So I've been shopping boots for a while now. It started out looking for a new pair of duty boots, but soon I decided to look for a pair of boots which one could use for any number of rolls from hunting to hiking to SHTF or bugging out. Naturally, this lead me to mil-spec Intermediate Cold Wet Boots or "ICWB." They sport waterproof leather uppers along with goretex liners and removable insulated booties. Heavy duty vibram outsoles and goodyear welted construction. Sizing can be a little funky as there are multiple manufactures and a couple different models/generations depending on the year. My first pair was a 13W early model made by Wellco with integral insulated liners. They fit alright with a superfeet insole, but still a little loose and ill-fitting for hiking. Plus it feels like there is "something" not right with the soles on the left boot, cant describe it better.
Recently bit the bullet on a deal on ebay for a newer version made by Belleville. This time I went with a 13.5R which fits MUCH better. The boots are sized just about perfect, though the liners/booties could be looser in the toes. These come with two pairs of removable insulated booties instead of built in insulation, which I like since you can swap them out if they get wet. Still waterproof leather with goretex and vibram kletterlift outsoles (sure, Sierra would be better in my experience, but still a solid sole). Curious to see a lot of these boots are rough-out to go with modern uniform standards; I specifically selected a smooth black leather version for increased water resistance.
If you're not familar, a pretty decent over view can be found on olive drab website. What does everyone think? Certainly not a lightweight hiker nor are they best for ice fishing in feburary... but as a boot which could handle just about any weather the upper Midwest has while showing a good long service life I think they will be hard to beat. Undecided about replacement insoles yet. Once the weather comes in this winter I'll have to put some miles on them and find out.
Recently bit the bullet on a deal on ebay for a newer version made by Belleville. This time I went with a 13.5R which fits MUCH better. The boots are sized just about perfect, though the liners/booties could be looser in the toes. These come with two pairs of removable insulated booties instead of built in insulation, which I like since you can swap them out if they get wet. Still waterproof leather with goretex and vibram kletterlift outsoles (sure, Sierra would be better in my experience, but still a solid sole). Curious to see a lot of these boots are rough-out to go with modern uniform standards; I specifically selected a smooth black leather version for increased water resistance.
If you're not familar, a pretty decent over view can be found on olive drab website. What does everyone think? Certainly not a lightweight hiker nor are they best for ice fishing in feburary... but as a boot which could handle just about any weather the upper Midwest has while showing a good long service life I think they will be hard to beat. Undecided about replacement insoles yet. Once the weather comes in this winter I'll have to put some miles on them and find out.
