Outdoor Hiking Ankle Boots With Side Zip

Boots that go on fast and keep the grit out.

Low shoes are the reason you stop every twenty minutes to tip gravel out on a rocky track. Loose scree and a soft-sided runner is how people roll an ankle a long way from the vehicle. And at the end of a wet day the laces are caked in mud and you are picking knots apart in the dark with cold fingers.

This is an ankle-height boot that laces the whole way up the front and has a zip running down the inside. Set the lacing once to the fit you want, then use the zip to get in and out. The padded collar sits above the ankle bone, so grit, sand and burrs stay on the outside of the boot instead of working their way under your heel.

What it is not is certified safety footwear, and the old listing on this page used to imply otherwise. There is no steel or composite toe cap in it, no puncture-resistant midsole, and no standard printed anywhere on the boot or stated by the supplier. If you are walking onto a site where boots get checked at the gate, buy certified boots instead. For walking tracks, camping, four-wheel driving, yard work and general outdoor knocking about, this is a solid, honest boot.

What It Does

• Covers the ankle: the padded collar finishes above the ankle bone, so the boot holds the joint rather than leaving it bare like a low-cut shoe.
• Opens with a zip: a full-length zip runs down the inside of the boot, with a hook-and-loop tab that folds over the pull to stop it creeping open.
• Keeps its lacing: fabric loops low down and open metal hooks up top mean you can leave the laces tied and still get the boot on and off.
• Grips loose ground: the moulded sole carries deep multi-directional lugs with circular studs across the forefoot and heel, and a squared heel brake for coming down a slope.
• Takes a scuff: a moulded bumper wraps the toe and runs along the sole edge, which is where boots normally get chewed up on rock.
• Breathes a bit: woven textile panels sit between the napped sections through the tongue, quarter and collar.

Key Features

• Two colourways: Brown and Sandy, both in the desert-tan family.
• Eight sizes: EU / CN 39 to 46, cut for a bare foot length of 245 mm to 280 mm.
• Inside zip with a cover tab: the hook-and-loop tab sits over the zip pull, not over the whole zip.
• Open lacing hooks: the top three positions are open hooks, so you can dump the tension in one pull.
• Front and rear pull loops: webbing tabs at heel and tongue for hauling the boot on.
• Moulded lug outsole: one piece, with studs and a heel brake, and no separate stitched welt to come apart.
• Embossed brand mark: the boot itself is marked OKIY on the toe, the heel and the tongue tab.
• Arrives without a box: the supplier ships these boxless. It is not a missing item.

Sizing — Go By The Millimetres, Not The Number

The numbers on the size drop-down are the supplier's own conversion off a Chinese and European last. They are not Australian sizes, and Australian and UK men's sizing normally sits about one number below US, so the number you usually buy is probably not the number to pick here. There is no size 9 on the list because the supplier's scale steps straight from 8.5 to 9.5.

Measure your bare foot, heel to longest toe, and pick the row that matches. The supplier's own instruction is to choose your bare foot length plus 5 mm to allow for socks.

One warning about the supplier's size panel: its written example contradicts its own table. The panel tells you a 270 mm foot should take size 9.5, while the table it sits under puts 270 mm on size 10. The table is the part that is internally consistent, so use the table and ignore the worked example. If you land exactly between two rows and your feet are wide, take the larger one.

Limits

This is not certified safety footwear and must not be treated as it. No safety toe cap is fitted or claimed, steel or composite. There is no puncture-resistant midsole. There is no electrical hazard rating. Nothing on the boot, the packaging or the supplier information is tested or marked to AS/NZS 2210.3, EN ISO 20345 or ASTM F2413. If your site, ticket or insurer requires certified safety boots, these will not satisfy it, and the word safety in the old page title did not mean they would.

It is not waterproof. The supplier states no membrane, no sealed seams and no water rating, and a zip running down the side of a boot is a hard thing to seal. Napped uppers soak up water and go dark. Expect wet feet in a creek crossing or in long wet grass.

The upper material is not pinned down. The panels look and behave like a napped split leather or suede, and other sellers of the same OKIY boot list the upper as suede or split leather — but the supplier does not state a leather type or grade, so we are not going to print one. Treat it as an unspecified napped upper, not as full-grain leather.

No slip rating exists for this sole. The lug pattern is aggressive and it grips loose ground well, but nobody has tested it to a standard, so it carries no rating for wet tile, steel plate, oil or ice. On smooth wet surfaces, walk like you would in any untested boot.

There is no shaft height, weight or insole spec. The supplier does not publish them and we are not going to estimate them off a photograph.

It ships without a shoe box. The supplier does this deliberately to keep the parcel small through customs. If you wanted the box for storage or as a gift, it will not be there.

Returns are for faulty or not-as-described only. There is no change-of-mind return and no exchange, so the sizing table above is the part of this page worth reading twice.

Q & A

I take an Australian 9. Which one do I click?

Do not click 9 — there is no 9, and the numbers here are the supplier's US conversion rather than Australian sizing. Measure your bare foot heel to toe, add 5 mm, and take the row in the sizing table that matches. An Australian 9 is usually a US 10, which on this table is a 270 mm foot.

Can I wear these on a mine site or a construction job?

Not where certified footwear is required. There is no toe cap, no puncture plate and no standard marking on them at all. They are outdoor and general-purpose boots. For a gated site you need boots marked to AS/NZS 2210.3, and these are not.

Are they leather?

The upper is a napped, suede-textured material with woven textile inserts, and other sellers of the same boot call it suede or split leather. The supplier does not state the type or grade, so that is where we leave it. If you specifically need full-grain leather, this listing cannot promise it.

Will they keep my feet dry?

No. There is no waterproof membrane stated and the side zip is not sealed. They shed a light shower for a while because of the napped upper, but a creek crossing or wet grass will get through. They are water-shedding at best, not waterproof.

How high do they come up?

They sit above the ankle bone, in the range people usually call a mid-cut or ankle boot rather than a full-height boot that runs up the shin. The supplier does not publish a shaft measurement, so we cannot give you the number in millimetres.

Do they come in a box?

No. The supplier ships this item boxless on purpose, to keep the parcel through customs. The boots arrive as a pair with no carton.

How long will they take to arrive?

Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you order, and up to 3 weeks to be safe. Regional and remote addresses take longer again. Shipping is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs