Mens Tactical Boots Breathable Leather & Mesh

Boots on fast, without redoing the laces.

A tall boot laced through eight rows is a two-minute job every time you put it on, so it never gets done properly when you need to move. You leave the top rows loose, the shaft flops, and the whole reason you bought a high boot — something holding the ankle when you step off a bank in the dark — is gone.

This one has a full-length zip down the inside. You set the laces once, at the tension you actually want, and after that the boot goes on and off with the zip. Lace tension stays where you left it.

The upper is suede leather at the toe, heel and eyelet stay, with a heavier woven textile filling the panels between, and a row of mesh-screened metal vents through the instep to let heat out. The sole is a moulded rubber lug pattern with a flat heel.

Be clear on what it is: a comfortable, light, high-shaft boot. There is no protective toe cap in it and no water rating has been supplied.

What It Does

• Out the door in seconds: when the dog is barking at 2am or the ute needs moving, the zip means the boot goes on properly rather than half-laced.
• Ankle support up high: the shaft comes well above the ankle with a padded collar, which is what you want stepping off tailgates and through scrub you cannot see the bottom of.
• Keeps the debris out: a tall shaft and a close collar stop grass seed, gravel and burnt-off ash going down the boot.
• Lets the heat out: mesh-screened vents through the instep, so a summer boot this tall is not a sauna.
• Light for the height: textile panels instead of full leather, so you get the shaft without the weight of a full leather boot on your feet all day.

Key Features

• Full-length side zip: runs the height of the shaft on the inside face, with a pull tab.
• Suede and textile upper: suede leather at the toe, heel and eyelet stay; woven textile through the side and shaft panels.
• Mesh-screened vents: two metal vent eyelets each side of the instep, screened behind fine mesh.
• Lace-up plus zip: eight rows of eyelets so you can still set the fit properly, then leave it set.
• Padded collar and tongue: padded right around the top of the shaft, with a rear pull loop.
• Moulded rubber outsole: lug pattern with a flat heel and a wrapped toe edge.
• Round soft toe: classified by the supplier as a round toe. No protective cap.
• Two colours: black and sandy.
• Eight sizes: US 6 through US 11, matched to foot length in millimetres.

Limits

What these boots will not do

• Not a safety boot: the supplier lists the toe as a plain round toe. There is no steel cap, no composite cap and no AS/NZS 2210 certification. It will not get you through a site gate that requires safety footwear.
• Not waterproof: no water rating and no membrane has been supplied, and the vent holes through the instep are open by design. Water gets in through them. This is a boot built to breathe, not a boot built to stay dry.
• The sizes are US, not AU: the supplier's chart runs US against European and foot length in millimetres, with no Australian or UK column. An Australian men's size is a different number. Measure your foot — the chart is under Specs.
• The zip is a wear point: a zip that runs the height of a boot shaft is the part that will fail first, especially caked in mud and grit. Keep the laces functional so the boot still works if the zip lets go.
• No issued-kit approval: the boot carries printed unit-style branding on a woven label. That is decoration on a consumer boot. It is not an approval, an issue standard, or any kind of certification, and we are not going to suggest otherwise.
• No weight given: the supplier has not published a boot weight. We are not going to guess one.

Q & A

I wear a 10 in Australia. Do I order a 10?
No. Australian men's sizing follows the UK scale and these are sold on the US scale, which runs about a size larger for the same foot. Measure from a wall to the end of your longest toe in millimetres and read that off the chart under Specs. The supplier's own note is that the inside of the boot should be your foot length plus 0.5 to 1 cm (5 to 10 mm).

Is there a steel cap in the toe?
No. The supplier classifies the toe as a round toe with no protective cap, and nothing in the product photographs shows one. If your job requires a safety boot, this is not it.

How tall is the shaft?
The supplier has not published a shaft height. From the photographs it is a full-height boot that sits well up the lower leg with eight rows of eyelets, but we will not put a number on it that we cannot source.

Can I still lace them if I use the zip?
Yes, and you should. Lace the boot up properly once to get the fit right, then use the zip day to day. If the zip ever fails you have a normal lace-up boot rather than a boot you cannot wear.

Are they any good in the wet?
Not really. The vents are open holes and there is no stated water rating. Wet grass in the morning is fine. Standing in water is not.

How long will they take to get here?
Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you order, and up to 3 weeks before you chase it. Regional and remote addresses take longer. Delivery is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs

Size chart — measure your foot, then read across

Heel against a wall, measure to the end of your longest toe. Match that number to the first column. The supplier gives US and European only.

The supplier's note on the chart: the inside length of the boot should be your foot length plus 0.5 cm to 1 cm (5 mm to 10 mm). Do not measure an old sole to work out your size — measure your foot.