Looking for new footwear

north face

I can't speak on 8" tactical boots...
but even though, only one summer with these...my north face hikers.....seem to work very well.....they have good support, very aggresive tread (best that you can get without being soccer shoes), on the bottom, it says " TNF trail grip " not sure of model name ?
they're good on grass, gravel / rocky terrain...and still good tread for walking on wooden decks or planks
I've looked at many hikers and these were the only ones with this tread...most were wide grooves and square notches....these have many smaller pieces spread out and pretty deep....

none of the below are my model....but have similar tread...i believe this tread works better than most....as others have patterns that are too big and cover too much ground, so not enough spike action on grass...

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=CA&model=ABF8&language=en

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=CA&model=ABG0&language=en

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=CA&model=AE3T&language=en

see these as some options...and some like my shoes...are also gore-tex....
yah,,they're too short for big puddle, but work great on mushy grass and 2" or so of water.......my feet stayed dry while packing up camp on moose hunt..just rained...still piss'n a bit and very wet and muddy.

my 3 cents
 
LA Police Gear has great closeout prices from time to time on 5.11, Bates, and their in house brand boots. I got a pair of Bates M-6's for 35 bucks in the fall(not seconds) and in 11.5. Haven't tried them out yet, as they're non insulated (Desert boot). A lot of places will only put size 4-7 boots in clearance.
 
lets get some pics of these various footwear. I am thinking about the under armor cleets right now.
 
Slavex said:
lets get some pics of these various footwear. I am thinking about the under armor cleets right now.
Click to expand...

If you're thinking about getting cleats, you should seriously look at Tanel 360's. I have a pair of RPM lite's that I use for softball and they're easily the most comfortable cleats I've ever worn. I can play 3-4 games in a day with NO footpain, which is great for me since my feet get sore quite easily. Plus the 360 degree tread pattern is easy on the joints if you have to pivot alot.

Also if you don't want a hard cleat, they make the same shoes for Turf which I think would be better if you have to walk on anything other than grass.

Is there a rule in IPSC against using cleats? I'm thinking of trying my Tanels, since I've slipped on wet grass a couple times with my Danner Strikers.

These are the ones I have:

http://www.tanel360.com/ordering/in..._cat_id=2&prod_womens_flag=0&prod_mens_flag=1

These are the turfs.

http://www.tanel360.com/ordering/in..._cat_id=2&prod_womens_flag=0&prod_mens_flag=1
 
They may not be as 'tactical' as army boots, but I think the Tanel Turfs would be great for any shooting match where you have to run, stop, pivot. I'm going to try my cleats for sure and maybe pick up some turfs specifically for shooting.

rpm_mid_turf_side_400.jpg


rpm_turf_outsole_400.jpg
 
the shoes I wanted real bad were the Dye Precision Paintball Cleats. but I couldn't find any in my size and for some reason they don't make them anymore.
I like the look of those 360's. Are the cleat ones decent enough to wear on wood, or are they too hard?
 
The cleats may be a little hard for wood, especially if it's wet. I can't recall walking on wood with them, but going from the grass to asphalt is always a little sketchy. I haven't seen the turfs in person, but I think if I was to get a shoe specifically for shooting matches I'd try the turfs instead.

I guess I could put on my baseball shoes and walk up and down the basement stairs a few times. lol
 
You know, I tried the whole boot thing and just couldn't deal with all the extra "support" on the ankles. It just seemed to kill ankle flexibility for me and even resulted in a face plant after catching a toe while running up a flight of stairs...gun in hand. The best thing I have found so far is my Nike trail running shoes. They offer great traction on pretty much any surface I've tried including concrete and even wood. They also have plenty of lateral support built into he last so there's no need to bind up the ankles. Football cleats gave great traction, but standing around in them all day made me feel like someone was dismantling my lumbar spine with a tire iron. And they sucked on concrete.

Ah well...each to his own.
 
Alot folks say that these are a good boot, Military Morons did a review. Lowa The Desert Seeker PT
LowadesertPT.jpg
 
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relliott said:
You know, I tried the whole boot thing and just couldn't deal with all the extra "support" on the ankles. It just seemed to kill ankle flexibility for me and even resulted in a face plant after catching a toe while running up a flight of stairs...gun in hand. The best thing I have found so far is my Nike trail running shoes. They offer great traction on pretty much any surface I've tried including concrete and even wood. They also have plenty of lateral support built into he last so there's no need to bind up the ankles. Football cleats gave great traction, but standing around in them all day made me feel like someone was dismantling my lumbar spine with a tire iron. And they sucked on concrete.

Ah well...each to his own.
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I have a pair of Sacouny "Excursion" (apparently more for trail running)
for the gym,....they look like excellent footwear for IPSC.
 
footwear

Never had anything but praise for Nike Land Sharks......although on wood or non-abrasive surfaces I would change to my normal uncleated running shoes (just to eliminate ANY chance of slipping).......ONE shoe will not be superior on ALL surfaces.......either use good gripping un-cleated as adequate on all, or soft rubber cleated for superior on most and an alternate where needed
 
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it seems that most of the time we are on surfaces other than wood or asphalt, and while I love my danners, yeah they limit your movement at speed. I've got a few pairs of runner/hikers, but still not happy. I'm really pissed at Dye for killing of their paintball shoe. I'll take a look at some trail running shoes (pics would be awesome Rob).
 
You might try a pair of Ecco light hikers. The brand is not real common but their quality is excellent and they have good durability and are extremely comfortable.

The light hikers have a wide spaced lugged sole which are self cleaning to a large degree.
 
Slavex said:
it seems that most of the time we are on surfaces other than wood or asphalt, and while I love my danners, yeah they limit your movement at speed. I've got a few pairs of runner/hikers, but still not happy. I'm really pissed at Dye for killing of their paintball shoe. I'll take a look at some trail running shoes (pics would be awesome Rob).
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The ones I have currently are a few years old now so they have changed, but looking on Ebay there are several models of Nike Trail runners that all look awesome. These ones look like just the ticket for IPSC
http://cgi.ebay.ca/MENS-NIKE-AIR-GO...tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Another:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-Mens-Nike-Tr...tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
These ones look like they are the updated version of what I have, and if so they will be excellent:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NIKE-Acg-050911-...tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you think about what trail runners are designed for it makes perfect sense; running on uneven, changing surfaces that can vary from mud to stone with everything in between. They have to be light weight, yet provide a great deal of lateral stability to protect the ankles and they have to breathe well so your feet don't over heat (big-time important when shooting a major match in the middle of the summer). And they have to provide great traction with a tread that won't generally fill up with mud and become useless. These things are way better than any boot in my opinion, and for the prices I'm seeing on Ebay you can buy three pairs for the price of a single pair of tac-boots . All of the other manufactures make their own versions as well, so there are lots more to choose from if you want to go in this direction.
 
gotta try and find some of those Nike or UA ones to try on. I can't just buy off of Eghey without knowing the proper size.
 
those look to be light, are they? They also look to have good ankle support,..something I need.
aggressive tread,....is it a soft tread or hard tread (running shoe soft, or hard like a duty boot)
 
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