Based on a review I read at http://www.jungletraining.com/altama.htm, I went purchased a pair of Altama boots at Brigade Quartermasters. They offer both the more expensive mil-spec versions and a number of lower priced civilian versions which are similar in construction but different in some materials. I'm reasonably certain that I got the more expensive of the less expensive options... IOW, not the full mil-spec version, but the nicer civilian version of the black speedlace jungle boots.<br><br>I've been very pleased with them. In fact, I love them to death! They're comfortable and (I think) look good. They're not waterproof, so they're not for everyone nor every application. But, I already had some hiking boots I got at REI for when I wanted waterproof, and, as the reviewer of the piece mentioned above wrote, "No boot or shoe is waterproof when you're up to your waist in swamp muck or taking an unexpected swim in boots and BDU's..." I wanted some boots that I could wade in, and these seemed perfect.<br><br>Just now, I did a search through the forum archives and found no results at all for the keyword "altama". I am curious why no one on the forum has ever mentioned this brand of boots before. Is there a reason I'm not aware of, or is it just random chance? Are these, indeed, (the mil-spec ones, at least) US GI boots? I'd love to read what anyone else out there thinks of Altama boots.<br><br>When I was working Industrial Security and a member of a few Emergency Response Teams, I typically wore office dress clothing, but, on "casual" Fridays, I would wear the issue "soft" uniform that our officers wore. This included some boots from a company called Thorogood. These are made in China, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they've held up so well, but they rock! I've had them for at least five years now, and they're broken in well, but not at all showing signs of wearing out. Aside from scuffed toes, they look almost new, and that's just a matter of polish. If they don't last another five years, easy, I'll be surprised. If they last another ten, I won't be.<br><br>One very personal reason why I love these particular boots so much is that with literally every other pair of boots or shoes I own, I can lace the left one normally, but I have to lace the right one in a unique way so that my right foot does not begin to hurt after wearing them for a few hours... even my Altamas. The lace pattern is different with each pair, but the process for finding it is always the same; whenever I get new footwear, I have to spend some time, usually a few days, playing with the lacing pattern to find they way that works with that pair. I lace and unlace, relace and unlace and repeat as I go through the hours of the days. Only my Thorogood low-top black dress boots are laced normally on both sides. Why? I have no clue. They fit comfortably on both my left and right foot... something which no other piece of footwear I own does.

As your post makes clear, what really counts in boots is proper fitting. Everything else is details.<br><br>Perhaps the reason you haven't seen those brands mentioned before is that there appear to be two somewhat different "boot universes"- the military/hunting and the hiking/climbing. I have gotten my boots from the latter, ever since I shucked the crummy, poorly conceived, uncomfortable misfits the Army provided me. Then I found true comfort and utility. But everyone's feet are different, and we must seek our goals by different paths, walking in different boots, of course.

Oh Boy! Heres a subject I can really put my foot in my mouth over! I wear packer boots by White's. these are a lace up version of the cowboy boot for folks who spend equal time afoot and mounted. A safe riding boot must be smooth soled and heeled. I don't care to tear up delicate soil communities with my old norwegian welted deep lugged matterhorn monsters anymore. In snow, I wear Stegner Mukluks. A flexible boot allows for greater circulation and custom insulation. In the city, I wear black dress shoes. My great grandmother said a lady could judge a gentleman by his shoes and watchLOL.