Not sure if they’re the same as their jump boots, but I’ve had several of them back in the day that I kept spit shined that looked like black glass.
FYI i ordered the Altama 3LC boots. We shall see if they are gtg.
Altama boots aren’t too bad. The soles are a bit heavy, but they’re comfortable. I managed to tear the collars on two pairs of my desert 3LCs.
I couldn’t get my Danners to hold a shine worth a dam in the academy. I had no problems shining my other boots, but for some reason the Acadias would not hold a polish.
I agree with Jenrick. Take a look at Tactical Research Khyber boots also.
DPS is HUGE on appearance.
Look at these, they are comfortable and I wear them with my Class A’s in situations where my dress shoes wont work or with intermediate staff uniforms in lieu of my field boots because they shine up so well. Have a seperate pair for ground fighting or scenario days where you will be crouching in the academy to save the toes.
http://www.gibson-barnes.com/Chippewa+Emergency+Response+Boot/id/18/cat_id/20/prod_id/85/
My agency issues the Danner Acadia. Mine were mirror finish at the academy.
Strip off the coating with alcohol.
Rub in a whole lot of Kiwi.
Use an arts and crafts type heat gun (not the industrial type) until the polish looks wet.
Let dry.
Spit shine .
Hence why Danner’s are not a good boot for here. The black boots will already be hotter than deserts, and moisture will cause blistering and other issues.
Not sure what their rules are there…but make sure you have two pairs maybe 3 to rotate through. If one gets wet or whatever you want some dry boots to use the next day, and its generally a good idea to rotate every day anyways. Keep one pair of the 3 good with no major scuffs or anything.
These are all little tricks we used for inspections and such (mil- not sure how it pertains to you). People even used to have the buttons removed from a set of BDU’s, and have the flaps shewn shut.
Those boots I linked to is what I wore on my last deployment, albeit the desert version, and wore them for months. Wore them over 2+ days in the scout’s Spur Ride which was 50 miles on foot with a ruck in 2 days across the Kuwait desert. They are not as long lasting as Danners nor offer the same ankle support but are a real blessing in hot weather. They have a decent sole on them with enough padding to handle foot stress, and you’d be wise to get an aftermarket set of soles no matter what boot you get. They all come with thin shitty pads that will lose their effect within a couple weeks. I like Super Feet insoles.
I agree on the Lowa or other Euro brand for duty wear. I like Asolo and Lowa a lot. But probably don’t come in the style you need for the academy, and Id just trash them afterwards anyways. Not worth spending that kind of money on throwaway boots you’ll be wrecking. I take care of my stuff, and have a few different pairs of boots I alternate daily. Ive had a pair of Lowa Elites for a few years, and can’t express enough how awesome they are for what they do. Oakley’s are good for comfort walking on hard surfaces all day, and comfortable. Held up reasonably well considering the cost.
Congrats, and my neighbor is currently going through the Austin PD academy right now.
Well i got them in today. Only bad thing is they are WAY too big, so back they go…
They seems like good well made boots…
I have 2 pairs of Blackhawk boots (Black Ops and Desert Ops, and they are by far my favorite boots ever. I have Belleville and Danner Uniform Boots as well, and they don’t compare to the comfort.
http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Warrior-Wear-Black-Ops-Boots,1063,20.htm
my Desert Ops boots have been through alot of shit, and held up just fine… my black ops boots are doing great so far.
I have personal experience with the Patrol boot having purchased a pair about two years ago. They are extremely comfortable and durable. They do offer a high level of protection to the feet. Two downsides I have discovered, however. Running in them is not something that is easy - they are a little too “rugged.” A softer boot, such as an Oakley, is much better for running. But if running is not something you are likely to do, then the Patrol boot will serve you well. The second slight negative I have noticed is that Danner boots can be a little slick on both icy surfaces and wet surfaces - more so than other boots I have owned. Some rubber soles do not have this trait, but Danner’s do. I speculate that it is because Danner uses a longer lasting, harder rubber for their soles. As for sizing and comparison to Nike, I have no idea. I take a 10 Wide in Danner boots. Nike has always been too narrow for my feet to find comfortable (plus, the politics and social messages of the company are disgusting, but that is another issue). I think it is fair to say that Danner boots are sized like dress shoes - what you take in a dress shoe is what you should order from Danner. Overall, I highly recommend the Danner Patrol boot.
I use a very similar process, but I use quick passes with a lighter and a butt-load of water. I also use Lincoln leather dye after i strip them. It gives it a deeper shine. Like you said, the key to Danner’s is to strip them first. only takes about 10 to 15 minutes per boot and they shine like justice.
I’m in a hot climate and I think they do just fine. But, to each his own. I got a few “free” pairs of Danner socks with the last pair of Acadia’s I bought. I’d have never paid that much for them, but now I’m hooked. After a 16 hour day they make all the difference.
They’re pretty much the same as the jump boots, only these have speed laces that I really like.
al
And the boot quest continues…
Recieved the boots early last week. They were too big. So i went through the process to return. Altama recieved the boots last thursday. Called today, they still havent been processed…fuck. They wont be shipped til next week, my academy starts next week. Asked for my money back…so i’m back on the hunt.
This time in person.
I’ve worn Danner Acadias for my whole career in public safety - They are the standard. Sure, weight is a consideration, but so is protection and performance. The thick soles protect you during those long incidents standing on hot pavement or when you absolutely need to kick the crap out of someone that’s decided to fight you rather than submit to arrest.
I highly recommend that you go to a retailer (like Gelco), get measured and try a pair on. I’ve found that they run true to size, but because of the way my arches break, the guy fitting me for my first pair had me go 1/2 a size larger - turned out to be a good recommendation. You should also consider using a pair of quality footbeds - I don’t care for the Danner Airthotics.
I’ve bought 3 pair of Acadias in 18 years and I’ve never looked back. All of them are still in service - although one pair has been re-soled. I’ve also never had seen anyone have a problem with them taking a polish.
Yes i’ll be going to a few places and looking at Danner, Bates, 5.11.
As of now the Danners and Bates are at the top of the list.
I like the Danner Acadias.
I’ll try it again: Do NOT buy high quality boots for the academy. There is no point. Get something that is comfortable, breathable, takes a good shine, and is cheap. Don’t waste your money on boots for the academy, they will wear out far too quickly. All the nice features are pointless when you sit in the classroom and do push-ups on the track in them. It’s not like basic where you’re going to be humping a ruck for 14+ miles in them.
My personal recommendation is Original SWAT side zips, and some 500 grit sander paper. Stripped them, sand them, polish them. You should have enough time to get them looking mirror by the start of the academy.
-Jenrick
Ok, you say they will “wear out” and then you say “sitting in the classroom…its not like basic where you’re going to be humping a ruck for 14+miles”. Which is it?
I look at it this way…
If i buy a pair of quality boots chances are they are going to last the entire academy (21 weeks) and probably yrs after that. And probably be more comfortable doing it…
If i buy a cheap boot chances are i’m going to have to replace it twice as fast…and i’ll be out the same amount if i wouldve bought quality the first time. Also, i wont have much time to go get new boots during the academy due to the living arrangements.
I had a pair of 5.11 6" ATAC that were very comfortable but didnt hold up worth a shit. They were warm weather dry boots. They didnt even last a year.
My 8" Bates side zip goretex boots are almost 4 years old and are still in decent shape. I primarily wore them when we had bad weather or it was cold.
I hate to quote myself from earlier in the thread, but: “When in boots you will be in a class room a lot, or in formation for an inspection the rest of the time. Between those two periods of time you will running between the parade ground and the classroom or doing push ups. You’re not going to be doing ruck marches, climbing mountains, etc (well real one’s, you probably will do mountain climbers). Fancy lugged soles for traction, waterproofing, etc. aren’t of much use in these conditions.” Also D&C on concrete is hell on boot soles, doing facing movements for several hours till everyone gets it right is going to do a number on the sole as well.
In general don’t get too attached to anything that you can’t autoclave. When the a transient (homeless person) who is HIV positive, HEP C positive, etc pukes blood and bile on your boots you will trash them. I don’t care if they are $50 Academy Sports boots, or $250 Danners.
I’ll concede that as a highway patrolman you wont deal with too many transients, so how about wading in ankle deep pools of lubricating fluid or fuel on a major crash to try to get people out of vehicles? If you work the CMV inspection side of the house, crawling around under a rig all day everyday is going to tear the leather to shreds, and coat them in fluids. However if you plan on working the DMV, then yes your boots will last a long time.
Once your out on the streets and you decide that a goretex upper is a must have, then by all means get them. I just personally think that dropping the money in the academy is a waste since you don’t know what you need and your subjecting it to a lot of wear before you even use it for real.
Also GT’s is about a ten minute trip up the road from the DPS academy, it’s not difficult to get there in your off time. The number of cadets from all the agencies in town that come through is immense.
-Jenrick