The Zephyr GTX® Hi TF (Task Force) Desert Boot is the taller version of the Mid-cut Zephyr Desert GTX®. The Zephyr Desert is a waterproof and breathable lightweight duty boot, designed for everyday use in desert and hot climate conditions. It is not currently available at the time of this writing – expected availability in the U.S. is May or June.
OTB Boots has released their modernized version of the venerable Jungle Boot (sometimes referred to as the ‘Vietnam jungle boot), and in doing so, has created the lightest weight jungle boot to date. The new JungleLite weighs in at only 2.2 lbs per pair. Also available is a desert version called the DesertLite.
Designed originally for the British Army, the Elite Desert Boot from Lowa Boots is based on their Mountain Boot and is designed to be an all-season, all-terrain Desert boot. Most desert boots are more suited for flat terrain with their flexible soles and uppers. The Lowa Elite Desert boot combines the light weight and breathability of a desert boot upper with the support of a trekking boot, making it suitable for both flat and mountainous terrain.
The Rocky S2V Military Boot (available from AFMO.com) was designed with the Special Operations warrior in mind, and caught my eye when it was first introduced about a year and a half ago (at the time of this writing). Since its release, I’ve heard generally good things about it, so I figured it was time I gave them a try. Rocky named the S2V after a Navy SEAL motto: “Stealth + Silence = Victory”.
For the S2V, Rocky consulted with SOF soldiers to determine what they wanted from a combat boot. From their requirements and feedback, the S2V was designed. The S2V is a 9″ tall boot that’s available in Black, Sage and Tan (shown here), making it suitable for both military and law enforcement use.
Over the past three years, Bates® Footwear (a division of Wolverine World Wide Inc.) has worked with the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to develop a boot engineered for warfighters operating in advanced mountaineering and high altitude combat operations. The Bates Tora Bora Alpine Combat Boot is the result of that joint effort. Recently, Bates was awarded a contract to supply nearly 8,000 pairs of Tora Bora boots to various U.S. military warfighter communities.
The Thor TC is completely different from the Bushmaster and Ferdelance OTB Tactical Land boots. Rather than looking like a LE or military boot, the Thor TC looks more like a commercial light hiking boot at first glance. It was designed as a CQB boot for SOF units that wanted a boot that wouldn’t scream ‘military’, and wouldn’t look out of place amongst civilians. While it looks like a hiking boot, the Thor actually has it origins in a climbing boot, or more specifically, an approach boot. An approach boot has some of the characteristics of a hiking boot and rock climbing shoes – it’s comfortable for light hiking but has a more flexible and sticky rubber sole for maintaining traction on steeper grades or rock, or walls, stairs and ladders. The Thor TC is best described as an ‘assault approach boot’.
When I reviewed the OTB Tactical Water Boots above a year ago, I mentioned to Dan Ellis that it’d be cool to see land versions of these boots. Apparently, quite a few people were thinking the same thing, as Dan said that a line of land boots was in the works. Well, OTB Boots recently released their line of Tactical Land Boots, two of which are based on their Tactical Water Boots and the third a completely different boot.
The three Land Boots are the Bushmaster, Ferdelance (named after members of the viper family) and Thor TC. The Bushmaster is a mid cut 7″ boot while the Ferdelance is a taller (approx 9″) combat boot suitable for uniform wear. Both are available in Black and Desert Tan. The Thor TC is a mid cut boot that is patterned after a climbing boot, and designed for speed and agility. It comes in Black and Camel/Black. The black boots are aimed more at SWAT/law enforcement and foreign militaries that use black boots, while the tan versions are already in use in Iraq.
One of the latest products from UK Gear is the PT-03 Desert running shoe, the Hot Environment version of the PT-03 featured above. UK Gear actually introduced two training shoes for extreme climates; the Desert and Winter Shoes. Both were designed and developed in association with the British Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) and were tested in the extreme heat of Afghanistan (for the Desert) and cold of Norway (for the Winter version).
The sand proof PT-03 Desert running shoe is specifically designed for hot and arid environments with an optimal temperature range of +77 to +122°F. It took over a year to develop with the APTC before going through final testing with the British Army in the harsh terrain of Afghanistan. One of the more unique features of the PT-03 Desert is that it accomodates optional detchable gaiters to keep the sand out and protect the foot.
