Minimalist military boots

[SGT_Calle]

Belleville's new MiniMil boot looks great.
http://soldiersystems.net/2012/11/01/tactical-research-minimalist-training-boot/#more-47858

I started my terminal leave from the Army last week, could've used a pair of these a year or two ago.

[Al T.]

Holler if you land near by, we can bust some caps. :D

[Shokr21]

I've been wearing the Oakley LSA Terrains for about 9 months of Guard Drill, and I have to say I really like them.

Been on a couple 5-7 mile rucks with no ill effects, I know those aren't long by any means, but a fair test.

Standing on concrete for 8+ hrs still leaves my hooves a little sore, but good insoles have certainly helped.

I like the nikes, I wore them for a week on loan from my brother. I'll be in the market for some new boots in a couple months, more options the better.

[JDM]

Sweet. I wore regular boots all weekend and my feet are killing me. I really need some minimalist boots.

[MadMax17]

New Balance OTBs are quite nice, very light and comfortable, yet sturdy enough

[Odin Bravo One]

I like these....

http://m.backcountry.com/salomon-xa-pro-3d-ultra-gtx-trail-running-shoe-mens

[orionz06]

Belleville's new MiniMil boot looks great.
http://soldiersystems.net/2012/11/01/tactical-research-minimalist-training-boot/#more-47858

I started my terminal leave from the Army last week, could've used a pair of these a year or two ago.

Those look pretty good, likely the first real minimal shoe. Not sure I have a use for a duty boot but glad to see them getting around.

[Not HighSpeed]

They look a lot like my Nike SFB's...I may just have to buy a pair and compare:D

[GJM]

I like these....

http://m.backcountry.com/salomon-xa-pro-3d-ultra-gtx-trail-running-shoe-mens

I really like these too, but am only getting about two months out of the soles before I wear all the tread off of them. On my third pair since May -- glad I have a REI dividend. We hike a few hours each day, trying to tire out the bird dog.

Slightly heavier/sturdier, these Salewa Mid Mountain Trainers are now my favorite mids, ahead of my previous favorite, the Salomon Quest 4D's:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12144620

http://www.rei.com/product/780681/salomon-quest-4d-gtx-hiking-boots-mens

[I29alpha]

Anyone try Adidas GSG9?

Like these http://www.google.com/search?q=adidas+gsg9&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|0;d|fdvFGs80havzXM:

[Skold]

I really like these too, but am only getting about two months out of the soles before I wear all the tread off of them. On my third pair since May -- glad I have a REI dividend. We hike a few hours each day, trying to tire out the bird dog.

Slightly heavier/sturdier, these Salewa Mid Mountain Trainers are now my favorite mids, ahead of my previous favorite, the Salomon Quest 4D's:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12144620

http://www.rei.com/product/780681/salomon-quest-4d-gtx-hiking-boots-mens

Are you wearing out the Belleville minimalist boots that fast?

[Odin Bravo One]

I wear then out pretty quickly too, but people who know more about feet, lower extremity health, and problems associated with footwear than I do tell me that is a sign I need new shoes. About the time they are looking ill, I have probably logged enough miles they needed replacing anyway.

When the GSG boots first hit I got a couple pair, but I just can't do a boot that comes up so high. They felt a little too restrictive. I also don't like dealing with open eyelets on my boots, so that cuts a bunch of the mid-hikers and similar.

It will be interesting to see the Bellevue and how they hold up. Their desert boot is plenty comfortable for daily wear, as long as I don't have to do anything physical....too tall/restrictive for me.

[jetfire]

I've been wearing a pair of the Nike SFB mid-rise for over a week now, and using them for everything from running to shooting matches and just being an "every day" kind of shoe. They're really awesome for that; and as a running shoe they're pretty studly.

[GJM]

Are you wearing out the Belleville minimalist boots that fast?

i was referring to the Salomon shoes that Sean likes (and I do too).

[seabiscuit]

I have two pair of SFBs, but they're not approved for flight. Are any of these available in sage green and flight approved?

ETA: the Belleville Mini-Mils don't come in sage green. All the other boots people have mentioned don't really look minimal... for me, the SFBs are just barely minimal enough to be comfortable.

[Kyle Reese]

Anyone try Adidas GSG9?

Like these http://www.google.com/search?q=adidas+gsg9&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|0;d|fdvFGs80havzXM:

Had some a few years ago. Wasn't thrilled with them overall. They were too expensive and at the end of the day my feet were killing me.

I've been wearing Lowa Zephyr (http://www.rei.com/product/796120/lowa-zephyr-desert-mid-hiking-boots-mens) boots for the last 8 months on this deployment, and have found them to be comfortable, durable and fit well. I generally walk 2 to 3 miles a day in them, and rotate em with Merrell MOABs.

[BaiHu]

If you guys in mil/leo haven't heard of mckenzie stretches, you should look into them. Especially these two simple ones that I got from and acupuncturist and doce pares instructor. These are good from feet to hips and from hands to neck IIRC. Especially for those who get plantar fasciitis, carpal issues and upper back/neck pain. I've even noticed it improve an injured left elbow from being hyper-extended slightly by SouthNarc-lol! That was May of this year-kind of a occupational hazard since I teach martial arts too :(

I am not a doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, metallurgist or alchemist, but I have been working these stretches for the last 3 weeks and I do notice a difference. YMMV.

Back straight, toes under and sitting into your heels. You'll want to start off for 30 seconds to a minute, but move up to 3-6 minutes. It'll take some weeks to get there for most people:
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_114903.jpg

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_114930.jpg

You want your knees about 2 fists apart:
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_114946.jpg

When you can hold this stretch for minutes, you will be as flexible as necessary to maintain good circulation and energy flow from lower back to feet.

For your forearms to neck, you'll want to rotate your hands to the pinky side. You want to shoot for 1 to 3 minutes over time:
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_115004.jpg

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_114957.jpg

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_115011.jpg

When you get your palms flat, you want to sit back into your heels to 'regulate' the stretch to more/less severe.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/djdemarco/Pistol%20Forum/20121106_115022.jpg

Hope that helps some of you.

[Odin Bravo One]

Stretches are always a good idea.....

........Alas......after 22 years of multiple broken bones, multiple surgeries, pins, rods, screws and unattended lingering joint issues, I would probably do more damage just trying to get into those positions.....

[seabiscuit]

Emailed Belleville and they very quickly replied that sage green will be available by the end of the month.

[BaiHu]

Stretches are always a good idea.....

........Alas......after 22 years of multiple broken bones, multiple surgeries, pins, rods, screws and unattended lingering joint issues, I would probably do more damage just trying to get into those positions.....

Yup, I have some students with broken toes or bad knees from running and other past sport related issues and some are starting to get into these stretches
and others, like you, Sean, can't even begin to get into that stretch. Try some of the other mckenzie stretches??

[Odin Bravo One]

Nope.

I still stretch before and after workouts, and as required during other periods of exertion. I studied Korean martial arts as a kid and young man, so i use those pre/post stretches. However(and gently guiding back on topic) I have learned to change my shoes as required, not fall in love with them, and not judge their effectiveness based on the outward appearance of the boot. Good insoles have also helped.

But when all of the King's horses and men used 6 screws, 2 plates, 7 pins, and one rod to put my Humpty Dumpty bones and joints back where they were designed to be, I have just accepted that there are going to be certain things I am no longer physically capable of. It is was it is, and now I have an excuse to go to the range while my younger employees and counterparts are headed off for their marathons.

[JDM]

It is was it is, and now I have an excuse to go to the range while my younger employees and counterparts are headed off for their marathons.

Fruits of your labor, yes?

[TGS]

Fruits of your labor, yes?

I thought of this when reading Sean's post:

"Mobile Infantry made me the man I am today!"

1137

[Odin Bravo One]

Sometimes it does feel that way......

However, knowing a few seriously injured dudes, including far too many amputees, it makes it hard to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. And many joint/back injuries can be prevented for athletically inclined folks by proper selection and fitting of footwear.

Two places I will always spend money for quality, cost be damned.......a "go to" gun, and properly fitting, properly constructed, shoes/boots. That the military issued such crappy footwear for so long (and continues to do so in some cases) is borderline criminal. Watching young kids coming in, earning well below the poverty level having to pay out of pocket for a proper pair of boots/shoes (or any kit for that matter) really irritates me.

[LittleLebowski]

Two places I will always spend money for quality, cost be damned.......a "go to" gun, and properly fitting, properly constructed, shoes/boots. That the military issued such crappy footwear for so long (and continues to do so in some cases) is borderline criminal. Watching young kids coming in, earning well below the poverty level having to pay out of pocket for a proper pair of boots/shoes (or any kit for that matter) really irritates me.

I remember as a young infantry Lance Criminal, taking out a line of credit to buy Goretex and decent boots.

[seabiscuit]

BaiHu, thanks for the tip about McKenzie stretches. I got some tendinitis in my Achilles after my first marathon, and it nagged me as I climbed up the mileage ladder for my second marathon, especially after my four-hour trail run two weeks before the marathon.

In the week before the marathon (last week), I started doing the leg stretch you described, and noticed the pain/tightness in my Achilles decrease. It did not flare up during the marathon, and I'm feeling fine now - compared to walking backwards down stairs for a week after my first marathon.

Thanks!

[CK1]

Anyone own/tried both these new Belleville Mini-Mil's and the Nike SFB's..?

I just had to send back a new pair of 5.11 Haste boots that I normally wear as they were defective (one of them squeaked like I was stomping the life out of a duck with every step, apparently that means the midsole was coming apart from the outsole internally), so unless I want to wait a month or so for 5.11 to get replacements back to our agencies uniform supplier, I'm in the market for a pair of boots. I don't have to haul a ruck (LEO), so I tend to go for the shorter boots if I can.

I wear Inov-8 F-Lite 230's or Nike Free's for PT and would love to have something more along those lines in a duty boot.

Everyone I know who's owned the Nike's has said that they are the shiznit and that I need 'em. That said, the Belleville's look like they're very similar (and the 5mm drop is about the same as my F-Lite's which I think I like better than the Free's) ...

Which one's are better..?

If Nike made the SFB Mid's in Black my mind would already be made up.

(thanks in advance)

[SGT_Calle]

Anyone own/tried both these new Belleville Mini-Mil's and the Nike SFB's..?

I just had to send back a new pair of 5.11 Haste boots that I normally wear as they were defective (one of them squeaked like I was stomping the life out of a duck with every step, apparently that means the midsole was coming apart from the outsole internally), so unless I want to wait a month or so for 5.11 to get replacements back to our agencies uniform supplier, I'm in the market for a pair of boots. I don't have to haul a ruck (LEO), so I tend to go for the shorter boots if I can.

I wear Inov-8 F-Lite 230's or Nike Free's for PT and would love to have something more along those lines in a duty boot.

Everyone I know who's owned the Nike's has said that they are the shiznit and that I need 'em. That said, the Belleville's look like they're very similar (and the 5mm drop is about the same as my F-Lite's which I think I like better than the Free's) ...

Which one's are better..?

If Nike made the SFB Mid's in Black my mind would already be made up.

(thanks in advance)

I'll put out some feelers to see if any of my FB Army friends have tried the Nikes. I've worn the oakleys for about two years and I love them.

[jetfire]

I have the Nikes and they're epic. I forgot my running shoes during a road trip back in November and ran my usual 15 miles per week in them with zero ill effects. I actually have toyed with the idea of ditching my regular running shoes and just wearing the SFBs instead. They're that awesome.

[Tamara]

I am loving my Danner Melees (http://www.danner.com/boots/melee/cqb-6-canteen-hot.html). After going to minimalist shoes in summer (Merrell Pace Gloves), I found that I just don't deal as well anymore with boots that have a ton of rise at the heel, and the Melees fit that bill nicely. The little "lace garage" at the top of the tongue is just the berries, too. All shoes should have that feature...

[CK1]

Decided to try the Nike SFB boots, got/wore my first pair today...

I may not buy any other boots again, they're that awesome.