Huckberry Revived a Forgotten Danner Boot From the 1960s

Popular online retailer Huckberry teamed up with Danner to fully modernize the brand’s iconic Canoe Moc from the 1960s. The updated style, dubbed the Mountain Moc 917, borrows styling and colors of the classic, but includes a bevy of modern updates sure to appeal to current sensibilities. This true vintage x modern hybrid has a lot to love, but it’s not for everyone.

It’s built for inclement weather

The Mountain Moc 917 features a one-piece waterproof suede upper with a full-grain leather mud guard. Inside, a Gore-Tex lining adds another barrier against rain, snow and mud. It’s like a Zero Labs Bronco: traditional vintage looks with modern tech under the hood. If you live in rainy or snowy climates and still want that vintage aesthetic, the Mountain Moc is for you.

The waterproof suede upper will develop a unique patina with wear.Danner

What’s more, it trades the Canoe Moc’s traditional crepe sole for a modern Vibram combo: a Vibram SPE midsole on top of a lugged Vibram 917 with XS Trek compound outsole. While it may not be as light or flexible as crepe, it delivers traction and longevity that are hard to match with a vintage sole.

Like traditional boots, it’s rebuildable

Thanks to the stitchdown construction and upper stitching style, the Mountain Moc 917 is rebuildable and eligible for Danner’s recrafting services. That means after years of wear, you can replace outsole and midsole, replace worn or damaged leather, and/or restitch and damaged stitching.

This sets the style apart from other Vietnamese-made boots with EVA midsoles and modern constructions — the Mountain Moc 917 is not destined for the landfill after a few seasons.

The style isn’t for everyone

If you appreciate a throwback aesthetic but want modern footwear tech, these are a great option. But, vintage aficionados should probably stick to a more classic style. While the upper references the Canoe Moc, the boot will wear differently due to the updated construction.

Classic mocs wrap around the foot and mold, sock-like, to the wearer’s feet providing incredible comfort and flexibility. The Mountain Moc 917’s Vibram outsole and midsole (and the stitchdown construction needed to secure the upper to the midsole) made it a less flexible style that will wear more like a boot than a moc.

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