Best Combat Boot To Date
3
To be one of the few to be chosen for this testing program, I was very excited. Having heard from several friends about their experiences with Garmont on personal terms and in the military, I couldn’t want to receive these boots. My previous pair of boots are the “standard” 5.11 boots, issued by my department. While they are nice boots, there’s much room for improvement.
These Garmont’s on the other hand, were every bit a pleasure to wear, a matter of fact, they made me look forward to putting them on every day for work. Here in NC, we could experience drastically different temperatures and weather in the same day which made it difficult for my feet to adjust. Anywhere from hot blacktop baking my feet, to raining like the sky is falling, these boots did not disappoint. The temperature changes from inside the car to out caused little to no sweating or moisture build-up within the boot. I can’t say the same about my previous boots. The boot seems to regulate temperature well with the side vents on the inner sides of the boots.
For my department, you can either wear the issued patent leather shiny court shoes with your Class A uniform, or you must wear your “spit-shined” or polished combat boots. For comfort and practicality reasons, combat boots are for me. These boots polished up really well and held the polish with no issues. Several other Troopers I work with asked about them and complimented them on the design and how sharp they look. And honestly, they are a great looking boot, even more so in person.
My favorite part of the boot is the comfort. From the well-padded ankle support, to the insoles and arch support. Being a flat footed guy, my previous boots would start to hurt my arches and heels. During this testing period I can’t say I experienced anything even remotely close to what my previous boots caused.
I’d be wrong to not mention to Vibram bottoms. They’re clearly a very sturdy rubber that I believe had everything to do with feeling properly planted everywhere I walked. From black top to soupy mud, I was confident with my steps. I couldn’t be happier with having the opportunity to test out these boots.
For me, the only thing that I would “change” about the boot is to shorten how far up above the ankle it goes. If the boot was about an inch shorter or so, I feel that these are the perfect boot for anybody in law enforcement, especially those who are required to polish their boots. They’re are a quality all around boot with much versatility, given the flex points near the ankle and in the toe region. Not to mention the wide toe box, which I really enjoyed, rather than feeling like my feet were being wrangled into a narrow toe box. If you’re on the fence about it, don’t be. I plan to purchase another pair whenever these have gotten their usage. Thank you very much for the opportunity Garmont. Garmont gave me this free product to try.