Bates Men's Gx-8 Gore-Tex Insulated Waterproof Military Tactical Boots - Cold Weather Combat & Outdoor Hiking Footwear for Men

I'm a farmer with livestock and lots of opportunity to spend time outdoors during the worst weather. I spend many hours searching for, trying out, and being disappointed in "heavy duty" clothing products that are anything but. I came across these boots during my annual First Ice Storm of the Year online search for waterproof, insulated boots that are easy to put on and take off (I have to do it several times a day and have arthritis) with lugged soles that won't slip on the ice. I took a header off the tractor in last year's find when the floor mat iced over, so this was really important.These boots filled all the requirements. They are warm, dry, and grippy. In addition (bonus time!), they are incredibly light, broke in in under five minutes, and fit exactly as expected. I'm a woman, and my feet are average width and I take a women's 6.5. The men's 5.5 is perfect. And there's just enough leeway so I could stick my favorite pair of alpaca insoles in for those long days on my feet. Be forewarned that you'll need to leave a little room around the ankles when you lace them up because you won't be able to slide your feet in using the side zips if you lace them up tightly. They're not likely to fall off and offer plenty of support even with the looser lacing, so that's not really a negative.I do have one gripe, however, and that's the zipper pull. The side zip entry (lace 'em once and done) is what I wanted, and the zipper is tough and works great without snagging on the oversized storm flap inside. But the pull is tiny and a little sharp, and I cut my fingers halfway through the first day. I braided some parachute cord and tied it on for now, but these really require the addition of heavy-duty zipper pulls. When the holiday rush is over, I'll head to Wal Mart and pick up a pack.So there ya' go! These are boots for the active outdoors person who likes the feel of bedroom slippers and needs the all-terrain traction of a hiking boot. I'd like to see the maker include the zipper pulls as a nice little perk to make them five-star worthy.So far the boots are comfortable and good value. However a string unravelled a toe stich, maybe its nothing. I don't expect military grade, but I hope they last at least a year.very good value, just what I expectedI have been using these boots for the last several weeks, very nice boot. I love the zippers on the side. I hope they hold up well. As of now would buy another pair. Have to see down the road...I will keep you posted.I am a volunteer Firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder (First Responder). I purchased these boots specifically for that job. They have met my expectations and come through when I needed them to. Love these boots!There is a lot I like about this boot: Gore-Tex and even 200g Thinsulate at this price-point is pretty great - I had them on in 80F heat and they breathed well enough to not overheat or build up sweat. The build quality is excellent, the materials and construction are very comfortable, I feel firmly planted, the design allows plenty of foot articulation right out of the box, and the zipper webbing and tongue fold and fit perfectly into place by design. However, there are a few things that ultimately turned me away from this model: (1) they're only waterproof to about the ankles: above that, the deep cut in the back that helps make them articulate so well, and the even deeper cuts that separate the tongue, render the boot not waterproof above the ankles (this despite the zipper webbing apparently maintaining waterproofing all the way to the top). (2) Also, while the boot runs large by about 1/2 to 1 full US size (which is pretty common for this kind of boot) it does run very narrow: my foot measures between 2E & 3E wide, yet the XW model still felt too narrow for extended wear. (3) The zipper is not cut low enough to open the instep of the boot enough to slide the boot on or off once laced, so I've always had to lace/unlace for on/off. Given the limitations of the available webbing once unzipped, I don't expect on/off to become any easier once broken in. The zipper & webbing construction also add considerable bulk to the inside ankle area (an uncharacteristically unsightly bulge for such a smart design) and while this area feels really comfortable, the protrusion makes it easier for the boots to run into each other along the zipper, and may lead to premature zipper failure as a result.Gonna give it 5 stars because I love it. The only problem I've had so far with this boot is the side zipper pull. I just called Bates customer service today and as soon as I'm ready to ship the boots back to them, they're going to replace them.The original reason I bought these boots was to test a theory I had (that theory may only apply to me specifically, but hey, worth a shot). The theory states that for every $10 I spend on a pair of boots, I'll get approximately 1 months use out of it. That was based on several consecutive purchases of $30 boots that lasted almost exactly 3 months of constant, hard use. So the theory goes that I should have gotten 12-17 months use out of these boots before something broke down ($120 on Amazon.com, $169.99 on Bates' website).While that didn't happen (owned them for about 7 months now, but keep reading), it should be noted that I took no action to maintain the boots, or even be careful with them; On one camp out I almost lit them on fire, then as I noticed the rubber smelling smoke from the fire I stuck my foot in a bucket of water. The water proofing did not fail, and the sole was perfectly fine, if a little melted.Honestly, I would have been happy if they sent me replacement zipper pulls with more beef to them. But replacing the entire boot because a single part failed? That right there is the definition of quality control.Based on the original product, my only qualm is the foam near the heel (takes a lot of cosmetic damage), and the small zipper pull. My recommendation to Bates is beef up the zipper pulls, and see what they can do to harden the foam near the heel.I would recommend the product to anyone looking for a good, waterproof, insulated, side-zip, boot that comes in wide sizes.The Reason for Buying:The sidewalks in my new neighbourhood are often icy: it's a combination of snow which melted in the sun during the day and froze overnight; freezing rain; and snow. The city does what it can. But without ice-grippers or metal cleats, it's often hard to walk. But you can't always wear those either; they're dangerous on the shiny indoor store floors.I tried boots from many winter sports brands (Merrell, Columbia, Arc'teryx, Salomon & The North Face) as well as fashion brands (Kodiak, Timberland, UGG) and workwear brands (Denver Hayes, Windriver, Wolverine). The winter sports and fashion brands are all marketing and their products just don't live up to the promises. The workwear brands were a little better.So I figured if anyone needs a solid boot that can handle multiple types of surfaces and be comfortable, it should be law enforcement officers and ambulance EMTs. So I decided to try police boots. Glad I did. Sorry I didn't earlier.The Pros:- Very comfortable. These are as comfortable as all the sports brands, but the toe box is slightly roomier than most.- Good grip on winter conditions:(a) ICE: These boots are *not* cleats. They'll still slip on ice. But they have much better adherence than any sports brand I have tried (including those with Vibram Arctic Grip outsoles). If the front of the boot slips on ice, first the slip isn't as quick and dangerous as other boots; and if the ice patch isn't too big, the lug pattern will grip on snow or uneven ice surfaces and help prevent a fall.(b) SNOW: I tried them in three types of snow : packed, fresh crunchy snow (-25 degrees Celsius) and fresh fluffy snow (-7 degrees Celsius). Conditions included deeper snow (above ankle) and shallower snow (below ankle or street level packed snow). Absolutely zero slippage. These were solid on all types of snow.(c) SLUSH: On naturally melted snow with a layer of water underneath or on mushy salt-melted gooey street snow, these were again totally solid. Very easy to tread through. The waterproof membrane held up really well on the naturally melted snow which often hid puddles of ankle-deep water. The lugs were amazing on the salt-melted street snow: other people were slipping on it, or their boots outsoles would become saturated with the gooey snow+salt mixture and they'd have difficulty taking normal steps; I was just walking normally with zero issues: almost none of the snow goo got stuck to these outsoles.- Stompy: Stomping on snow, frozen forest soil (mud, leaves and twigs) is actually fun. The boots will crunch anything underneath. The footing is solid. While the sole is thick, it also gives you a sense of what's underneath. You can feel it if your step isn't fully secure and you can adjust it before you slip or crack an ankle.- Warm: I went out to try them at -20 degrees Celsius wearing just summer cotton socks. I was warm for the 1.5 hours I spent outside. I would probably try thicker wool socks if it was colder or I was going to stay out long- Side zip: Very quick to put on or take offThe Cons:- A pull tab would make them even easier to put on- Kinda ugly... but then, all the cool-looking winter sports boots look great but are utterly useless for actual winter activitiesI ordered these in haste because my previous boots far before then time fell apart unexpectedly. I tried a few other boots with little luck and these are "next in line." Lots of mixed talk about every boot/brand these days and with production being moved around one batch seems good the next seems to be a QC nightmare and we're all ordering blindly to some degree. I preface with this because about 2002 I bought a pair of the boots I will be wearing today, tomorrow and probably for the next few weeks. They are ugly, beat up but still together and wearable. I've replaced these boots about 9 times now. Each time the pair I've replaced them with has fallen apart in a year or two under far lighter duty. Foot wear seems like it's just disposable garbage now and it's super hard to find anything that fits much less that lasts. I'd like to blame all these fancy glues and synthetics but I'm seeing basic leather boots also with the same poor quality, longevity and workmanship. Expensive or cheap they all seem to last about the same which is pathetic. End rant...I got these and had some reservations right away. The zippers were nylon/polymer and had some deformity like they had been melted a bit. There was a section when unzipping that snagged and was a bit of a pita to completely unzip. However trying them on clinched the need to return, they were too small. I tried several times to back the lacing off but each time I tried to get my foot in it was still way too tight. Boots fit narrow for sure. Toss in all the little bits of glue that had been squeezed out from forming and the boots just feel like cheap plastic. These might be good boots despite all the things I see as defects but I'll never get to know because of their poor fit. The sizing guide like so many others just addresses length and not width. Had their guide had width I'd have know to not even waste my time.I have used Bates for sometime on the job. They are not the most durable but the waterproofing is top notch, which I need. I usually get 2 years out of them but the zipper broke 8 months in. Warranty doesn't cover it after this amount of time. Guess I might consider another brand when it comes time. Or just stay away from side zips. Thought they are handy to have.Went through 2 Montreal winters so far, my feet were never wet or cold. Very comfy boot, had no issues with quality (and I'm the type to occasionally take off boots by stepping on the heel with my other foot). Overall great boot with 2 minor things (that may or may not be an actual issue depending on your use)1- If you expect quick on/off boot with the side zip, you'll be disappointed; you will have to do/undo laces most of the time especially if you tuck your pants in. Now that may be due to the fact that I have the gore-tek version (membrane does restrict zipper opening); can't speak for the non-gore tek version.2- Rubber sole/tread does tend to get pretty squeaky on some types of floors. If you're in a line of duty where for whatever reason you need to walk silently inside buildings, this may not be the boot for you - they'll hear you coming.The mouth of the boot was not wide enough to get wide foot down into it. The actual boot looks plenty wide but you have to be able to get your foot down into the soul of it. It was returned