "synchronicity" regarding the subject of this video. Last year, I was watching another KZfaq channel that focuses on western boots. Personally, I like all manner of boots(and own two pair do Minnetonka Moccasins )and eventually I was exceeding lucky and won a pair of exotic boots from that channel which only made me more keen on boots. KZfaq's algorithms then popped your channel onto my radar. Flash forward today and I am in the middle of a sewing project(although not Medieval-I am sewing a replica of Yul Brynner's shirt from the Original Westworld movie AND I am preparing to tailor a pair of boots that are medieval-esque in style. I am so pleased that you covered this topic at this time. As I said, synchronicity! Thank You. :D

I love your channel. I have made a few pair of moccasins and I enjoy them, I need to learn how to make them without a pattern. I have also just started buying and wearing modern day barefoot shoes, they are awesome

Very awesome! Good Job! Fits well and great with the rest of the look! Love the off the tree, combat roll! Totally good ideas to think about while I leaf blow all the leaves out into a path of my little snapper riding mower that will erase them all. Of course it's a mulching blade. Although fall is a very pretty season, once it snows and leaves still there it's horrible! Thank you for all the ideas and hard work making and sharing the video! ❤️

Just discovered your channel! Binge watching today. Subscribed!!

I agree that shoes matter but I went to TX renfest after Thanksgiving this year. Im pretty sure I was the only person in handmade turn shoes. Luckily Im used to barefoot shoes so it felt really amazing and natural. Most people had period looking boots but with modern zippers and button and gaint rubber soles. A few people thought they were at comicon. The worst I saw was cowboy boots with a kilt. I fully appreciate how you approach designing outfits.

Merry Xmas Kramer, interesting video.

Thanks for the helpful and informative video! Motivating again, as well. Might be that footwear is next?

this is a pretty cool video as intro to the channel

I enjoyed this video very much - and the boots! Exactly how I would like them if I made my own

DIY drip, love it so much.

Very nice and informative.

just discovered you, love the Ranger's apprentice refrences

Great stuff mate

The part about barefoot shoes was very interesting! I am clumsy and have a poor balance and now I understand why I trip so much with rigind and/or heeled shoes. Like, I literally cannot walk with heels. I olny wear thin, flat and flexible shoes.

Amazing vid thanks for the advice 👍 😀 🙏 🙌

Those boots look so good my dude. With the whole kit too-mm *chef’s kiss*

I love Rangers Apprentice. Such a good series.

I freaking Love this stuff. I think another con to Soft soled leather shoes is how slippery they are in muddy and wet areas, but again with time and technique getting used to walking in those types of shoes, the first thing being the muscles that we have that are actually meant for walking Natrurally that have weakened a lot because of modern shoes will tire get sore and then STRENGTHEN as is meant to be which will aid tremendously in Strength structure and balance.

Ahhhhhh... Good piece of info... I like how you being up the part of the sole being rolled up in the front

Fantastic! Thank you for your research!

very nice! they look good! GJ!

Some good food for thought. I recently sketched out my half elf bard/rogue d&d character and just drew some heeled boots. I think I'll have to change it up a little bit now and will probably go with a thick sole and slightly pointed toe boots that lace up. Little disappointed with myself for not looking into that a little more since I try to design things with a reason behind each choice.

A minor upgrade suggestion for you. I've used both, and Snowseal is ok, but Hubbard's Shoe Grease is better. Also, for your next pair, I would recommend making the uppers with the rough side of the leather out. It will hold more waterproofing and is more resistant to scuffs and scratches. Soles take wear differently so don't have the rough side out on the soles unless you're more concerned with traction than longevity.

Nice work

Finally. Took you long enough. Love your videos man

Sorry, moccasin type shoes were known back to around (or at least) 2000BCE in Ireland based on excavated examples. (You even show some in your video) The modern term 'brogue' comes from both Irish and Scottish Gaelic for 'shoe'. Some local names for these are 'Pampootie' (Irish, Arran coast) and Rullion (Scots) - they were just a piece of raw animal hide (preferably 'acquired' English cattle hide) turned up and laced over the foot, worn over cloth foot wraps if you could afford them. When they wore through or otherwise became uncomfortable, a new pair would be made from the next food animal to be slaughtered. The North American contribution to the design was to add a stitched on upper, giving us today, the moccasin. The term for a secondary outer sole, usually to repair a hole in the original sole, is a 'clump sole' - just a shoe shaped chunk of thick leather which could be stitched on roughly or even nailed on with wooden pegs thru both layers. Slightly pointed shoes were quite common in the Early Medieval period, its pretty easy to cut and sew them, nice round toes are actually harder to do - the ridiculously pointed toes were known as 'Pikes', 'Crackows' or 'Poulaines' - some even had to be connected to straps around the wearer's knee to enable the wearer to walk with out tripping over them.

Barefoot shoes are awesome! I started wearing them just on the weekends first then I was able to wear them at work and I haven’t worn anything else since. I’d love to make my own boots like that!

The point about the shoes informing the character is so true. I'm a cosplayer, so I have less creative input into my costumes, but the shoes are a key thing that inform my posture and walk and I follow that through to how I hold myself in cosplay. A character who wears riding boots will stand and walk differently from a character in ballet flats and they'll stand and walk differently from a character in heels. I walk far more carefully when I'm cosplaying Elsa than when I'm Edward Kenway, for instance.

Acabo de encontrar tu canal, esta información me es de mucha ayuda a la hora de diseñar personajes de un mundo medieval

A very boots on the ground approach, one could say you put your sole into this video. Honestly though this was a well tread topic though, and though I may be overstepping, may be one of your best videos to boot 😂 Okay enough with the puns, I really loved this video, great work Kramer!

Take a look at viking shoes, during archeologial digs a 1000 year old shoe set has been found and the design is worth taking a look at. It can also be tweaked to something better without chaning the look very much, so they are a good choice.

I agree with 10:35. I developed weird knee soreness over the course of months from wearing boots with very stiff soles. When I wear soft soled sneakers with a thin or very soft/foam midsole the problem went away. when I wore those boots I also began walking with a more mid-foot strike to mitigate the pain. even after the pain was resolved I kept walking that way because it's more comfortable and I can hike the whole day with my pack with minimal rest using that type of stride. cool video and I would've never guessed you don't have experience making shoes given how good they came out

there's another very critical factor regarding low top medieval shoes and water: ppl often wore wool hose (or in the Viking example wool wraps and even then wool socks were worn underneath); the hose had a multi function as socks, leggings, shin guards, and being made of wool meant moisture was wicked away (especially in a very physically active lifestyle), while also providing cushioning and making the shoes fit more snug; the shoe itself was basically a wearable sole, the woolen hose performed the function that people often imagine when they think of high top boots this is also why hose are such a critical piece of kilts, historically (aka the 16th-18th centuries) when great kilts were worn, the shoes worn were open top made of just a single piece of leather tied up over the foot; being cold and wet in the Scottish Highlands means your exposed legs are going to also be cold and wet, wool hose with the previously mentioned functions were the difference between having a difficult day strolling across a marshy moor, and losing your feet to gangrene

13:51 anecdotally, as someone from the southern US, there's a *massive* difference between button-shirt jeans and dress shoes, and button-shirt jeans and boots.

Interesting that you brought up the wooden slippers. When i started watching this i did a search for wooden soled medieval boots and saw those kinda wooden slippers or sandals.

This video has inspired me to contemplate the reactions of actual medieval people to seeing a fantasy character walking around with their fantasy garments and fantasy weapons. My current theory is they'd assume they were from a fairy kingdom or something.

Nice work! Wanted to add, that probably I would probably never returned into larping if there weren't your videos. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

The wideness of shoes definitely affects balance. My sneakers were worn so much that the soles were separating, I started wearing boots to work, and I found it somewhat harder to keep my feet upright when moving around. Side note: not for medieval theme, but steel-toed sneakers are the best

As a stand in I’ve been using cowboy boots and while they are weird they’re way better than some other options

Hey Kramer, as a cheap addition to help protect your soles from wear and add some additional grip you can get stick on tread for leather soled shoes or high heels it's super thin so it won't add height

For those who want to buy shoes, look at Gea Soles. They make modern turned shoes, custom fit to your measurements. They even have 3 styles that are HEMA approved. Modern turned shoes all follow the barefoot shoe model, with rounded toes. Most also have a sole of Vibram or other modern material glued on, so they work on pavement as well as dirt. They are not cheap, but they are hand made, and many are custom, too. I have a pair of boots from Drifter Leather that would definitely pass as RenFaire boots, and might work for some re-enactors.

Moccasins are fine, after all, native Americans wore them in that period. Many had high versions for winter as well as low versions. I would do research on the different tribes and moccasin styles and how they made them, treated them, etc. I know Cherokee tall moccasins look very close to yours. I do believe they used rawhide for the sole, elk, deer or bison that lived all throughout the U.S even on the east coast, and was used for such things. Elk and Deer leather are much more supple than Bison hide, which is even tougher than regular cow leather. And they treated them by using tallow from said animals.

Mink oil, while expensive, will waterproof leather. It also darkens the leather greatly in my experience, but protects and again, waterproofs leather.