Boot Suggestions

[CelticSmackdown]

Howdy all,

I graduate from the academy on December 10th. I'm in the process of trying to purchase boots but I have absolutely no idea what to get. I need something that will keep my feet warm in the winter but allow me to run well. I went to the supply store but had no idea where to start and didn't have the time to try a bunch of different styles.

Can you guys give me about 2-3 brands to look at?

I'm also considering a Stinger DS LED flashlight for my duty belt. Anyone use one of these and what do you think?

[Nole795]

Im a big fan of the MAGNUM STEALTH II boots. They are comfortable and light. The coldest I have wore them was in 45 degree weather and it was fine.

If you have the money, you can look at Danners. I also have a pair, great boot, but it was expensive. Mine is heavier then the Magnum but I find them more comfortable.

[Joeyd6]

You will be on your feet a lot, in multiple conditions during accidents, foot chases, etc. You will hear guys say I wear Bates and they are cheap. Well cheap is what you get. See them in two years with a new pair or a day of standing on 150 degree asphalt and see the blisters.

Buy anything that fits like a sneaker but:
1) Don't buy cheap. If you boots cost less than 3 digits, they are not made for what you will be doing with them on a daily basis (aka- support for standing and running on a continual basis).
2) Buy boots that are WATERPROOF with gortex. Think blood, water, snow, dog urine, human urine, vomit, feces, etc...
3) If you live in a area where it gets warm and snows, buy 2 pairs of boots: one unisulated for summer and one insulated for winter.

I bought two pairs when I graduated the NYPD:
1) Danner's for summer that were waterproof ($185)
2) Rockey's that were insulaed and waterproof ($225)

It is now 9 years later. Those boots are still kicking after every day on patrol, my daily footwear at FLETC Artesia, FAM Camp, FLETC Glynco CITP, FLETC IG School, FLETC Firearms School, FLETC Machine Gun Instructor, and probably close to 50 search warrants and arrests in the past 2 years and numerous days on the range kneelings, crawling, and sometimes on a daily basis now with my 5.11's.

$410 for 9 years of warm feet in the winter, cool feet in the summer, no blisters, no corns, no callous, and never wet. Assuming weekends off and 4 weeks of vacation a year, those puppies have been worn about 2,169 and cost me about 19 cents a work day. I spend more on pens I lose than that a day.

[CelticSmackdown]

Good deal. I'll look in to those when I head back to the store.

[pac201]

great advice from Joeyd6, a wise man once told me never skimp on your shoes or your bed; if you're not on one you're probably on the other...very good advice.

oops, I like the new Rocky's

[Ispbear]

I love my Danners. Now I cussed them for the first week as they were breaking in. I swore they were the most uncomfortable painful things I had ever worn. But once they loosened up they are the best thing I've ever worn.
I have the Blackhawk II for summer and the Striker II GTX with 400g of thinsulate for winter. The Strikers are my favorit due to their light weight (feels like your wearing tennis shoes) but I've noticed after 3 years the soles are rounding at the heal where the Blackhawks still look new.

[retdetsgt]

Except when the weather was really cold, I never found an advantage to wearing boots over shoes. The only thing boots did was cover my ankles and weigh more. I had a pair of insulated I wore when the weather was below freezing, but that was the only time.

When I started, everyone wore boots so I got some too. After a couple of years, I tossed them and bought some good shoes with rubber soles and loved them. I could do anything with them that I could do with boots, but usually better and easier.

In fact, I got some black Addidas I wore in the summer. Most of my foot chases were then and again, I found no disadvantage to them at all. I suppose if I didn't work in an urban area, it would be different, but I never once had to chase someone up a high desert mountain or swim a river.

[Ispbear]

retdetsgt, I agree with you to a point. If it is an all urban setting shoes would be more comfortable but boots will provide more ankle support and possibly prevent an injury.

I come from the perspective of a rural farm enviroment. I have had to chase suspects through pastures and timber wearing bates shiney little shoes before we were allowed to wear boots. I can tell you that doesn't work very well and the boots are a Godsend.

It's going to be up to what type of enviroment celtic is going to be working in.

[retdetsgt]

retdetsgt, I agree with you to a point. If it is an all urban setting shoes would be more comfortable but boots will provide more ankle support and possibly prevent an injury.

I come from the perspective of a rural farm enviroment. I have had to chase suspects through pastures and timber wearing bates shiney little shoes before we were allowed to wear boots. I can tell you that doesn't work very well and the boots are a Godsend.

It's going to be up to what type of enviroment celtic is going to be working in.

No disagreement. If I worked in a rural area, I might have worn them too. But I never found any advantage to wearing them on city streets and found shoes worked better. I worked 10 years in uniform, chased suspects through every kind of yard imaginable and never once hurt an ankle.

In fact, I started a bit of a trend and more and more of my peers went to rubber soled shoes and I can't recall anyone hurting a foot or ankle because of their footwear. In some areas, I think boots are more cultural than practical.

[Safety Steve]

Only advice I could give comes from my running shoes. Comfort. comfort, comfort, comfort! It may cost a little more, but in the end your feet will thank you after a long day. I wear Rocky lace up work boots. They have a thick sole on them for standing on hot pavement for long periods of time and seem to hold up well in the bar ditches. I want to venture out and try some of the popular tactical boots (i hear they are very comfortable), but they just don't go well with a cowboy hat. Be Safe.

[retdetsgt]

Having worn boots most of the time the first 20 something years of my life, I can tell you that wearing boots all the time will make your ankles weaker because they will start to depend on the boots for support. When I got out of the Army, I noticed one day that when I crossed my leg wearing shoes, the weight of the shoe pulling sideways on my ankle was painful. It dawned on me how dependent I had been on boots for so long. I rarely wore low quarters in the Army.

That's the primary reason I wasn't crazy about wearing boots after that. Maybe not wearing them much is why I never had a problem twisting or otherwise hurting an ankle while working.

[CelticSmackdown]

I appreciate all of the input, thanks guys.

My environment will encompass both urban settings and rural settings. The city is about 640 square miles in size and encompasses sections of about 5 counties. The majority of the patrol officers on the department wear boots because of the variety of landscape in the districts.

[Legoate]

I bought Danners in the academy after the recommendation of a friend. They are great boots- mine have been brought out of retirement twice after other boots failed me. They'd be good as new if I would ever get around to getting them resoled.

For the last couple of years i've been buying Oakley boots. They were lighter and more tennis-shoe-like than the Danners but don't hold up as well. They also are as expensive as the Danners if you end up paying normal retail for them.

I wore a lot of cheap low-bidder boots with the military.... My advice, spend a little money to get a nice name-brand boot. Once I started wearing my Danners at my military job too I couldn't figure out why I'd been wearing the cheap issue boots for all those years.

Good luck to you. Try them all on and see what fits YOUR foot the best.

[Switchback]

I have been lucky enough to have had a TON of boots issued to me over the years. Being on a couple tac teams (one particularly well funded for gear) as well as getting issued equipment from my district, I have had plenty of opportunity to test drive boots.

I would like to add just a couple things to the discussion. First, I am a HUGE Danner fan. They may take a little time to break in, but once they are broken in, they are phenomenal and you can resole them. They are EXTREMELY cost effective when you look at it in that regard... 2 pairs of cheaper boots will still cost you more than a pair of Danners and a resoling.

Now, while I am a fan of Danners, I have come across dome boots that I like better. I think you can resole them, but I am not sure. I have had a few pairs of Lowa Boots now. The first pair that I bought was a set of deserts. While not planned, the first day that I wore them was for a 15km land navigation route in central Louisiana with 50 lbs of gear and a bolt gun. I didn't even have a hot spot on my feet! While there are some boots that offer this level of comfort, they tend not to last too long. This was more than 2 years ago.

I have since been issued a pair of the woodland brown Lowas that are water-proof and have a thin layer of thinsulate. They are just as good as the deserts. However, I have not had any black, uniform style.

[BP348]

I have had a few pairs of Lowa Boots now. The first pair that I bought was a set of deserts. While not planned, the first day that I wore them was for a 15km land navigation route in central Louisiana with 50 lbs of gear and a bolt gun. I didn't even have a hot spot on my feet! While there are some boots that offer this level of comfort, they tend not to last too long. This was more than 2 years ago.

I have since been issued a pair of the woodland brown Lowas that are water-proof and have a thin layer of thinsulate. They are just as good as the deserts. However, I have not had any black, uniform style.

Do you know whay style these Lowa boots are? If I can find them on the site then I can probably find the same boots but in black.

I've been kicking around buying a pair of these but I don't know if they will hold up in the brush;

LOWA Boots USA / Show Urban Police Boot