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Posted: 12/15/2010 9:47:53 PM EDT
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My oakley combat boots are to the end of their life and I am looking for replacements. There are a few brands I am considering.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/blwawedeopsb1.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/5tahwabocobr.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/rocky-sv2-special-ops.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/altama-desert-exo2-boot.html I am leaning toward the altama's back when i used to have to shine boots I loved my altama jungles but with these newer style boots I don't know who has the the best ones |
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My oakley combat boots are to the end of their life and I am looking for replacements. There are a few brands I am considering. http://www.lapolicegear.com/blwawedeopsb1.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/5tahwabocobr.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/rocky-sv2-special-ops.html http://www.lapolicegear.com/altama-desert-exo2-boot.html I am leaning toward the altama's back when i used to have to shine boots I loved my altama jungles but with these newer style boots I don't know who has the the best ones I can't comment on the rocky's or atlama's, but have one coworker that tried the 5.11's and liked them more than his Oakleys. I had another coworker that tried the Blackhawks and hated them compared to his Oakleys. The blackhawks also fell apart pretty fast with hard use. I'm curious about these though: http://www.lapolicegear.com/ua-valsetz-tan-boot.html I have another friend that just bought a pair of Lowa Zephyr's and says that they are the most comfortable pair of boots that he's ever owned and prefers them over his past Oakleys. But he hasn't had them long enough to make any judgements on quality: http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/ShowBoot.cfm?StockNum=3105350411&Category=8&Type=M |
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I've worn out several pairs of the Bates boots from LAPG. Yeah, they are made in china. The Bates 9 inch Desert boots are on sale for $69 at the moment with a good selection of sizes. I spent many miles hiking at a local state park in my previous pairs and never had any boot related dificulties.
BTW, with Altama some of their jungle style boots are also chinese made, so check with any vendor before buying. I had some of the Altama chinese boots and could not get comfortable in them and ended up returning them. Paladin |
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Garmont military boots are virtually bulletproof and fairly comfortable. I think they are called the T8?
Also, Nike's SFB is surprisingly sturdy despite weighing next to nothing and feeling like a tennis shoe. Zero ankle support though. Bates DES is a nice boot too if you're looking for something that looks like it was issued. It takes a little breaking in though. Hope it helps! |
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Garmont military boots are virtually bulletproof and fairly comfortable. I think they are called the T8?
Also, Nike's SFB is surprisingly sturdy despite weighing next to nothing and feeling like a tennis shoe. Zero ankle support though. Bates DES is a nice boot too if you're looking for something that looks like it was issued. It takes a little breaking in though. Hope it helps! |
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I tried the Oakley boots and they felt like $30 boots. Very stiff, took long to break in, cheap quality, and uncomfortable. Altama is generally shit that lasts a long time. I had my black jungles (Mil-spec/US made with rubber soles and not PVC) for well over 10 years but they're not comfortable. I had several issued boots that are also stiff and uncomfortable. The Blackhawk Desert Ops came ready to go out of the box and are really comfortable. I stood/walked in them for entire days and my feet always felt comfortable. Going to running shoes afterward felt awkard, because the Desert Ops were so well cushioned. I also stepped in a lot of flooded spots without water seeping in, and walked around on wet metal decks on a ship, and the Vibram tread always gripped tightly even going up/down ladders. |
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I tried the Oakley boots and they felt like $30 boots. Very stiff, took long to break in, cheap quality, and uncomfortable. Altama is generally shit that lasts a long time. I had my black jungles (Mil-spec/US made with rubber soles and not PVC) for well over 10 years but they're not comfortable. I had several issued boots that are also stiff and uncomfortable. The Blackhawk Desert Ops came ready to go out of the box and are really comfortable. I stood/walked in them for entire days and my feet always felt comfortable. Going to running shoes afterward felt awkard, because the Desert Ops were so well cushioned. I also stepped in a lot of flooded spots without water seeping in, and walked around on wet metal decks on a ship, and the Vibram tread always gripped tightly even going up/down ladders. I felt the same with the hot temp Oakley SI tan boots. My SI black boots were just the opposite though. How long have you worn the Desert Ops, I've had several people tell me that quality was poor as they tore apart easily with hard use. I guess it's possible that they've improved their quality more recently. I'm personally interested in replacing my black SI boots with these: http://www.oakley.com/products/sabot-mid/11117-001 |
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Quoted: Quoted: I tried the Oakley boots and they felt like $30 boots. Very stiff, took long to break in, cheap quality, and uncomfortable. Altama is generally shit that lasts a long time. I had my black jungles (Mil-spec/US made with rubber soles and not PVC) for well over 10 years but they're not comfortable. I had several issued boots that are also stiff and uncomfortable. The Blackhawk Desert Ops came ready to go out of the box and are really comfortable. I stood/walked in them for entire days and my feet always felt comfortable. Going to running shoes afterward felt awkard, because the Desert Ops were so well cushioned. I also stepped in a lot of flooded spots without water seeping in, and walked around on wet metal decks on a ship, and the Vibram tread always gripped tightly even going up/down ladders. I felt the same with the hot temp Oakley SI tan boots. My SI black boots were just the opposite though. How long have you worn the Desert Ops, I've had several people tell me that quality was poor as they tore apart easily with hard use. I guess it's possible that they've improved their quality more recently. I'm personally interested in replacing my black SI boots with these: http://www.oakley.com/products/sabot-mid/11117-001 So your tan Oakley SI boots were the same as my description of the black ops boots? I tried the black Oakley SI boots and they were horrible. |
| If you aren't set on tactical boots I think you'd do very well with some good civilian hiking boots. I've been a fan of Vasque Sundowner Classics for years. Also, check out Over The Beach - specifically the Thor boot. I have these as well, and coupled with green Superfeet insoles, they're fantastic. |
| Bates boots have always worked well for me. I have used both side zip and regular lace up models with positive results. I also use my desert 5.11s for a casual everyday boot. It is showing wear but is very comfortable. I plan I trying Belvilles or Danners for the next boots that I need but if I get stuck with Bates I can live with that. |
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I had a pair of Bates side-zip boots - not very comfortable and the tread clogged up with mud very very easily. I've thought about the wear/durability issue and the way I see it, I'd rather buy a new pair of comfortable boots every 1-3 years than wear something that lasts 10 years and isn't as comfortable. I generally burn through a pair of running shoes every year. |
| Try the Danner TFX line of boots. They're about $150 but very comfortable and durable. I'm pretty rough on boots and these are going on their second year with no issues. Danner is a great company to work with as well and they'll help you out as much as they can with any issues you're having with their boots. |
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I tried the Oakley boots and they felt like $30 boots. Very stiff, took long to break in, cheap quality, and uncomfortable. Altama is generally shit that lasts a long time. I had my black jungles (Mil-spec/US made with rubber soles and not PVC) for well over 10 years but they're not comfortable. I had several issued boots that are also stiff and uncomfortable. The Blackhawk Desert Ops came ready to go out of the box and are really comfortable. I stood/walked in them for entire days and my feet always felt comfortable. Going to running shoes afterward felt awkard, because the Desert Ops were so well cushioned. I also stepped in a lot of flooded spots without water seeping in, and walked around on wet metal decks on a ship, and the Vibram tread always gripped tightly even going up/down ladders. I felt the same with the hot temp Oakley SI tan boots. My SI black boots were just the opposite though. How long have you worn the Desert Ops, I've had several people tell me that quality was poor as they tore apart easily with hard use. I guess it's possible that they've improved their quality more recently. I'm personally interested in replacing my black SI boots with these: http://www.oakley.com/products/sabot-mid/11117-001 So your tan Oakley SI boots were the same as my description of the black ops boots? I tried the black Oakley SI boots and they were horrible. Just the opposite. I have the 6" black Oakley SI Assault Boots from US Standard issue and they are the most comfortable boots I've worn. They wear out from daily use at about a year though. I recently bought the same boots in the "hot weather" tan version and they are stiff and uncomfortable. They even give me blisters on my heels. |
| I got the desert tan Lowa Zephyrs (non gortex version) for Christmas and can confirm that they are very comfortable. I wouldn't say the sole is any more or less comfortable than my Oakley's, but the padding and support around the ankles is much more comfortable than the Oakley's. |
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