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Yet Another Boots Thread!!

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Philby21

AF-UK patch owner
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Hi Guys,

Been out of the game for a while (real life getting in the way of pew pew) and just about to leap back in but have decided some of my gear could do with an upgrade - first on the list is a decent pair of boots!

I've gone through all the threads here and my shortlist was: Salomon Quest 4D GTX, Lowa Z8N (or Z6N) or Haix Scout.

I say "was" as I recently tried the Salomon in a branch of Blacks and found that they fit lengthwise but my feet are too broad for them!!

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the Haix or Lowa and know if they're a wider fit?  Otherwise I'll take any recommendations for good boots (preferably Gore-Tex) suitable for those of us with dinner plate feet!

Thanks,

Phil

 
I’ve got the lowa Z8n that i wear for 60+ hours a week and they’re still perfect. Grip is great except for on wet tile floor.. but nothing has grip on wet tile floor ?

 
Also someone here with wide feet. Bought a pair of 2nd Hand Haix from my local military surplus store, love them to bits. 0 issues.

 
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The two boots that wear every day and airsofting that I really like are the HAIX COMBAT GORETEX boots and the Altberg Defender both are size 15 wide and they fit my feet perfectly. the haix are the warmer of the two I have found when playing in the colder/snow months.

 
Wo1f said:
I’ve got the lowa Z8n that i wear for 60+ hours a week and they’re still perfect. Grip is great except for on wet tile floor.. but nothing has grip on wet tile floor ?
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Hi Wolf, I've seen some of your comments on them before, which is why they're on my list! ?

Do you have wide feet at all?  The problem I had with the Salomon was that I could get the length absolutely fine but to get the width I was going to have to go further up in size, losing the fit along the length, admittedly not doing a wide fit appears to be the only bad thing anyone says about them.

Sniper780 said:
The two boots that wear every day and airsofting that I really like are the HAIX COMBAT GORETEX boots and the Altberg Defender both are size 15 wide and they fit my feet perfectly. the haix are the warmer of the two I have found when playing in the colder/snow months.
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I looked at the Altbergs as I've heard a lot of good about them elsewhere (I'm a biker) but just prefer the look of the Lowa or Haix.  Having played in rain & snow and night games at the wrong time of the year the Haix are definitely sounding a good option. ?

From everyone's experience it's sounding like either are an excellent choice, thanks guys. ?

 
They're not on your list but Altberg Tabbing boots are the most comfortable things I've ever put on my feet. They're not cheap but they're solid really well fitted. I wear them every day to work in the winter and the soles look basically new. I wore nothing else at Download last year for the full 5 days and didn't get a single blister. While they're not waterproof they're decent leather so are water resistant and can be waterproofed and are still breathable 

 
With Salomon just go up a size. I wear quests and have a couple of pairs of their trainers and can honestly say comfiest and best shoes I have ever worn.

 
PopRocket123 said:
They're not on your list but Altberg Tabbing boots are the most comfortable things I've ever put on my feet.
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+1... Altberg Sneekers are amazing. I use them as I'm training for Paras10 in Catterick again this year. Supremely comfortable when paired with decent socks. 

 
My feet aren’t wide (at least I don’t think they are) as I’ve never had a comfort issue with them. 

I can sing the praises of the lowas all day long, but for all I know the ones on this list may be better. What I can tell you is my feet have never been wet (occasionally sweaty), the soles are still rock solid with no cracks and there’s not a single thread or seam that’s loose despite the daily abuse they get. 

They’re all premium boots which should be made very well, so if you have the option to try a couple on, that may be your best bet. Comfort is a personal thing. 

 
I'm with Wolf on the Lowas... There are really only 2 brands I would touch with regards to combat/tough boots for 99% of terrain and weather and that's Lowa and Hanwag.

I personally own a pair of Lowa Combat GTX boots and they are simply the most comfortable and protective boot I've ever had the pleasure of using and I've been using them for around 13/14 years now.

If they were not available I would be going for something like Hanwag Alaska GTX's or Hanwag Special Forces.

For hot hot weather where I am going to be spending 10+ hours in my boots I really liked the Magnum lightweight offerings but it's been like 12 years since i owned a pair of those.

And I use my boots a lot...

View attachment 42405View attachment 42406

View attachment 42407

EDIT: On the subject of wide feet,if you have REALLY wide feet your best bet is Lowa. I have kinda flat feet that spread sideways under weight but both brands are fine for me, I just prefer Lowa.

Look here:

http://www.camouflage-store.com/micro/hanwag-special-forces/

As they say '

Hanwag's Special Forces set themselves apart from all other combat boots; their quality stands out from the moment you first lace them up. Compared to a Lowa Patrol or Mountain GTX, the cosmetic similarities are striking; you'd be hard pushed to tell them apart at a glance. Our confidence in the Hanwag is reinforced by a simple test - we ask our customers to try on a Lowa and then the Special Forces. Unless the customer has especially wide feet, the Hanwag wins almost every time.'

 
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Don't forget Scarpa, I have their r-evo plus gtx as they're leather and my Alt-Berg defenders are nowhere as good.

 
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Just as I thought I'd narrowed it down to Lowa or Haix I get recommendations for Scarpa and Hanwag! ?

Have to say the Lowa are sounding like the boot to go with, I'll take a quick look at the others but I think I'll be buying the Lowa.

Now just to decide between the Z8N and the Z6N!

Thanks for all the feedback guys, you've all been a massive help.

 
Personally I went with the 8 because of the added support. I’ve lost my footing once or twice with cheap boots and trainers and sprained my ankle. Never had an issue with the z8n’s. If that’s not something you need to worry about then the 6 should be lighter and have a little more flex in theory. 

 
I have the Salomon Forces Quest 4D GTX boots and find them to be comfortable with good support.  Not sure about wider feet, go up half a size perhaps?

 
Wo1f said:
Personally I went with the 8 because of the added support. I’ve lost my footing once or twice with cheap boots and trainers and sprained my ankle. Never had an issue with the z8n’s. If that’s not something you need to worry about then the 6 should be lighter and have a little more flex in theory. 
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All my local sites seem to be woodland so the extra support might be the best route to go.

Jedi_Master said:
I have the Salomon Forces Quest 4D GTX boots and find them to be comfortable with good support.  Not sure about wider feet, go up half a size perhaps?
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I thought about that but with the length being spot on in a size 10 but the width being too little to the point of being noticeably uncomfortable, I'm concerned how far up in size I'd have to go to get the right width - only to end up with a boot my foot slides forwards and backwards in.  Damn shame as I really, really liked them and they're amazingly light!  At least I could find the Salomons in a shop, the rest of them seem to only be available online.

 
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Seven said:
View attachment 42406
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I won't lie, I'm pretty hard right now.  This could be the next Will Greenwood in the making.

Boots, assault, Gortextm, surplus, army do me fine.  I use them for everything, every day.  I know army boots used to be made of cardboard and chicken skin back in the before times, but the last couple of pairs I've bought have been fine.  Not a hint of water ingress, whether slogging through Highland peat bogs, or motorcycling in lashing gales.  I wouldn't pay more to get less.

 
Rogerborg said:
I won't lie, I'm pretty hard right now.  This could be the next Will Greenwood in the making.

Boots, assault, Gortextm, surplus, army do me fine.  I use them for everything, every day.  I know army boots used to be made of cardboard and chicken skin back in the before times, but the last couple of pairs I've bought have been fine.  Not a hint of water ingress, whether slogging through Highland peat bogs, or motorcycling in lashing gales.  I wouldn't pay more to get less.
Click to expand...


Who the hell is this Greenwood fella? Google returns too many people lol

 
Don’t start that will greenwood shit off again. We’ve only just got rid of the original?

 
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