BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

5.11 Tactical Boots
By: Frank Borelli, 22 August 2005

You know, some guys are gun guys. Some are knife guys. Those are the guys that have fixed interests and they know an awful lot about one or the other - or some other piece of gear. But virtually every soldier or cop who's been on the job for any length of time knows how important his boots are. Further, since he spends so much time on his feet and depending on them to support him without pain or discomfort, quality boots become a commodity that he's willing to pay a few extra bucks for.

Boots that break in, rather than boots that break in your feet, are essential. I recently received a pair of boots from 5.11 Tactical and was, frankly, quite surprised at how well this clothing company has executed this line of footwear. I've kind of always believed that a company should stick to what it's good at. I like Royal Robbins and thought 5.11 Tactical should stick with clothing. Their watch proved of high value and their boots are following right in line.

Now I should mention right up front here that I'm picky about my boots. I absolutely detest the military issue standard combat boot. It's been my experience that rather than me breaking in the boots, the boots break in my feet. That experience led me toward hybrid boots that combined leather with nylon. Soft and easy to wear became my rule of the day. I certainly didn't want to sacrifice anything in ankle support, or protection for the sole of my foot or my toes, but I didn't want bleeding blisters on the parts that were supposed to be protected either.

I have found several different boots that I've been comfortable with through the past several years (since 1986 when I first became a civilian cop), and I've always been pretty loyal to what I've found that worked. I've always been hesitant to try out new boots for fear of those blisters and raw spots. Since I've been writing reviews, however, I've had little choice. Either try out new stuff or don't write up boots. Boots are far too important to cops and soldiers to not get tested, so here we are...

I'm one of those weird people who enjoys having one foot a half-size larger than the other. Since I can't buy boots in two different sizes, I have to buy them big enough to fit my larger foot, and then hope that they are built well enough not to destroy my other foot. One more worry any time I get new boots. When I got the 5.11 Tactical HRT boots for test & evaluation I cringed. They reminded me of running shoes with REAL high tops on steroids. Take a breath... relax... open my mind... pull them out of the box and smile. I hate to lace boots the first time. These were already laced. We were starting out on the right foot (so to speak).

I had to pull the laces out of the top four eyelets so that I could get my feet into the boots. The only criticism I can make about these boots is really personal preference. Rather than having small eyelets cut into the inner lining and outer shell, I'd much prefer some speed lace hooks or D-rings to run the laces through. I've always found that easier - but I'm lazy like that too.

So, I get them on and lace them up. The laces were just long enough to get them properly snugged and tied, and I stuffed the ends down into the boot top (as I was taught some eons ago in Basic Training). The first few days of wear proved that they were quite comfortable and weren't going to cause me blisters or other issues. One thing I noticed was that, as soft as they appeared, they were actually pretty rigid in their construction. The sole didn't flex near as much as I expected, given its appearance, and even though the boots are a leather / nylon mix, they offer great ankle support without binding.

The basic comfort test was out of the way. Now I had to test them under some other conditions. Were they waterproof? 5.11 Tactical's published materials say YES. Thanks to a material called Sympatex which lines the boots, they are waterproof up to where the tongue splits from the body of the boot. That's a little more than five inches on my test pair, and I try to avoid stepping in puddles that get anywhere close to that. You can't avoid it sometimes, but I manage well enough. Could I run in them? A day at the range answered that question.

At the close of our firearms training we run a short competition. It involves the shooter running fifty yards and firing from three different positions of cover before firing the final four shots as they approach the target straight on. An instructor has to run with them for obvious safety reasons. So, I got to run quite a bit in the boots. The sole being stiffer than I expected did have an impact on my running, but not anything that was worrisome. I managed to keep up with the guys and didn't find my feet or legs overly fatigued when the competition was complete. I did notice some tenderness in my left achiles tendon the next day, but I can attribute that to a foot sweep I was the vicitm of during some other training.

As you can see from the above pictures, 5.11 Tactical makes the boots available in black and desert tan. I know I've seen a picture of them somewhere recently that had them in digital desert camo as well, but I can't remember where and am hesitant to say they are currently available that way. If you're interested in them, double check on the 5.11 Tactical website. The website shows them listed at $169.99, but I've found them other places for as low as $140. They are worth the investment and I encourage you to try them out if you're in the market for this style of boot.

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Also, don't forget to read the new Recreational Equipment Evaluations:

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Check out this week's Highlighted Training Article about first aid equipment every police officer and soldier should have as part of their uniform.

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