BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

Warrior Wear Boots From BlackHawk
29 May 2006

To those of you who currently serve or have served: THANK YOU! The nation owes you a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid in ONE day of recognition.

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Every contemporary warrior has their own preference in a few pieces of equipment. Most of us will take what we can get in shelter; sleeping bags; gloves; bullets, etc. The few things I'm very picky about (and think probably most of today's warriors are too) are: my handgun; my rifle; my knife; my eye protection; and my boots. I've been wearing boots "on the job" since October of 1982 and have developed my own preferences. Some things, though, just seemed to make sense to me but no boot manufacturer ever designed those features into their boots. Things like: lace clamps; nylon lacing rings, but supported ones so that they're always open to the lace coming through; high heel and toe "caps"; scuff resistant heel cups and toes. Those are to name a few. BlackHawk Products Group has now issued such boots through it's new family of products: Warrior Wear.

If you check out the BlackHawk website - and visit the Warrior Wear link - you'll find seven paragraphs of what I refer to as "techno-speak" about boot construction, materials, etc. For me, here's what it boils down to:

Are the boots comfortable? Yes.
The upper section of the boots are made out of a mix of breathable mesh and nylon materials. BlackHawk's sight calls this, "a combination of double layer lightweight, breathable nylon mesh and quick dry synthetic microfiber high-abrasion" materials. It looks like MOST nylon uppers to me, but looks can be deceiving. What mattered to me is that they aren't stiff leather requiring a long period of breaking in before becoming comfortable. They are relatively soft - kind of like neoprene - with leather supports built in.

Do they support my foot and ankle? Yes.
The insole has the expected shank along with breathable padding, etc. The outsole is Vibram(R) with the toe and heel outer sections covered in a rubber material. This "scuff resistant" coating - for a lack of a better way to put it - protects the boots from getting scuffed up while kneeling, going prone, moving, etc. That said, it's NOT going to shine, so don't try. It looks like rubber tread tape.

Do they provide adequate traction? Yes.
I intentionally wore these boots on surfaces one would normally expect to find slippery: wet tile, mold-slicked wood, wet smooth cement, etc. I was actually quite surprised that these soles (made of something called "Trail Run rubber with TC4 Plus") provided as much friction as they do. They LOOK like they're a little stiff and wouldn't provide much traction. The proof is in the pudding... er, in the sole. I didn't slip once even when I tried to.

Are the boots waterproof? Yes - within restrictions.
No boots are waterPROOF. If the water is high enough it will come in over the top - or it will leak in between the tongue and uppers. The tongue is attached to the uppers to a height between 5.5" and 6" (depending on how your foot is shaped, etc). To that height, they seemed waterproof to me. I stood in some four-inch deep puddles and experienced no leaks. BlackHawk's published information about the boots says that they have Dri-Lex(R) lining. The Dri-Lex is supposed to allow water and moisture to evaporate away to help keep your feet dry - not sweaty.

Now, for me, what I found to be the coolest design feature of the boots:
The "quick close, injection molded lace holders...". When I was in basic training (oh those many moons ago), I was taught to tie my boots and then stuff the laces into the tops of the boots so that they presented a neat appearance (as compared to dangling and looking ratty) and it kept them from snagging on anything to trip me or come untied. BlackHawk took this to the next step. The laces are run through the quick-close injection molded lace holders... ah, heck... they go through this plastic guide that has a lock-down tap. Once you've pulled the laces tight, you just push down the lock-down tab, and it holds the laces where they are. You don't even have to tie them. And all the lace you have left hanging? You stuff that into the provided pocket at the top of the tongue. One of my pet peeves has always been guys (or girls) who pull on their boots and leave everything hanging. "It's fast, and they still don't fall off." Yeah, but they look like crap. With the Warrior Wear boots, you can pull them on, yank the laces, snap down the tab, and stuff away the leftover lace length. Quick, easy and still neat / secure.

Shown and tested are the BlackHawk Warrior Wear Light Assault Boots. Warrior Wear is also making a Tactical Response Boot (mildly different and definitely "prettier"); the Desert Ops Boot (care to guess what color?); and the Black Ops Boot. The BlackHawk website has the boots listed at about $130. I'm sure, once they've become readily available on the market (that happened this month) they'll be available at cheaper prices through BlackHawk distributors, dealers, etc.

Boots like these are what happens when operators tell designers what is needed - as compared to designers telling operators what they can have. I like these and expect to wear them out...

BE SAFE!

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Don't forget to check out this week's Recreational Equipment Review about UnderArmour apparel for recreational comfort.

This week's Training Article discussing the pros and cons (are there any?) of chambering a round in your duty weapon.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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