Boots / shoes to wear with your flight jacket s...

[Flightengineer]

Right now on Bay WW2 USN NAVY BOONDOCKER BOOTS SIZE 11.5A MINT UNWORN NOS

WW2 USN NAVY BOONDOCKER BOOTS SIZE 11.5A MINT UNWORN NOS | eBay

<p>WW2 USN BOONDOCKER BOOTS SIZE 11.5A ABSOLUTE MINT UNWORN CONDITION. </p><p>Mint condition New old stock size 11.5A WW2 USN marked rough out boondocker field shoes. E La France stamped and Inspection stamps on inside soles. Rarer than USMC marked examples. these have never had a foot in them.</p>

www.ebay.com

 

[B-Man2]

Great looking boots ..... but unfortunately that “A” width “narrows” the field of potential buyers .
( See what I did there?)

 

[Grant]

Borrowed a pair of original WWII Russet Service shoes from a collector friend to compare to my repro ATF Services Shoes. I'm no a boot expert, but the originals have finer stitching, thicker soles and a more pronounced cap toe than the repros. I'm perfectly happy with my ATF repros, but cool to compare them to a dead stock pair of originals.

 

[Grant]

Here's a shot of the soles.

 

[B-Man2]

Grant
Great comparison photos. Those Dead Stock originals are in pristine condition for boots close to 80 years old. While the differences are subtle, you’re right in that the repros are a slight bit off from the originals. I guess it’s a bit like the repro A2 compared to an original A2. No matter who makes it and how close it comes to the original there’s always going to be just a slight difference in the two . Cool post
Thanks

 

[jack31916]

I like this sort of reviews / comparisons very much. So thanks Grant !.

Buzz Rickson did the best repros but those were expensive and no bigger than size 9...

ATF, WW2Imp and SM Wholesale are very good repros but as B-Man2 stated, always a bit off from the originals.

 

[B-Man2]

I like this sort of reviews / comparisons very much. So thanks Grant !.

Buzz Rickson did the best repros but those were expensive and no bigger than size 9...

ATF, WW2Imp and SM Wholesale are very good repros but as B-Man2 stated, always a bit off from the originals.

The nice thing about comparison photos is, that you can save the photos and start your own data bank of original items for later comparison of a repro item you may want to purchase down the road, weather it be a jacket, boots or clothing. Then you will be able to purchase the repro item that most closely duplicates the original item.

 

[London Cabbie]

I prefer the original soles, but the reproduction shape of uppers. Brilliant comparison...

 

[MikeyB-17]

Really interesting to see the two pairs together. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t prefer the shape of the repros, that toe on the originals is pretty damn ugly, authentic or not. A lot of companies produce boots using a similar design, Red Wing Iron Rangers for instance, and most of them seem to flatten out that slightly comical upturned toe and make it a bit less rounded. Mind you, it looks like ATF have changed their design, because a quick glance shows a more rounded, sticky-up toe here:-

US WWII Service Shoes, Type II - Made in USA

Exact reproduction WWII US Army Service Shoes, made in America with genuine Goodyear soles & heel. These are exclusively an ATF product, and are as close as you can find to brand new vintage ankle boots from 1943.

www.atthefront.com

 

[Flightengineer]

Levi's TRACK BOOTS from aged goatskin

 

[ausreenactor]

Love the Boeing patch!

 

[Flightengineer]

Love the Boeing patch!

Thanks, me too, this is one of my favorite bags.

 

[BarnCats]

Swedish M59 Surplus Boots. I bought a pair of these last year. Not my pic. They take polish really well. I swapped out the issue laces and put rawhide laces in mine.

 

[BarnCats]

Swiss Army Surplus Alpine combat boots, 1970's vintage, I think. I've had these since '06 or so. I saddle soaped the black shoe polish out of them and wear them as rough out boots. I might have paid $15 for these from Sportsman's Guide back then. I use these as work boots around my property, too. They are incredibly tough.

 

[B-Man2]

Swiss Army Surplus Alpine combat boots, 1970's vintage, I think. I've had these since '06 or so. I saddle soaped the black shoe polish out of them and wear them as rough out boots. I might have paid $15 for these from Sportsman's Guide back then. I use these as work boots around my property, too. They are incredibly tough.View attachment 49120
View attachment 49119

Question ??
Are they still available for sale anywhere?

 

[BarnCats]

Question ??
Are they still available for sale anywhere?

Yeah. They look really black. They're all over the place. Ebay, Esty, and a bunch of surplus vendors. The pics usually show them black, and they don't look so good. As rough outs, I think they look a lot better.

Here's a random Esty link (assuming I'm allowed to do that). boots here


They're really ugly when still black, IMO. Mine looked exactly like this before I removed the boot polish. (not my pic).

ETA the eyelets are a crapshoot. Sometimes they have the first row with a D ring eyelet, sometimes not.

 

[B-Man2]

Yeah. They look really black. They're all over the place. Ebay, Esty, and a bunch of surplus vendors. The pics usually show them black, and they don't look so good. As rough outs, I think they look a lot better.

Here's a random Esty link (assuming I'm allowed to do that). boots here


They're really ugly when still black, IMO. Mine looked exactly like this before I removed the boot polish. (not my pic).

ETA the eyelets are a crapshoot. Sometimes they have the first row with a D ring eyelet, sometimes not.

View attachment 49121

Thanks BC !

 

[BarnCats]

Can't forget a belt for those trousers. I like the Finnish Service belt (has a Sam Brown look to it, without the shoulder strap).

Also like the Hungarian Surplus Enlisted Infantryman's belt. They're available undyed, so if you have a mind to, you can pick your own color.

 

[BarnCats]

Also, if you find yourself wearing an olive drab jacket, you might want to consider a pair of Vellies from the Courtney Boot Company in Zimbabwe. They were very popular with the troops of the losing side back in the Bush War days. They're hand made.

May I suggest the olive green to go with your olive drab jacket? They fit and feel like slippers.

 

[Bombing IP]

Barncats where do you find the Vellies from the Courtney Boot Company for sale .Look very similar to Afican stalking boots .
BIP