If you've spent as much time as I have playing with them you'll know the value of a great pair and how important it is to avoid sub-standard versions - They simply don't perform as well and can leave one feeling rather dissatisfied and, to be honest, in a lot of pain.
I've spent much of my life in the outdoors doing various things from hunting, kayaking, camping, off-roading, hiking, trekking and other such outdoorsy things. It's always meant a great deal to me, the ability to escape to a wilderness or remote area, and along the way I've acquired many skills and a great deal of equipment that has assisted in my outdoor pursuits and made it safer, more enjoyable and sometimes more comfortable. Over the years I've come to rely on those skills and the equipment and one such item is a sturdy and comfortable pair of boots.
I've lost count of how many boot's I've gone through in life; let's just call it a fuck-load. What I do remember though, is the bad ones.
Unfortunately, the boots I've worn haven't always lived up to my standards and those that have not have left me with blisters and worn patches on my feet, foot and leg pain through bad arch support, twisted angles, stability and lack of traction issues and general fuckiness that I simply do not tolerate. The problem is it's not always easy to tell how a boot will perform until one pulls it on, laces it up and gets into the field.
I've had all sorts of brands, mostly expensive, which means $250+ Australian Dollars with brands like Merrell, Columbia, Salomon, Hoka and Lowa featuring prominently. These, generally midweight, boots have all performed well and I rock a pair of Merrells and Salomons in the boots closet at all times. But I've needed more, a more heavyweight boot, also and for that I turn to 5.11 Tactical.
I have had the same pair of 5.11 A.T.A.C Arid boots since 2017 which, considering the frequency and usage I put them to, is a very long time. They are battle worn and scared but they still perform.
I've found the grip level is dropping off lately though, a product of worn soles, and had started to think about replacing them but after an inspection decided there's probably another six months in them. However, a few weeks ago I realised that won't be the case as I found a split in the sole of one of them; it was then I started to seriously think about some replacements.
There was never any doubt about what I'd replace them with and I went to the 5.11 Tactical website and ordered up my new pair, and some other stuff too. Above you can see my consignment arrived and after unboxing I took them along to a forest not to far away for a few photos to use in this post.
I'm not going to go right into the features and attributes of these boots, you can work that out for yourself I guess, if you're keen. One of the best features though is the zip on the instep though. That means one can set the required fitting with the laces and never have to adjust it; undoing the zip allows fast removal and fitment when required. Of course, all the features expected in a Tactical boot are there: Strength, reliability, traction and...oh fuckety fucking fuckballs, there is no knife pouch.
The version above is the 2.0 version and they have removed the knife pouch which used to accommodate my EDC knife, my every day carry knife.
You can see it pictured below in my old set of boots. I don't know why they deleted the pouch, but when I opened the box and realised I wasn't best pleased. It's not a major issue of course, I have pockets and a belt which is just as good for the EDC knife, I just like the boot pouch as when I wear jeans or other long pants it conceals the knife. I can live without it though.
With new boots, it is essential to wear them in which is why it makes a lot of sense to buy them prior to the existing pair dying altogether. In my opinion there's no time frame to work around, one just knows when they're worn in. I've had boots that have taken a few days and others that have taken a month. It depends on the boot itself I guess, whether it's a heavyweight like these, or a softer medium or lightweight like the Merrells and others I mentioned above.
It's no fun pulling on a brand new pair of boots and doing a 12 kilometre hike in the rough stuff, trust me, I've done it. Once worn in though, the real fun begins and one can tackle the terrain with more vigour and confident the boots will perform, and one will be able to walk the next day. These boots will wear in nicely though, and I'll be able to spend days on end with them on and operating perfectly and leaving me in no pain.
I'll be honest and say that wearing in process isn't much fun though.
It basically means wearing the boots, hiking in them, for short periods then increasing the length of the hikes until they bend and flex as required. It can be a little painful and there's often a blister or two, especially if the hike-lengths are a little too long, although I have to say that these 5.11 Tactical boots tend to wear in really well as they've put a lot of effort into the design. I started this process today with a one hour hike and will do so each day for a couple weeks and I'll be good to go.
I'm looking forward to the adventures I'll have with these boots and, of course, will continue to wear the old pair until they die and then bury them with full honours, as they deserve.
Feel free to comment if you like, ask questions or tell me about your own favourite pair of hiking or duty boots as clearly I love great boots.
Oh damn it, don't you just hate it when you make a typo in the title and write boobs instead of boots? Sorry, my bad.
Oh well, it seems to still have worked out ok so I decided to leave it and...here's a little snap for those that clicked because of the title. original im src
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
