Glad you like them, I am very happy with mine.
I'm gonna wear them til they fall off and buy another pair.

Those were awesome boots, shame you can't find them any more.

I work in an army surplus store i Atlanta, Ga. Out of every boot we have ever sold these are the best.  


http://www.lapolicegear.com/bates-delta-desert-tan.html

I picked up a pair of Altama new style black jungles two years ago at a surplus shop.  Guy said he got a good deal on a load of them a while back but only had one last pair of 11.5s for, get this, $40! NEW!    They have been great boots, very comfortable, and my feet stay cool/dry.





Now my problem is, I have almost worn the tread off the ball of my LH sole, and I need to find some more.  Not sure I'll find any more in the $40 range.

 

Nope.  I don't reckon so.  But they did blend with their environment pretty well though.

The Boy Scouts still strongly recommend high-quality "Jungle Boots" for canoe trips to the Northern Tier High Adventure Base (Boundry Waters Canoe Area). I bought my son the Altama's (in OD) and he loved/loves them.



Lots of kids just bought canvas sided military boots, some in the desert suede.   As some have said, the desert boots did not have holes in the arch area to drain the water, and the suede held water.

Altama, or older USGI (i.e. ro-search) jungle boots are flat out amazing as far as longevity with abuse is concerned.  I have pair from when I was a kid that when they turned white from all the dye being scrubbed off, I'd hit them with black spay paint and keep on trucking.   I can STILL wear them if I got them re-soled.  No matter how dried out the leather got, they wouldn't crack.   I've had the soles split in half from being worn to long and thin on some, but the upper leather and canvas has nary a split, tear, or pulled stitching.

I only had the later panama soled jungle boots.  Most of my time in the Marines they were verbotten.  IIRC we got the go ahead for field use only in '89 or'90.  They were fine as a ground pounder although the trade off was less ankle support.

I set them aside when I got in the guard and was on armored vehicles.  The panama soles would hang up on armored vehicle footholds.  A fall with a hung up boot could break your ankle.  I had a couple close calls and said F it and wore those god awful new speedlace boots.

Do those canvas boots come in wides?  I didn't see any on their site.

Which in turn are a copy of the US originals?

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_gear_jungle_boots.php

http://www.vietnamgear.com/kit.aspx?kit=217

 I seem to remember the Brits in WWII had a version too.

French ones are apparently available cheap here:
http://www.militarysupplyhouse.com/footwearf1.htm

I used to wear the cheap chinese crap ones back in the day. The canvas upper gives you zero ankle support or protection. I ride Harleys and I can't stand the feeling of my ankle bone rattling againgst the motor, I need heavy leather!

Guess they'd be better than NOTHING at all.....

I've got an OLD pair around somewhere.....They are from the late 80's....Cant believe I'm getting THAT old....UGH

hot weather boots

I wear these for my morning dog walk every morning since it warmed up last spring. I find them to be pretty comfy. They are warm enough that my feet are not cold in the temperatures we now see at 5 am. Mostly low to mid 40s.

Not as much ankle support as I might like, but a lot better than nothing. I have worn them on the few hiking excursions the dog and I have been on lately. Last Saturday I played mountain goat while wearing them. Old fat people like me should not be walking up and down fairly rugged terrain, even with some 40 year old steps cut into the side of the hill. I was really glad for whatever ankle support these things provided. My ankles came out fine. My thigh muscles still ache.

I am not normally a huge fan of military gear but these serve my needs adequately and at $43 were not a budget buster.

I have not had occasion to test the drainage holes. I did have to walk through some deep mud (maybe 6 inches) on a hike not too long ago. No water came in so no chance to test whether they drain. Have not had to ford any creeks lately so no idea what will happen if I have to. Not real thrilled with the idea of wet feet. I think if I know there is a creek to walk in I would wear my ICW boots. I have forded creeks a number of times in them and no leaks. But, in temperatures like we are having lately, I suspect my feet would sweat.

I hated mine.  So many problems with those pieces of shit.  I prefer Altama jungle boots