Who makes the best Combat Boot?

I wear Altama Exo-speeds. they're comfy, last longer than the oakleys, and can be had for under $100. they feel like running shoes when they're borken in. I love 'em. I wll admit though, that after wearing them almost 6 months in theater, they won't last more than a year. I'll spend $89 a year to save my knees, but i know others of you would rather have a pair that last for years. I like the altamas because they're comfortable no matter wha tyou're doing, and you can wear them with a load and they give you great support and comfort. my feet don't get too hot in them, but it's important to use powder or another set in order to switch them out so they stay dry. I'm going to try the insert idea to see if that helps in regular GI boots. I have the bellevilles, and they work well. I'd like to find some hot-weather boots that are allowed for flight duty. so far the bellvilles are the only ones I've found, and they're temperate boots.
 
Combat boots

I have a pair of Bates M-9 Assault boots. They are relatively lightweight and very comfortable. They have Vibram soles. And they are cheap. :)
 
I took a look at those, and I like them. how do they hold up? they seem to run about the same as the Altama's, do you know where to get them cheaper?
 
Boots

:2c:

The issue deserts started to come apart after a little while in country(A-stan). The rocks there shredded the soles.
We got in touch with an air force unit that got us the bellvilles and they are pretty good, but in the summer the feet get hot.
Used the Technica civy hiking boot occaisionally and they held up nicely.

The Bates M-9 is a good boot. The ones I have are holding up pretty good after a year and they have a lot of miles on them. They do pretty good on wet/ slick rocks too. They don't have safety toes, but they are light and non-metallic. L.A. police gear has a sale on them now for 50 bucks.

I have a pair of the Rocky TacTeam boots coming my way and will keep you posted as to how they hold up.

Hi-Tech Magnums fell apart after two months.

A friend has? (haven't seen them on his feet for a while.) a pair of Oakley's and they didn't hold up as good as the hype. To much money for to little quality.

The jungle boot is a good all around boot.

Insoles: sorbethane that "breathes".

Keep the tootsies clean and soak them in rubbing alcohol, let dry, repeat.

It's sad when men own more shoes than females do...
 
I use magnums for garrison crap, in the field I usually wear Lowa's or Asolo. In A-Stan, most of the time I wore Merrell approach shoes.
 
I'm pretty sure US troops (at least Army) aren't allowed to wear Magnums. At least we never were.
 
I'm pretty sure US troops (at least Army) aren't allowed to wear Magnums. At least we never were.

Just giving an assessment from a general all around personal experience. Civillian hiking boots, like the Technica, aren't uniform either.

Nothing amazing, just trying to help a man out.
 
I dig it. They used to let us wear Merrills and other hikers...for some reason Magnums were just a big no-go.
 
hi techs

There were a couple of issues with the Magnums. The biggest I believe was that the company said that they weren't going to sell them at competitive costs in the clothing sales/px. Then the army said that they didn't have ankle support...like the thin canvas of the jungle boot had. Wore them on a couple of jumps with no problems, but the cross country rucking killed them.

Helomedic, I read that L.A.police gear has commissioned the making of a boot of their own design and it's around 50 bucks. It wouldn't hurt to call them and ask a few questions about them. Just a suggestion.
 
These days for civvy hiking and climbinging and other stuff I do reminiscent of my active duty days, I wear my trusty black altamas with a vibram traction sole.

Only had the ACUs for about a year so I just wore what I was issues, two pairs of bellevilles and the standard issue deserts. I was fortunate enough that my feet were comfortable in just about any type of boot.
 
Being a street cop, my wear and tear on boots isn't quite the same as you fellas in the military but I've been REAL happy with Bellevilles.

I also wore a pair of Oakleys for a time but as previously stated by just about everyone, they didn't last very long. Comfortable as hell but not much else good about them in my opinion.

Take care and stay safe.

Regards,
Matt
 
the best boot depends

Pick the boot for where your operation takes you. Altima Jungle boots, well, for the jungle, or anywhere you plan on being above your ankles in water. In "the Ghan" my team was wearing Asolo GTXs, we were there in the mild weather months, I don't think they would be the best in extreme hot or cold. However, if you have to wear a regular black military style boot in the field, I've had great luck with Danner Strikers. I wore them for a week in the mountains of New Mexico with full kit after breaking them in for only a few days before (yeah, probably not the smartest thing). My feet had some hot spots the first day, but after they broke in I swore by those things. In the end, it's up to the mission, location, and YOUR foot.
 
Of all the boots I've ever been issued, the only ones I haven't liked and wouldn't wear on deployment have been the Oakleys.
 
All my buddies are starting to wear these:

http://www.kitbag.com.au/prod1134.htm

My roomate loves them to the point where he says hes taking 3 pairs on our trip overseas. I bought a pair a couple weeks ago but have been on leave and haven't had the chance to wear them yet. They are priced extremelly high on this site, you can generally pick them up for around 130 dollars.
 
Got a pair of Altama that I like but know some complain over them being a little "tight" over your ancles.
For blacks Ive got a pair of PanzerGuards that I have been wearing now for over 10 years and never had to break in.
 
FWIW: Lathrop and Sons is a small family run organization of podiatrists that specialize in taking the finest boots they can find in the world and then custom fitting their own very unique patented two piece insole into the boot system. They literally custom shape the insole and inside of the boot to each customers own foot. For years, their clients have been mostly professional hunting guides and Special Operations personnel who hear of them through their respective grapevines.

After hearing so much about these guys, I recently made the plunge and just got a set of German 'Hanwag' boots from them which set me back $345. However I can now honestly see why I've been hearing about these guys and their boots for so long.

I'm getting on into my 'Geezer hood' now and I can tell you that I've never stuck my foot into any footwear that felt so good or wore so well. The boots can be repeatedly resoled for a lifetime, so in the long-term sense, the boots aren't all that expensive.

The two "sons" James and Stephen (who are both Podiatrists and now in their 40's) absolutely love taking care of Military Personnel. So if you give them a call, tell them "BrooklynBen" sent you and I'm sure they'll give you all the time you want to discuss everything and anything regarding all boots.

http://lathropandsons.com/catalog/index.php
(618)544-8782
 
One of my buddies at Quantico Arms just hooked me up with some 5.11's so I probably won't be buying new boots for a while. In fact, I think I still have every pair of boots I was either issued or bought while in, including my OSUT issued leg boots complete with Goodyear resoles.
 
FWIW: Lathrop and Sons is a small family run organization of podiatrists that specialize in taking the finest boots they can find in the world and then custom fitting their own very unique patented two piece insole into the boot system. They literally custom shape the insole and inside of the boot to each customers own foot. For years, their clients have been mostly professional hunting guides and Special Operations personnel who hear of them through their respective grapevines.

Ben, their Hanwag SF GTX is built on a Danner platform apparently.

I wish I had known about these before. A Danner, reworked by a podiatrist. Killer. Thanks for the tip!
 
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