so in my line of work i have to wear black boots and normal cop boots don't really cut it for for rocks and trails and stuff i prefer to have an 8in, waterproof and something with wider toe box. any suggestions?
Easy there, Sasquatch!My two pairs of Merrells had soles separating from boot within 3 months on each pair. No more Merrells for me.
My two pairs of Merrells had soles separating from boot within 3 months on each pair. No more Merrells for me.
Easy there, Sasquatch!
The Nicks boots look interesting.That being said, I think I'm going the other direction in May (when my employer will pay $125 on the purchase) and get a set of Nicks Tactical Boots. I'll go ahead and throw out that they are almost $600 so they may not be an option.
Merrell is very hit or miss. I’ve had some that lasted a decade of heavy use and some that didn’t make it a year (all Moab or similar).Easy there, Sasquatch!
Granted, I am not that hard on shoes/boots. Some of you guys sound like you have kettlebells for feet and beat the shoes like a rented mule. I guess you need some expensive off the beaten path shoes to accommodate that.
I'll give em a look thanks
I had a pair that I actually sent back the high arch and narrow toe killed meI liked my Merrell Tactical boots...before one of my sons grew feet as large as me and commandeered them.
My work provides the Danner acadias and they have held up but the heel section gets loose quick and I've rolled several ankles in em and the Solomons do look nice I've been checking them out and until this thread ive never hears of lowa but will give em a lookDanners are great, expensive, run a but narrow.
My two pairs of Merrells had soles separating from boot within 3 months on each pair. No more Merrells for me.
Lowas are great. I also like Salomon, right now US Elite Gear has some on sale:
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blck boots that are lace up is really all i need no toe protection is required. the danners dont exactly work for me but i will give the others a look for sure 👌 why does the salomens stay in the vehicleI've worn boots for work for the better part of my life as a Paramedic. I've tried most of the boots out there.
OP, What defines "black boots"? Steel toe? Laces?
"Traditional Style" Duty boots : Danner Acadia
"Heavy Duty"Boots : Haix Airpower XR2
"Lightweight" : Salomon Forces Mid or Haix Black Eagle Tactical 2.0 High Side Zip(with or without GTX)
Generally my day to day boot is the Forces Mid since I'm in the office for the most part, if I know I'm going to be stomping around I'll go with the Danners or Haix Airpower.
Salomon Quest 4D GTX Forces 2 I keep in my work car for just in case events
Tried some of the Merrell duty boots and they just weren't comfortable on my feet for whatever reason.
blck boots that are lace up is really all i need no toe protection is required. the danners dont exactly work for me but i will give the others a look for sure 👌 why does the salomens stay in the vehicle
sounds like you have ran through many pairs. the nicks sound good but dang thats alot of cheese for some boots and i tried the under armor ones and loved them durring basic school but once i got to work walking the woods the lack of tread and soft soles were a no go and tthe have sive been retired and i was leaning to the solomans but the narrow toe box if a definate no go.I'm 35 years in and STILL looking for the best duty boots! 😆 40 years counting military boots. I wore Corcorans, standard "leg" boots (circa 1984), and jungle boots.
I've worn about everything out there which I could get in a wide size and that I could get my high volume ("fat") foot with my high instep and high arch and large ankle bones into. That ruled out Oakleys, Nikes, Garmonts, Rocky S2Vs, etc. I HAVE worn the aforementioned military boots, plus HiTec Magnums (several pairs), Danner Acadias, Matterhorns, Danner Strykers (two pairs), 5.11s (numerous pairs), Tactical Research Fat Maxx (probably 6 pair) plus the useless patent leather shoes. And probably a lot more I'm just not recalling right now. I've tried the Solomons (my former agency would have bought them for me) and God as my witness, I can't see why so many people swear by them. Hiking, I've tried Lowas but they were still too tight in the toe box. My go to for hiking are Danner Mountain 600s. Have 4 pair in various stages of life! I've had a few Merrells and they are okay, but I've not tried their duty boots. They are the current issue boot for my old agency, and most like them but they complain they cannot be made to look clean after mud.
Being a big (huge) guy, support and padding are even more important to me than others. Right now, Under Armor is my choice for LE duty. They are SO comfy, but I can only get about 8-10 months out of a pair at the most. Now I have several that I rotate to extend the life of the whole bunch.
That being said, I think I'm going the other direction in May (when my employer will pay $125 on the purchase) and get a set of Nicks Tactical Boots. I'll go ahead and throw out that they are almost $600 so they may not be an option.
Nicks Tactical Boot - Custom Configuration
365™ 360° Stitchdown Welt for added water resistance all year round Polyurethane Midsole Vibram Sierra Outsole Sunbrella lined padded collar Removeable full leather insolenicksboots.comLTT Tactical
365™ 360° Stitchdown Welt for added water resistance all year round Polyurethane Midsole Vibram Sierra Outsole Sunbrella lined padded collar Removeable full leather insolenicksboots.com
i prefer tight boots as well and thats why im getting away from danner i just cant get the ankel support i need out of em. another problem ive had is i can never seem to get 2 pair of the danners to fit the same ive ordered 2 pairs through work both in a 13 and the 1st pair were ok for the most part untill the heel loosened up and the 2nd pair was almost an inch longer than the 1st and pretty much unwearable im convinced they are ordering factoy 2nds lolI like my boots tight, I have heard others voice the same complaints about Danners. They tend to slide at the heel if you wear them loose. After I dislocated/fractured my ankle, I went back to the Danners, so I could lace them tighter.
I wear the Forces Mid "sneaker boot" 90% of the time, I keep the others in my work vehicle if I know I'm going to end up in mud, muck, being out in the cold, etc.
I learned a long time ago that the only thing worse than uncomfortable boots was uncomfortable boots that are soaking wet, so I always keep a spare pair.
You can buy cheaper or you can buy expensive but you really won’t find anything until you have made the mistake of finding what you DONT want first. I have worn boots for 22 plus years now in my jobs as Paramedic and Firefighter. I think an often overlooked part of finding a comfortable boots is the socks. I love Danners and have had two pairs of them last 4 or more years. Then I sent them back to be resoled. I get boots semi yearly now at work and they might last 10 months before the soles are falling off of them and the look bad. Currently I am wearing a pair of 5.11 boots and I don’t like them much but they were free provided by the job. I don’t like the composite safety toe on them. In the past I had good luck with Danners as mentioned before and Bates. I also have had a pair of old leather jump boots from the military that I wore out. Good luck
For cool weather woods tramping I swear by Kennetrek Everstep Orthopedics.
My feet fit in them like they were bedded and the side support is most excellent.
I've been curious to try some of their other lines for somethin mebbe a bit more day-to-day.
+1 on the previously mentioned socks. Darn Tough all around for this house.. 🤠 👍
I like darn tough but the ones I own rarely get worn in favor of Fox River…
sounds like you have ran through many pairs. the nicks sound good but dang thats alot of cheese for some boots and i tried the under armor ones and loved them durring basic school but once i got to work walking the woods the lack of tread and soft soles were a no go and tthe have sive been retired and i was leaning to the solomans but the narrow toe box if a definate no go.