Professional Soldiers ® - View Single Post - New Bates Boots

Prospect · 11-09-2005, 19:28

I bought a pair of the new Bates boots for my deployment to Afg, and they've held up great. We've only been here about 4 months, but i've had no problems in the construction of them at all. I made a mistake when I chose them (in a bit of a hurry, sadly) and got them a little too big; I have long thin feet, so after wearing them a few hours they tend to expand and I slide around in them a little bit, but I think that was simply a bad sizing judgment on my part. (I do think, however, that they may be better suited to those with wider feet, as the lacing system doesn't go down as far on the foot as the issue "winter" gor-tex boots, so you can't get as tight of a fit on thinner feet.)

One of the first things I noticed right away when I walked in them was how stable they feel; when compared to the issue Bellevilles, the heel is much wider, which feels a little weird at first but is great after you walk in them a bit. As mentioned by a few others earlier, the lacing lock feature works really well, and keeps them from loosening too much after a long day of walking. The boots are super light, and feel almost sneaker-comfortable for wear. Construction is solid, and after beating them up for the last four months in the rocky terrain that prevails over here, I’ve had no problems whatsoever (besides size issue mentioned above, but my fault not the boots). I would buy another pair of these great boots.

Hope this helps someone make an informed decision one way or the other.

11-09-2005, 19:28	#62
Prospect Asset Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: East Coast Posts: 4	Good boots I bought a pair of the new Bates boots for my deployment to Afg, and they've held up great. We've only been here about 4 months, but i've had no problems in the construction of them at all. I made a mistake when I chose them (in a bit of a hurry, sadly) and got them a little too big; I have long thin feet, so after wearing them a few hours they tend to expand and I slide around in them a little bit, but I think that was simply a bad sizing judgment on my part. (I do think, however, that they may be better suited to those with wider feet, as the lacing system doesn't go down as far on the foot as the issue "winter" gor-tex boots, so you can't get as tight of a fit on thinner feet.) One of the first things I noticed right away when I walked in them was how stable they feel; when compared to the issue Bellevilles, the heel is much wider, which feels a little weird at first but is great after you walk in them a bit. As mentioned by a few others earlier, the lacing lock feature works really well, and keeps them from loosening too much after a long day of walking. The boots are super light, and feel almost sneaker-comfortable for wear. Construction is solid, and after beating them up for the last four months in the rocky terrain that prevails over here, I’ve had no problems whatsoever (besides size issue mentioned above, but my fault not the boots). I would buy another pair of these great boots. Hope this helps someone make an informed decision one way or the other.
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