Bates Men's 11" Paratrooper Side Zip Military and Tactical Boot

These boots are amazing.Feb. 5th 2019 Update: Swear I added an update about the damage to the back of the boot. Anyway, even though the laces broke in less than six months (laces brake, thats okay) and the rubber on the back of the boots broke open in less than three months I ordered another set and got them today. My hopes are that my lest set were just part of a bad production run. I will update this again when something happens to the new ones.Mar. 31st 2019 Update: I deleted some useless stuff in this review to make room for more useful info. SIZE: I wear size 14 for all my footwear and these are no exception. I ordered size 14, got size 14, and they fit perfectly. ZIPPER: Once you tie them (if you like your boots tight like me) using only the zipper to take them off is fine but basically impossible for putting the boots back on. LACES: To help me stay awake when driving I don't wear shoes. Because I work in the oil fields my boots go on and off many times throughout the day. I dont like lacing up my boots and I dont like boots cut below the ankle so lacing up is how it goes. We all know laces brake regularly and because my last pair of these boots laces didnt last even 2 months, I updates to bungee cord coyote brown 1/8" x 8' with a 1/8" cord lock and cut to length. See attached image BUNGEE: My last pair felt wider than my new pair though bungee cord made them more snug. The bungee also allows for more flexibility and easy on and off by use of the zipper alone. Refer to pictures for the lacing. Also notice that they are laced through the holes from the out side in, this helps keep them tight. I previously laced from the in side out and couldn't keep the boots snug, the bungee kept getting lose. Feed extra lace down to toes between tung and laces.

UPDATE: they got worse and finally broke in after a month. And these will be the last pair of Bates I every pay for. Quality is Sh1t. The soles have started to separate. The stitching is coming lose. The side zipper on one boot will not stay up. They are a pain in the arse to get on. I have worn many waterproof boots and it should never be this hard. The heel is cut low. So when you go to put your foot in it folds and is hard to pull. They could have at least put a heel strap.---I have worn Bates brand boots while in the service for years. But switched once i started buying safety boots. I finally settled on a Reebok side zip boot for the last few years. But the quality was getting worse over the years and they were not water proof. So i turned back to Bates for a try. Knowing boots are never sized the same at all i was worried about switching. The first pair I got, I used there size comparison chart and it was WAY off. I normally wear a 12-13 wide. And have been wearing 12M in Reebok for a while. But had to go to a 12 extra wide in these. And it fit like a glove. I had very little to no break in with these being comfortable and wearable from day one.

I wear a 10.5 sneaker, ordered a 10 and I think it is still just a tad too big. A 9.5 probably would have been a better fit but the 10 is very close. Probably in between a 9.5 and a 10 is where my 10.5 size foot would be comfortable. So for me they run between 1/2 to 1 size too big.That being said...5 stars...all around. They are lighter and more comfortable than ANY military style boot i have worn. Compared to traditional "work" type safety toes, they are so much lighter and twice as comfortable. Literally felt like walking on a cloud compared to my other boots, cant get over how light they are. I literally wear them every day and find them completely comfortable for all day every day wear. They're more comfortable than my sneakers.One thing missing is they NEED a loop/pull tab at the back of the boot for putting them on. At this price I think it should be included. If you keep the laces tight enough to wear it is a pain to slide them on even with the side zips, a pull tab is needed. But overall...i am blow away at how comfy and light they are.

I bought wides and they still rub my toes pretty bad. Considering the soles are so stiff there isn't any flex in the shoes (I'm going on a month and a half with 5 days a week wear). They rub the hell out of the inside of my big toe to the point where I have clauses on them now, after the blisters went away. The stitching is well done and nothing looks cheap except the zipper, the one on the right boot actually has to be held closed because it snags just above the ankle.Traction is excellent on both wet and slick surfaces.Breathability I'd put at a 3/5 but nothing like my old Lowa's before they dropped their quality those were like wearing AC units on my feet.

amazon sent me 3 pairs of these boots and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WAS THE WRONG SIZE.I was informed that it was a "warehouse issue". I have size 8.5(8-1/2) EEEE feet. that is eight and a half DOUBLE extra wide. trying to get my foot into an extra-wide is grossly uncomfortable and it is insulting to be told to go "the next size up".for those that don't know, wearing boots or shoes that are too big throws off your balance, offers no ankle or arch support, will cause blisters from the back and forth movement of the footwear and will lead to future foot problems.

These are my favorite side zip composite toe boots. I bought them after being deployed with some very uncomfortable boots. I wish our squadron would have just bought these instead. It would’ve save me some money. My job in the military requires me to wear protected toe boots and there’s no better option in my opinion than these. Because of the nature of my work I’m really hard on my boots and these things are tough. I’ve owned 2 other pairs in different colors and only threw them out because they were too stained and dirty to revive. Worth the money.