Basically I’m looking for something with this type of design
Something fashionable that I could wear on a day to day basis but still of high enough quality that it could have utility in an outdoor/protest/combat situation. I’m pretty sure Doc Martens are kind of shit in the latter regard, no?
Also any other tips for owning boots? How difficult are they to break in? Are they going to cause my ankles to bleed? These would be my first pair. I’m not trying to go above $170 if possible.
Got any milsurp stores around you? Cadet boots were my go to back in the day
Hmm I might just have to hit one up but I’m not entirely sure I want to patronize local chuds. Then again I guess I will be patronizing chuds anyway if I buy them off amazon/elsewhere.
If you want military stuff you’re almost certainly getting it from chuds. There’s not much way around that, though you might find boots if you haunt thrift stores for a while.
My tims were $200 and have lasted for years and are super duper comfy
Was looking for a more guerilla aesthetic than street but ngl those black ones do look really good.
wear them until they look worn. there are other less “trendy” brands of work boots (and i’ve heard that Timbs’ durability has dipped in recent years anyway). I find Wolverines serviceable enough, but they’re about the same quality. if you want actual “combat boots,” any military surplus or uniform store will sell them.
I wore Belleville ultralights daily for four years in the Marines, about as comfy as sneakers and held up fine in the desert/jungle (on the admittedly rare occasions I went to those places). I also wore them while working out about once a week on average, and jumped in a pool with them about once a month on average, which didn’t seem to be a problem. If you can find some in good condition at a thrift store or something, that would probably be the best deal.
Takes about a week of daily wear to break in. I suggest getting winter socks unless you live in a very hot environment, since the fluffiness acts as extra padding. Your ankles shouldn’t bleed unless you have really thin socks.
Solovair boots are made in the factory that used to make docs when they were made in england. They look pretty much the same, just w/ white stitching instead of yellow and a different tag. Afaik they are supposed to be higher quality than current docs. I’ve only had a pair for a year though, and all the docs I’ve had I’ve thrifted. So I can’t really say if that is true or not yet tbh.
In my experience it depends a ton on the boot how hard they are to break in. For doc type boots (including solovair) its not every hard because tbh the leather used is fairly thin and not all that rigid. Wear thick socks at first and you will probably be fine.
Thanks for the info. If I wear, for example, a size 9 in “regular” shoes (sneakers, etc) would that be the same size in boots or should I go one higher?
Why do you want combat boots specifically? Apparently they’ve done a lot of research and boots tall boots don’t actually provide more ankle support. A lot of spooky special forces guys are wearing lower rising fancy hiking boots these days.
