The soles on my last pair of Army-issue desert boots were worn almost flat. They were stained with mud, blood and crud. My dog had gotten a hold of them when he was a pup and shredded the collar. It was time for a new pair. But what to get?
You can usually find the el-cheapo Army-issue desert boots under $30 on eBay but, IMO, when you wear something out or destroy it, it's time to upgrade.
Oakleys? Maybe. I have a pair of heavier Danners that I like. Perhaps they make something lighter. I also have a pair of heavier Belleville boots that I bought on a garage sale. Excellent quality but very heavy.
Yeah, I own a lot of boots.
As I was researching Oakley SI boots, I came across the Belleville Khyber boots. Someone mentioned that they liked the Khybers quite a bit better than their Oakelys. This came from a guy that had worn both inside and outside of the wire in Iraq. Hmm. Seems like a credible source. I did a bit more research and decided to give them a try. At just over $100, shipped, it wasn't too much of a risk. I figured I could always send them back.
These babies ain't going back!
I happened to be working from home today when they showed up on my doorstep. I'd spent the morning in socks - about as comfortable as you can get, in my opinion. I pulled the Khybers out of the box, laced them up and put them on. Wow! These things are comfortable. The way they cradle and support my foot ... I don't think I have ever bought a more comfortable pair of boots right out of the box (see above, I own and have owned a lot of boots).
There is one spot that needs to be broken in. It's right on my left, inside ankle bone. One of the eyelets presses through the gusseted tongue on that spot. I'm sure it will wear in shortly.
If you're not familiar with the Tactical Research (TR) line of boots from Belleville, they're made in China. I know, I try to buy American as much as I can. My other Belleville boots are made in the USA. So, Chinese-made means cheaply made, right? Not with these boots. They're double and triple-stitched in all the right places. The tongue is gusseted. The eyelet fabric is scalloped to make them more flexible. The attention to detail is excellent. They do not, however, come with the standard, highly-durable Belleville laces. I'll most likely remedy that shortly. Whadda ya want for under a hundred bucks?
We'll see how they hold up over time.
Finally, they come in a couple "unique" colors. There's a multi-cam with dark brown leather and, the color I ordered, sage with medium brown leather. I kind of like having something a little different from the standard desert tan or black. Frankly, though, I was a little concerned about a color called "sage". It could have turned out good or very bad.
I'm liking it. Here are a couple photos next to other items for a color reference.
Below My Tan Pants
Next to a Khaki Maxpedition Bag
Next to an Olive Drab Hydrant from Countycomm.com
I'm pretty happy with the color.
I'll take a few more pictures of some of the details when I can bring myself to take them off. I'm about four hours in and they're still as comfortable as a well-supported pair of slippers.
Edit: If you've never worn Belleville boots, they run about a half-size large. I normally wear a size 10. These, and my other Bellevilles, are a size 9.5 and fit perfectly.
You can usually find the el-cheapo Army-issue desert boots under $30 on eBay but, IMO, when you wear something out or destroy it, it's time to upgrade.
Oakleys? Maybe. I have a pair of heavier Danners that I like. Perhaps they make something lighter. I also have a pair of heavier Belleville boots that I bought on a garage sale. Excellent quality but very heavy.
Yeah, I own a lot of boots.
As I was researching Oakley SI boots, I came across the Belleville Khyber boots. Someone mentioned that they liked the Khybers quite a bit better than their Oakelys. This came from a guy that had worn both inside and outside of the wire in Iraq. Hmm. Seems like a credible source. I did a bit more research and decided to give them a try. At just over $100, shipped, it wasn't too much of a risk. I figured I could always send them back.
These babies ain't going back!
I happened to be working from home today when they showed up on my doorstep. I'd spent the morning in socks - about as comfortable as you can get, in my opinion. I pulled the Khybers out of the box, laced them up and put them on. Wow! These things are comfortable. The way they cradle and support my foot ... I don't think I have ever bought a more comfortable pair of boots right out of the box (see above, I own and have owned a lot of boots).
There is one spot that needs to be broken in. It's right on my left, inside ankle bone. One of the eyelets presses through the gusseted tongue on that spot. I'm sure it will wear in shortly.
If you're not familiar with the Tactical Research (TR) line of boots from Belleville, they're made in China. I know, I try to buy American as much as I can. My other Belleville boots are made in the USA. So, Chinese-made means cheaply made, right? Not with these boots. They're double and triple-stitched in all the right places. The tongue is gusseted. The eyelet fabric is scalloped to make them more flexible. The attention to detail is excellent. They do not, however, come with the standard, highly-durable Belleville laces. I'll most likely remedy that shortly. Whadda ya want for under a hundred bucks?
We'll see how they hold up over time.
Finally, they come in a couple "unique" colors. There's a multi-cam with dark brown leather and, the color I ordered, sage with medium brown leather. I kind of like having something a little different from the standard desert tan or black. Frankly, though, I was a little concerned about a color called "sage". It could have turned out good or very bad.
I'm liking it. Here are a couple photos next to other items for a color reference.
Below My Tan Pants
Next to a Khaki Maxpedition Bag
Next to an Olive Drab Hydrant from Countycomm.com
I'm pretty happy with the color.
I'll take a few more pictures of some of the details when I can bring myself to take them off. I'm about four hours in and they're still as comfortable as a well-supported pair of slippers.
Edit: If you've never worn Belleville boots, they run about a half-size large. I normally wear a size 10. These, and my other Bellevilles, are a size 9.5 and fit perfectly.
