Men's Bates 8" Tactical Sport

Boots didn't require a break in period, very comfortable. Stitching has started coming out where my achilles meets my heel and I've only worn these in garrison. For a boot that I ordered extra-wide, the toe box could be wider to allow a little more wiggle room. There was a hot spot right on top of my toe that rubbed it raw after my 12-mile ruck last week. Other than that it held up well besides the regular aches on my feet through rucking. Good for the money.

Lightweight and comfortable.

I've unboxed and worn these boots now for a few days, and I have to say I'm very impressed. No hotspots, no big break-in, no blisters. There is room for my foot to move in all the right places, but the boot is tight where it needs to be, to avoid rubbing and provide support. Time will tell how these do in terms of durability, but my initial impression is that these boots are a 10/10. Also: They have been treated with a very very good hydrophobic coating. I tried to apply my trusty Nikwax waterproofing to them and the stuff literally beaded up and ran off onto the floor. I was so impressed, I took them to the sink and ran the faucet over them and WOW....the leather was completely dry to the touch once I removed the boot from the stream. Whatever Bates is putting on these boots is a winner.

These boots are all around excellent. I was a little worried about going with the 8" (typically the boots I buy are 6"). The other times I have worn 8" boots they were so stiff my ankles nearly locked out forcing my to walk like a tin soldier and drastically slowing my pace. With these it is almost like wearing a pair of tennis shoes with ankle support on the sides. The nylon uppers really improve flexibility of the boot over the all-leather varieties, enabling you to walk/run with ease and no drop in average pace or stride length. Not to mention the soft rubber soles and excellent padded instep makes it feel like you are walking on clouds. There was a small 2-3 day break in period, but after that they are perfect. My only concern is the durability of the plastic speed lace hooks. I can see those breaking off easily and rendering the boots nearly un-usable. I would prefer metal speed lace hooks (if the plastic ones break off I will probably look into replacing them with metal hooks at some point). So far there haven't been any issues with this component, though I think if there were to be a problem anywhere, it would be there. Overall, I would most definitely recommend these boots, and will replace my current ones with an identical pair once I wear these out.

Comfortable pair of boots. The firm sides of the boot really stablize the ankles, even on rough terrain of Afghanistan. However, the heal tore out only after only 2 months. This maybe a flaw of this type of boot.

I have had my boots for almost a year now and they still look new. They took a few weeks to break in but once you get them broke in they are very comfortable and a great value for the price.

These boots are the most comfortable footwear that I've ever owned. I'm on my second pair right now and i am looking to purchase another pair of tan tactical boots to wear with ACU's.