jungle boots?

mtwarden said:
thanks gents! :)

? on the steel shank- any impact on comfort? prone to break or rust? I know they spec'd them in the military boot to protect from traps and the like- would you still be at risk w/ nature's stuff w/o steel shanks?

I'd have to disagree w/ the Gortex suggestion though, great in certain environments, but wet jungle not being one of them- they don't breath well and more importantly they will eventually wet through and then they take a long (long) time to dry- you want something that drains and dries quickly, because your boots/feet will get wet- it's inevitable

I agree quality socks are a must, I've been using Darn Tough merino socks for the last 2-3 years after trying dozens of different styles/brands. I don't see myself going to any other sock (they make a wide variety of styles, but all are merino or merino blend).
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mtwarden,

Steel shanks are probably totally unnecessary, at least in my opinion, for civilian footwear. The main reason I was told for the presence of the "shank" is for airborne troops, who typically jump out of hovering transport helicopters several feet above the ground with packs and gear. That steel bar acts as a spring and in theory was a cheap way to reduce the number of foot injuries during training and operations (though I'm told ankles still get sprung if you land wrong, intuitively enough). I've taken old boots apart that family members had from their time in the military and the steel shanks aren't all that wide, they can have surface rust if the soles are badly beaten up. I wouldn't want to count on that narrow bit of steel stopping a nail or stake unless it was dead center. The light material of the upper wouldn't stop a puncture either. While I've worn out boots, I've never worried about this.

If you don't plan jump out of a helicopter and aren't counting on your boots to stop that pesky bungee stake from piercing the sole of your foot, the Altima desert boots and their "jungle" cousins are a quite decent boot, wear well and are both light and cool. I had a pair of boots that were for cold weather, heavy as lead gollashes and absolutely horrible for hotter climates. They were very well waterproofed, no water got in or out and my feet took a beating from the rot from just sweating.

For the money, the Altimas win my praise. There are incrementally "better" boots out there, but not for the price you can get a pair of good A. Good suggestion on the socks, I'll look at those as my "alternative" brand. I have been using a store brand merino sock from REI for years that I like a lot. Every pack has at least four pairs rolled up, ready to go. Nothing ruins a hike like blistered feet.

-E
 
OTBs are fine for stateside use but useless in a real jungle.
 
Don't know if these are what your looking for but I have hem and like them. Try Oakley S.I six inch assault boots. Good luck =]
 
When a pair of my old military ones kicked the bucket I cut them open to find a small rusty piece of metal-the steel shank. I've tried the "police tactical" and gortex but they become sponges and hold water. My creek adventures are amphibious operations and only Altama's work for me.
 
I hate a lot of the new "tactical" boots. I'm sure there are some advantages but for the most part they're nothing more than cool guy gear made for dick measuring contests.
 
I have a few pair of my old army issue bates gortex combat boots they've never let me down anywhere cold/wet/hot/dry/swamp. That being said I hear their quality is hit or miss but I haven't experienced the miss part yet.
 
Honestly I've been all around in my Doc Martens, I've been beating the crap out of them for quite a few years and they are still working just fine. But in no case would I call them jungle boots.
As Jeff said - make sure that what you're getting is the real deal and not some over hyped piece of crap
 
I think Joezilla had a pair of OTB's in Peru and he spoke pretty highly of them

getting a thorn poked through a non-metallic screen probably didn't help Jeff's opinion :)

I do like the insert in the jungle OTB- perforated insole makes sense (maybe a guy could get replacement insoles to put in the Altama :))
 
Altama Sierras. I paid about $65.00 for mine at sports authority of all places.
After 14 months, still the best jungle boots I have ever owned.

Of course if you ever hit the sand, go after the Converse 8895s from LA Police Gear.
 
The ventilated insole in the OTB boots in nothing new but is a great feature. The mil-spec jungle boots made up to the late 80's/early 90's had a plastic mesh insole that works much better then the issue boots later on that had some sort of thin cushion insole.

They are the first item on this page if you are interested in putting them in the newer jungles or any other type of boot:

http://www.omahas.com/index.php?cPath=5_33

I found another place that sells the new-old-stock boots from the 60's, 70's, and 80's in addition to the sites I posted earlier in the thread:

http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/product/jungle-boot-3285.cfm
 
The OTB boots do look interesting. Am I correct in saying that they "leather" areas are not actually made from leather but from some other material?

I would be interested in seeing how well these hold up under long term (ie months) wet environment use compared to the issue boots made from leather and canvas/nylon.
 
synthetic microfiber "leather"

most of the reviews I've seen are from folks in Iraq and Afghanistan and they are very positive, but haven't seen anything from the "tropics"
 
When I was active duty in the army before we wnt to the acu boots I had altama's with the ribber sole and they were the most comfortable boots I've ever owned
 
R.A.T. said:
I hate a lot of the new "tactical" boots. I'm sure there are some advantages but for the most part they're nothing more than cool guy gear made for dick measuring contests.
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I wore my Converse assault boots for 3 years, they were spectacular. I agree, most of the assault style boots out there are crap, and the sides tend to blow out long before their time-however I couldn't begin to imagine the amount of miles I've put on em, both on duty and off. They're light and durable with the best tread design I've ever seen, especially in mud and loose sand, offer alot of ankle support while still giving good range of motion, and dry out real fast. They're vented and although they aren't waterproof to any levels, they dry out very fast and don't stink. For 65 dollar boots I've had alot of success. They finally bit the dust while building a cabin, the soles peeled off. I might still sew on some double shoulder leather and wear them as softsoles. As far as steel arch support, I have mixed feelings-it really depends on the design of the boot and the thickness of the sole. The North Face has a trail shoe called the Rucky Chucky with an aluminum arch support, and it helps me climb like none other... I love it to pieces-but it uses thin light flexible soles instead of heavy rubber bricks like many combat boots, which are stiff to begin with.
 
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