Buying Duty Boots online - are boots bigger than street *****???
 

I am buying some duty boots online but I'm worried about sizing. I am usually a size 10 street shoe so I ordered size 10 boots. But I visited Wal-mart and tried some of their hiking and construction work boots and size 10s were waaay too big and eventually I found I moved down to 8.5 for some reason for these work boots to fit.

I like a tight fit for action and to avoid the foot sliding and chaffing and also for safety.

For you guys that run duty boots, do you find that the size of the boots correllates to your street shoe size or something else? It's hard to know when buying online what size to get.

+1

I've been wanting to buy a pair online for a while now provided I can get a E-reciept so work can reimburse me, but I don't want to get a size that will just cramp my feet, and I've got wide fuckers.

I wear size 9.5 in civvies...

My duty boots are :
Mark III : 8.5
Goretex : 8
Magnum : 8
5.11 : 8

Start with a tight fit because, eventually, the leather/boots will break :)...

Yeah, back at TAC-08 I bought a set of super comfy, perfect fit boots... now they seem a little loose at times...

They say size: 280 106 ... ?

Watch out for the Oakley S.I boots. Their sizes are effin' screwy.

Also, I was told that you're supposed to put your foot all the way to the front of the boot (toes touching the tip of the boot), then see if you can touch the insole (obviously whilst untied) of your boot. If you can touch the sole, the boots are the right size for you. If not, you need a 1/2 a size bigger.

Correct me if I'm wrong. I have very little first hand military experience...

Yeah I think they call it Mondopoint...So, normally, you wear a size 11/11.5...


Kos, I really don't know about that...hehe...Mine was...Try a boot, bad fitting after breaking, go to clothing store, try another size, bad fitting, etc...I've done that like 4-5 times...My BMQ was a freaking nightmare for my feet :D

11/11.5 fits with my street shoe size... but if duty boots are smaller....

8.5 - 9? 10 Even? I've got wide suckers...

I think 10 / 10.5 will be perfect... It need to be tight, but you know, you need blood in your feet :p... You can go to a surplus store, buy a cheap & used Mark III ( $20 ? ) before buying a good pair of boot...

Mark III? Type of boot?

But there's no surlpus store in town... best place to buy boots here would be the Co-op store, or maybe one of the shoe makers (we actually have a couple shoe making places here... maybe they could make a nice custom boot for me...)

Yeah, fuck the internet, I'm shopping local! If I do happen to stumble onto this little gold mine, and can get sweet ass custom boots [first I'll get new boots so I stop stumbling] I'll be sure to let you guys know...

MkIII is an old CF boot. Very ugly fucker. All leather. Very comfortable if broken in properly.

The new MK's are terrible. The Vibram sole is a +, but everything else is terrible. Lots of guys in the CoOp hated them with mad passion.

Mark III = the ol'great canadian military boot :)...
http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?i...tore035wg8.jpg

$12 at Surplus IG http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthr...=surplus+store

MK IIIs look a lot like my boots... only my seams are backwards to the picture (bottom leather fold is over top of the upper) and the innards of my boots are black mesh.

Also depends on the socks you wear and if you have a fancy $30 aftermarket insole.
I try on boot instore first eg MD Charlton and then decide if I will buy there from there or online knowing the proper size and prices.

@ Gunk - you have to check if the model you want has a "wide" version. Blackhawk's boots have that option http://www.blackhawk.com/product1.asp?P=83BT03&C=C0864 Not sure about other brands.

Otherwise it may be better to shop local and try them on. Footwear shopping should be done in the evening coz your feet can expand a fair bit with fluids flowing down from walking or just standing around. I wear US10-10.5 for all my civvies and combat boots. It took almost an entire year to break in the normal width Columbias I own...right about the time they start to wear out. My issued Gore Tex combat boots come in wide and they are comfy as hell right from the start. I also have a pair of New Balance runners that come in the new wide cut - its a revelation for me as I've always needed to break in my running *****, but not with this pair. I've also started to look for soccer ***** with a wider cut and the few I eventually bought didn't give me problems after games. Bottomline, always ask if there's a cut for wider feet, and don't buy into the sales talk BS about how "the footwear will expand a little bit with use".


edit: Question...is it me or are s-h-o-e-s censored?

Like Gunk I have wide feet, my duty boots are usually smaller because when I buy street s hoesI buy biggers sizes because they normally are wider buy my feet aren't that long. Unless I got to specialty store, its usually always like this. To be honest, I would never buy s hoes online, unless I tried them in person and knew what size I was. For reference Im 12/13 EE. Depending how wide your feet are, I find magnums, very comfy, as duty boots usually are.