I operated through winter and summer and can tell you the weather has a lot to do with which boot you wear.Originally Posted by Power_serj
I bought these boots: (M-8 Combat Tactical Boot)
then I found out I was going to Afghanistan.
Any boot preferances for anyone who's been to Afghanistan?
I started my trip wearing Bates, they were really quick to wear out also got too thin when winter came around, but on the upside they were very quick to dry, so there was no putting on wet boots in the morning for a patrol.
I soon moved on to the Meindl Desert Fox when the snow and rain came in, I really liked these boots, they are Royal Marine Commando and Dutch Army issue and we (Australian) bought a lot of them at the PX and they were used for most of the trip. But they too lived out there life towards the end of my tour, constant exposure to water and such a harsh enviroment lead to them becomming stiff and hardened which lead to blisters around my ankles of all places, so they had to go. Also they are too heavy and warm to use back in Australia.
Then my 3rd pair of boots for the tour I bought S.I Assault Boots from Oakley, I used them for quite a limited amount of time and had some dramas with them, mainly to with their tread/grip, jumping across an aquaduct, the last thing you want is your boot to slip on the other side and you fall flat on your face, which is what happened to me numerous times with this boot, so I found them quite untrustworthy in that sense. On the plus side they were light, comfortable and dried quickly. The Oakley Tactical Six only came out just as I was leaving country, it seemed to me and to some of the other lads who bought it and used it that it was a cross between the Meindl and the S.I Assault boot in terms of being light, warm, very good tread/grip, dried quite quickly and didn't require much work on breaking in.
Now, I am an Infantryman and was a gunner(LSW), so I had quite a heavy load to bear across Southern Afghanistan, where we operated from was very different depending on where you went, ranging from the city of Tarin Kowt through the rual Balluchi valley which was mainly mud and water-filled aquaducts, then up the sides of mountains in Chora valley. For anyone the whole country is going to lead to dramas with maintaining your footwear, what I found is you need to take 2 sets out with you, we operated from vehicles the entire time, so that was easy to stuff another set under your seat for when you get in to the vehicle hide and want to dry out your patrol boots.
So yeah, that is just my 0.02c from my experience, yours will probably differ, but I hope this helped.
I've been wearing these Belleville 390 DES boots for quite a while now (~2.5 years, including a year-long deployment) and they are practically indestructible. I've only had to replace the laces with 550 cord.
You can get them for about $100-$120 from a variety of online stores.
Have worn the GSG9 Classic now for a few years. Been through hell and back.. still asking for more. Stick a pair of Brigedales under these and your sorted! best boot I've ever worn out on the ground.
I use these for urban and summer ops. Tried them in wet weather once, not so good..
Meindl Army for wet conditions. Have a pair for eight years and still like new. Heavy a f$%k though and you slip a lot when on wet rocky surfaces. I'm replacing these with Blackhawk Warriors. Tried a mates pair and loved them. Only second to my Adidas.
The 5.11 HRT are OK but not up to long term deployment. Busted them after three months, still a good boot considering..
Last edited by Vintz; 07-07-2009 at 02:38 PM. Reason: Added Classic to boot name...
Do you really think that "irish army guys" are so dumb, that they do not know good kit from bad,?
By the way Irish Army Personnel in both the Regular and Reserve are issued boots to wear, but seeing as you are not in either of those forces, just stuck your head in the door on a training night, probably that point, went unnoticed.
Connaught Ranger.
listen im just repeating what a guy said , yeah?Do you really think that "irish army guys" are so dumb, that they do not know good kit from bad,?
By the way Irish Army Personnel in both the Regular and Reserve are issued boots to wear, but seeing as you are not in either of those forces, just stuck your head in the door on a training night, probably that point, went unnoticed.
Connaught Ranger.
I'm sure the shoe salesman has a great insight to the soldiers buying shoes from him, that second hand information was well worth repeating...
Well kid, sometime it pays to put the brain in motion before repeating B.S.,otherwise you look to be a bigger plank than the salesman.
Kids
his dad was 20years in the PDF and he much to everybodys chagrin was rdf,as i was about 14 he knew i wasnt going to buy a €200(?) pair of boots so he wasnt trying to sell me anything
ffs some airsofter posted some POS chinese runners and i get my arse handed to me for thatWell kid, sometime it pays to put the brain in motion before repeating B.S.,otherwise you look to be a bigger plank than the salesman.
Kids
So your comments / info with regards these boots is over 2 years old
Yes. do you think if somebody posts something soft,ffs some airsofter posted some POS chinese runners and i get my arse handed to me for that
it automatically allows you to do the same?
Thank God your not in the military with thinking like that.
CR, as always,m you're correct.
Yes, personnel of the Irish Defense Forces have purchases these boots privately, myself included.
Ireland isn't a land merely of bogs awaiting a turf cutter. We operate in urban areas also, both at home and more importantly on overseas deployment where I'm sure a good number of those pairs ended up...
Unfounded personal comments should be left at home. Not where members of said organization can view more importantly comment on.
Just a quick question regarding boots for US troops, there's no "standard boot" that all troops have to wear? Different models by different manufacturers? Do they have to be approved by the Army or Marines or whatever branch you're in? And do you have to buy them yourself, they're not just handed out at the base or something? And does this apply to all kinds of equipment or just boots?
If so it's a bit different than it was when I served in Sweden as a conscript back in the days, they handed out boots and other equipment and everybody got the same model, I thought maybe that's how it works everywhere.
Thanks for the responses Oxly and everyone else. Much appreciated. I will definately take your experiences into consideration!
Anwer to your questions below, Jonsson8.
I answered your questions in the quote box above.
Just a quick question regarding boots for US troops, there's no "standard boot" that all troops have to wear? Different models by different manufacturers? A: Soldiers are initially issued a Temperate/Hot Weather Boot and a Cold Weather boot. Depending on your size and foot shape, you will get whatever brand they give you.
Do they have to be approved by the Army or Marines or whatever branch you're in? A: Yes they must be approved.
And do you have to buy them yourself, they're not just handed out at the base or something? And does this apply to all kinds of equipment or just boots? A: After initial issue Soldiers have to buy their own boots and uniforms. However, there is a Clothing Allowance in their paychecks to cover the costs.
If so it's a bit different than it was when I served in Sweden as a conscript back in the days, they handed out boots and other equipment and everybody got the same model, I thought maybe that's how it works everywhere.
Last edited by Power_serj; 07-07-2009 at 05:02 PM.
There is a list of approved boots for the Army. Check out this link if you're interested, it's pretty comprehensive and accurate as far as I can tell:
http://www.camo-store.com/Free%20Stu...0the%20ACU.htm
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
