My Altama boots came today!! Ordered them off ebay this weekend. It’s one of the first items I’m getting because I know I will still need time to break them in. The kit list just says jungle boots, the black ones with speedlaces, US military, but not the cheap copies, or the soles will fall off in the jungle. No Gore Tex. Of course I had to do a little online research.
It’s all about staying dry!
I now know more about military suppliers and the boots they make than I ever wanted to know. Jungle boots have drainage holes in the arch portion of the boot. Little holes covered by mesh. I assume it’s to keep debris out and leeches from crawling in. That really drives home the fact that our feet will get very wet. So the no Gore Tex makes sense: it won’t let water in, but once it does get in, the Gore Tex won’t let it out and the boots will stay wet much longer. I remember my hiking boots got wet the first day on the Arizona survival trip and stayed squelchy for three days or so. So bad, I decided not to take them as my one pair of footwear on the 3 day survival trip, where I opted for sandals instead.
Trying them on…
I try the boots on right away. They seem a little big. Long. Yet I can barely get my feet in. The sole has zero give. They are what my husband calls “shit kickers”. They look cool, but are super uncomfortable to wear. The left may be okay, once I break them in, but I don’t think the right one will ever fit well. I mean, I could wear them for a few hours and be okay, but not for full day hikes in a wet and hot environment. Guaranteed blisters on day 1, probably before the end of the first mile. I may have to ebay these to someone else. New search.
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