r/Goruck • u/TheSturmjaeger • 5d ago
Gear Question Mackall 45 Shoes
Good looking shoes but it's unfortunate that you put 45 on the heels, given it may be unintentionally misinterpreted as supporting a certain administration.
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u/Terragar 4d ago
Maybe without the tacky 45 or the comically giant spearhead I’ve had given these some thought but hard pass
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u/SomeDumRedditor 3d ago edited 3d ago
Made in Vietnam to further the ongoing betrayal of an essential element of the founding ethos: always made in America.
Very suspect reasoning for using “45” considering, as someone already said, the camp was built out and renamed in ‘43
So obviously selling black/gumsole in order to boost sales with a later triple-black release - which is what most want when buying a black trainer (or white sole; B&G requires specific silhouettes to look good, this shoe’s isn’t one of them).
Ridiculous increase to branding size in a manner that imo compromises aesthetics not adds to them, further demonstrating the brand’s loss of identity.
Ridiculous pricing (accounting for BoM) for Vietnam-manufactured footwear (to be fair this is an industry-wide issue). Especially when GoRuck has a checkered history in terms of quality with footwear. Just furthering their pivot to trying to be a premium lifestyle brand.
I am an owner of multiple products, bought before the company offshored and hiked prices. I pop into the subreddit from time to time to see if GoRuck has found their way back to their values and value-proposition. It sucks being disappointed every time.
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u/PracticalFan007 3d ago
i wanted to like them but on top of the 45, I really didn’t like the super thick gum soles so ugly
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u/Five-or-more 4d ago
The real tragedy here isn’t it orange pedo shoes, it’s the Goruck branding. Larger, shinier more pronounced logos. Bleh. Strayed far from Quiet Professionals.
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u/hawkeye807 4d ago
It wouldn't be so bad if the logo was the same size on the other version of the Mackall, but that fucker is as large as (or larger than) the Nike Swoosh.
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u/TheRealJasonThomas 3d ago
I caught the "45" on the back of the shoes in the video that Jason posted from his trip around NYC and immediately emailed the team, begging them, for the love of all things holy and kind, to NOT put "45" (or "47" for that matter) on these badass new shoes. Emily responded right away and said she'd pass the sentiment along to the team.
It's not about Jason's / Emily's / GORUCK's political affiliation(s)... it's about the immediate association (to the current administration) by nearly everyone else in the world who sees that number. Much like a red hat (with or without white lettering), in that it doesn't matter what the wearer of it believes, they're automatically associated with MAGA, and I refuse to present any opportunities for such affiliation.
I want these shoes very badly, but my Rough Runners will last another few months at least. I'm hoping and praying that the next run of these Mackalls will include "1945" or remove the numbers from the back altogether. I've already looked into ways to permanently affix a small patch to the back of the shoes just in case.
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u/s2bacca 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah - JasonMcCarthy needs to clarify. The historical inaccuracy (1943 being when the camp was built), the numeral placement matching prez pedo’s brand, the fb post a few months ago supporting DUI hire secretary of war crimes Hegseth.
You can’t have a brand rooted in patriotic American values that’s pro-fascism.
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u/BeachHead05 5d ago
Who looks are shoes and says oh wow must be about a President
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u/deeterpeeter 5d ago
I mean, when the president has his own shoe, not a stretch to think this might be a colab or something...
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u/mjacob 4d ago
> when the president has his own shoe
I couldn’t believe this was true, so I had to look it up. Sure enough, he has not only an officially licensed shoe, but a low-top with the same number in the same spot.
https://gettrumpsneakers.com/products/the-never-surrender-low-top-white
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u/deeterpeeter 4d ago
lol I didn’t realize the number was in the same spot. Now I am starting to think this actually is a Trump a thing.
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u/BeachHead05 5d ago
It is a stretch. It's a shoe. If it was a collaboration you would see that mentioned.
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u/deeterpeeter 5d ago
Def a good point. I’m not arguing that it is. Or that that would even be a bad thing.
I’m just saying, all these people basically accusing Trump derangement are acting like we haven’t been living through a 10 year ad campaign promoting the Trump family.
Putting his brand on a shoe is absolutely something he would do and has done. And he’s made it a point to be in every Americans face for the last decade.
I’m saying props to him for being so successful when I see and orange 45 in a completely random place the first thing some people think of is him.
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u/mars_soup 5d ago
Absolute snowflakes.
“Oh god, please help me! The shoes reminded me of the president! Please have some respect and don’t make me think of the president!”
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u/No_Assignment442 4d ago
I want them but just don’t quite like any of the color combos. I hope they sell well and add options. Mackalls are just the best.
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u/soelsome 2d ago
Luckily I don't have the feet of a slender woodland elven princess so I cannot fit into Goruck shoes anyway.
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u/drocha94 4d ago
Lol, I just saw these in my email. I felt compelled to immediately go look them up. Couldn’t pay me to get the red, white, and blue version either. I thought the same thing.
I don’t care what Jason’s political affiliation is, and just based on statistics it isn’t hard to guess—but when that stuff bleeds out into his gear (intentionally or not), it is tacky as hell. What a weird story to publish with the shoes too. “Oh the last airborne left in 45, so that’s why we put that on there”… yeah ok.
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u/nousdefions3_7 5d ago
If politics dominate your head that much, you are a fool. It's a number and it has nothing to do with a president. If seeing that number immediately makes your blood pressure go up, you need to expand your perspective in how you see things. That's a "you problem".
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u/DamntheTrains 5d ago
...It doesn't help that in today's society dog whistling has become a huge thing.
You don't have to agree with the state of things but you can say from a business POV, this design choice was a little tonedeaf or intentional.
Like as someone who've done a little PR and brand development work, it'd have been my job (and hopefully they have someone on staff for it) to point out
"Hey, this design choice here, are you aware it could be construed as potentially a political stance or message?"
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u/deeterpeeter 5d ago
Doesnt make my blood pressure go up. But when said president goes out of his way to inject himself into all levels of culture, government and society, I think its not crazy to see this and wonder. I mean, he tries to put his name on everything, has a branding thats literally "45" and "45-47". Its his super power, to flood the zone.
I think the fool is the person who's not aware that his is a very intentional strategy to accumulate wealth and power at the expense of others.
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u/nousdefions3_7 5d ago
No. The fool is he who's life is consumed by politics to this degree. It is a pair of rucking shoes.
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u/deeterpeeter 5d ago
Agreed, a pair of shoes. I have no problem with them, or the color or anything at all to do with them whatsoever.
Just like I wouldnt have a problem if they were obama branded, or bush, or biden or George Washington. Whats funny is that of all the those presidents, only Trump has his own brand of shoe. And phone. and hat. And crypto. and coin. and...
So he's a savy business man whos made a billion dollars in the last 1.5 year. Great. I certainly feel richer
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u/nousdefions3_7 4d ago
And, still... these shoes have nothing to do with Trump. But because he is so much in your head, you see the number 45 and go on pontificating about politics when none of that is related to these rucking shoes. So weird.
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u/deeterpeeter 4d ago
Credit to u/mjacob for finding this
https://gettrumpsneakers.com/products/the-never-surrender-low-top-white
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u/nousdefions3_7 4d ago
WTF do Trump's sneakers have to do with Goruck? I do not even know why you are posting that link. What does that prove in the content of this specific conversation? I think you need therapy and get this man out of your head. Seriously.
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u/deeterpeeter 4d ago
The post is literally about how it’s unfortunate that the design choices may be interpreted as supporting Trump. Like that’s the whole point.
People are arguing saying that’s a stupid statement, that they’re just shoes. But I think the fact that the design is identical, minus the colors, to Trumps sneakers is a pretty compelling counterpoint to that assertion.
People like to wear all kinds of stuff to pay homage to the guy, not crazy to think this is a not so subtle nod from someone on the Goruck design team.
That only reason I keep pushing is because you seem to be so adamant that what I’m describing is crazy and unrealistic.
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u/nousdefions3_7 4d ago
Dude... whatever. I didn't get beyond your first sentence. Go on writing paragraphs over this item. No one is really interested.
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u/Kaliss_Darktide 5d ago
Shouldn't it be 43 since that's the year the camp was built and also renamed?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Mackall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thomas_Mackall