If anyone is interested. Found this on Soldier Systems website http://www.lapolicegear.com/co-wellco-e163-usmc-rat-boots.html 50 bucks is a steal!
An offer I could not refuse…dang it.
Nor I.
And while I was there, I bought other stuff to get me to “free shipping.”
Dang it.
LAPG is a pretty good place to buy stuff. Last fall they had those boots for $39 and I know several people that bought them. They all loved them, but that batch was seconds and some had liner failures… They still loved them…
Stick with eBay, you can get the Wellco M760’s (hot weather combat hikers) for anywhere from $30 - $90. Much better boot. Get a size smaller though, they run big.
I have a pair of the Danner version. Only boot I’ve ever owned that felt like I was wearing a big sock - very, very comfortable. And oh so quiet, in the woods and on hardwood floors.
Last years boots were made by Bates not Wellco
Looked at the Danner RAT Boots… $331 bucks Love Danner though.
I’ve never heard of Wellco. How is thier reputation compared to Danner? I just bought some of these. I figured if they had a mil contract they couldn’t be terrible boots. For $50 I’llgive them a try.
Expensive, yeah. But I got a screaming deal on mine. Not quite fifty bucks, though.
Whats the weight on those? Looks like a steal but dunno if Id wear them now that Ive been wearing minimils, theyre like lace-up socks.
Wellco goes way back…google says they made the 1st jungle boot for the Army in 1965 and Schwarzkopf picked them for Desert Storm for the Army’s 1st desert boot. I found weight for the Danner RAT listed at 70 oz. (couldn’t find a weight for Wellco)
I too like minimal/ lightweight shoes (I frequently wear Vivobarefoot and Merrell Tough Glove shoes) but the RAT’s (I have the Danners) are outstanding. You will likely notice the weight of them initially, or after a long day, but the comfort and support is well worth it. I usually wear them at trade shows like SHOT as they’re some of the most comfortable shoes I own.
I’ve got two pairs of Danners and both were top notch out of the box. No real “break in” needed to fit well, never had any hot spots, etc. I was tempted to try these closeouts for the price, but I already have the Danner’s, and it’s unlikely that I’ll wear them out, let alone need to resole them.
I purchased the Bates 2nds from LAPG for $39.99, but if you read the fine print the 2nds were gone long ago, and they were selling non-blemished versions for the same price. I’ve had mine almost 2 years, and I wear them all winter here in South Dakota. They still look new, and are far superior to anything I wore while in the Corps. At $40, they are really tough to beat, might get a good comparable boot if you are lucky.
I got my boots last week and could tell they were in fact seconds. Then I got this email a couple of days later:
Dear Customer,
It has just been brought to our attention that the Closeout Wellco boots you recently purchased are not first quality boots. Unfortunately we were misinformed regarding the condition of these boots, and they are indeed factory seconds.
We have inspected the current inventory and noticed that most have minor stitching and cosmetic issues. Most of the boots we have inspected are in great condition and are completely wearable.
That being said, we know you were expecting to receive first quality boots, and we cannot in good conscience keep this information from our customers. You are welcome to keep the boots or send them back to us. If you’d like to keep the boots, we can issue a $5 refund per pair. If you would like to send back the boots, we can email you a prepaid UPS return label to pay for the return shipping back to us.
Please reply to this email to let us know how you’d like to proceed, and we will be more than happy to take care of you!
We apologize again for any inconvenience this has caused.
Sincerely,
Customer Service Team
LA Police Gear, Inc.
866-793-1911
Anyways I’ll have to send them back. One of mine have more than just cosmetic issues.
It’s a shame cuz them are super comfy boots.
I ordered a pair and then got the email that they were seconds.
They arrived today. I could not find a flaw. I am taking the $5 refund.
I actually ordered another pair and will be keeping the nicer of the 2 pair and send the other back.
About 20 Marines I know have ordered them; so far so good. These are the Gtex version and not the hot weather though
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