Almost forgot: a good pair of boots will last for years. The soles will go eventually, however, and for that problem check out Resole America. They coordinate with almost every known manufacturer to resole the boots properly. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that any boot shop can resole any brand of boot. Another mistake you’ll make only once.
Great boot! Like them alot.
Btw, the boot is from Tactical Research by Belleville.
For those with low volume feet Kayland and LaSportiva are the way to go. Italian boot makers that make top notch footwear. I’d love to wear some of the brands mentioned but my feet just slop around in them.
Converse Pursuit boots. Had them 2 years, comfy to wear every day and they’ll keep your feet warm in the winter.
I have used danner before and I own some asolos currently… I have yet to use lowa or scarpa. I was very pleased with the asolo but I was intrigued by the lowa.
Stop being intrigued. They make damn fine cars and also damn fine boots in Germany.
I have the big Lowa Mountain boots and the desert Meindl’s, both feel like your feet are having sex with the boots.
However, if I were to spend some more cash on a pair of non-military origin boots it would be on something from the Meindl MFS or MFS Vakuum range. I tried a couple of pairs of these on and almost, almost, flexed the plastic card. They have all the benefits of the classic Lowa or Meindl boots but they are lined with memory foam. This means they will form to the exact shape of the foot and ankle area…pure unadulterated…
Just tried several for my 12 wide/tall instep/fat feet, and have liked Original SWAT and 5.11 before, but all the store had in those were zipper boots, and I don’t care for those (can’t get them tight enough).
I reluctantly tried several pair of others (Bates, Danners, Rockys) but was most impressed with the Timberland Pro Valor series TRENTON boots.
Plenty wide enough, light, waterproof, but cool. And the lining is “slick” so my wide/tall/fat foot goes in easy as pie.
AND THEY ARE COMFORTABLE!!!
Lowa boots are excellent but I must give a caveat. I have broken the little toe on my right foot several times, and thus it requires a little more room. My feet fit fine in most company’s boots in a 12D (for example, no problems with Danners), but because of the last Lowa must use, in all of the three Lowas I’ve bought, after several hours in the boots, I start to have some discomfort.
Just a word to the wise.
wow. that was 15 years of experience crammed into a long post. while i have zero combat experience, i do have years of hiking and alpine mountaineering under my belt and your post sums up everything i’ve learned, and more.
i too have flat feet and thankfully learned back in high school that custom orthotics from a podiatrist are the way to go. after that, i gave up on off-the-rack jobs but it sounds like there are some decent ones out there now that i might check out
i also learned that not all boots fit my foot. i also have a narrow heel and have completely worn the skin off them too many times because of ill fitting boots and socks. friction is not your friend. i bought what i thought was an awesome pair of gore-tex crampon-compatible Vasque alpine boots that fucked my feet up something awful before i shit canned them. they never “broke in”, just broke my feet. my current pair of gore-tex boots are Zamberlan and am a huge fan. the italians know their shit.
it is also important to treat the leather so it doesn’t dry out, yes, even gore-tex boots. different leathers call for different treatments. smooth leather, suede, nubuck, etc.
Speaking of which, any of you boot guys have specific recommendations for an efficient way to break in a new pair of boots?
The only thing that’s ever worked for me is to steal the strategy from baseball players. Start working in your boots like they start their gloves: begin while you’re still using the old one. That way you’re not forced to start doing humps with 60 pounds in your ruck for 15+ miles/day.
Do a mile the first day then take them off. Let them sit a day. Do a couple miles the day after that and so on. That method works well for me.
great post, battledrill3. thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Look at that! A thumbs up from Military Morons! Truly an honor. I’m not being sarcastic; that site is my go-to reference for complete and objective info on kit that I don’t know about. I do kind of hate the guy who runs it though…up to his neck in free kit. But, he uses his powers for good, and a lot of people are better for it. Thanks. (By the way, do you in fact get everything for free, or is it loaned? Just curious.)
Oh, and I wanted to donate to your site but my Paypal account is screwed up at the moment. Other means?
Be safe.
Slowly for a few months before you need them.
If anyone wants any help ordering Lowa or Meindl from Germany where they are cheaper I can help with comms.
I’ve been using Salomons, Asolos, and Lowas for years. I think my preference is the Salomons. Great fit for me.
LOL - thanks. items reviewed are either supplied by the manufacturer or purchased. don’t worry about donating - you’ve done enough with your service.
I’m thinking about getting a pair of Salomon 4d gtx. Any thoughts?
Don’t think. Just do it. Now. Have you worn Salomon’s before? If not, you are in for a surprise. Before I wore my first pair, I was simply not aware that shoes could be that comfortable. I’ve worn them in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Alaska; my only regret is that I have but two thumbs to give.
I’m a fairly avid hiker myself and a research fiend, so this thread was only part of a long process of searching, reading, testing, and evaluating…
But at the same time I found BD3’s information very useful and it pretty much gave me the final push to put some money on the table.
I bought a pair of Salomon Quest 4d gtx’s about an hour ago. They are some damn nice boots. I will wear them around the house for the next couple of days, then try them on a quick hike through three summits on a small local mountain Thursday morning…roughly 5-6 miles, 1500’ elevation gain, very harsh terrain though - lots of broken rock, trail can be pretty treacherous. I burned it off last week in 2.5 hours but had lighter trail shoes on and it really pounded the hell out of my feet.
I went straight from heavy boots down to trail runners a couple of years ago after an injury (then subsequent physio which really strengthened my ankles and feet!) When hiking through forests etc I find I can do it in trail shoes most times - the ground is forgiving enough I guess. But as the altitude increases in the coastal mountains the terrain just gets too rough and I really wanted a mid-weight boot that would let me get up into the mountains a little more. Also, the north end of Vancouver Island is often so wet that winter hikes are done where you can’t see the trail - it’s under three inches of muddy water most of the year. So again boots are needed for safety - it’s very easy to hurt yourself if you can’t see the trail of course! And some trails might only see one hiker a week…and anybody off the trail might as well be on the moon for all the help they are likely to have access to in the event of an injury. And a bit of gore-tex in a climate that wet probably wouldn’t hurt either.
So I ended up getting a pair of the Quest 4d gtx boots, as mentioned here. I could offer to give my thoughts after beating on them for a few miles, but it seems like they’ve already been well tested and by better people than me.
So really I’d just like to thank the people who put so much useful information into this thread, because it’s been a great resource for evaluating other reviews of a number of quality boots. And I am definitely looking forward to getting a good bit of dirt time in on these beauties!
Please post results.