Golden Fox 6" Boondocker Service Boot Pro

Product Information

If you’re taking hours-long walks or have foot pain issues, you’ll definitely want to replace them with something fancier. Fortunately, that stable footbed will partner well with any insole. In 2016, when Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced the Navy would ditch the “blueberry” NWU Type I uniforms he also vowed to deliver new and improved safety boots for the fleet. These are constructed of a full-grain leather and have a nice tannic scent out of the box. They use Crazy Horse leather that is well oiled and waxed. The wax bonds with the fibers and so you can easily hide scuffs and scratches by just rubbing them, handy.

Several years after getting out of the Navy I decided to join the Navy Reserves. Most of my active duty had been with the Marines and I wanted to see more of the Navy. Within minutes after being sworn in I was informed that I would be assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines. Well that didn't work out as planned. So many of the M-43 boots were made and they were so popular that they became commonly available in military surplus stores as well as popular shoe brands adopting the style.

The President’s comfort technology is worlds better, offering a cork midsole and an EVA-comfort footbed. The metal eyelets give it an authentic service boot touch. However, having to perfectly and incrementally loosen the laces everytime I take them off is time-consuming. This isn’t a good rushing-out-the-door shoe. While not the best, this insole turns out to be more effective than it looks, which I’ll cover in the sole section. These boots run a touch big, but they are not particularly wide, so if you have wider feet as I do, you may want to go longer to make up for the narrowness. I did find that they loosened up nicely and shrunk down where I needed them to except at the toe box, but that may be because there is a tremendous amount of room there. On the other hand, those who work in hot weather love the material, even those who stand all day at their job.

We chose the 2040 last for a few reasons. For one, it’s just a wonderful round toe Munson-based last: straightforward in shape, with a nice snug heel and waist and an amply wide forefoot that fits a wide range of feet. But it also looks absolutely fantastic when the unstructured toe begins to collapse. The leather looks well-oiled and lush right out of the box, and has the organic hyde scent of full-grain leather. It does feel thin, especially at the tongue and at the sides of the upper.This boot is fortified where it counts most though. I can immediately tell that the footbed is substantial. It makes a solid sound when tapped, and just the sheer weight of it assures me that Golden Fox delivers on their steel shank promise.

I do wonder about the durability of the outsoles. I have worn crepe soles off of boots in a season. However, They are attached with a full Goodyear welt held on with bold stitching. The use of a plastic welt over the typical vegetable tanned leather means it’ll be pretty hard to resole, though you might manage oneresole if you want to swap the crepe out for something tougher. (Although at this price point, you may ask yourself if a resole is worth it.) Between the solid footbed and the hard gum outsole, I was convinced that I’d need to break this boot in before it would give me any bend. To my surprise, it was comfortable and flexible enough upon first wear. Regardless, it isn’t just one of those affordable boots that looks strong and lithe, but will fall apart because of its budget construction. However, it was bendy enough on day one and is even more flexible now that I’ve worn it for a good week. This also surprised me since I couldn’t even bend the sole with my hand when I took it out of the box.Frankly, the insole looks flimsy and cheaply thrown together. If I wanted to, I could pull off the arch support material from its base since it’s just glued on, and there are several points of separation. I consider these casual boots and would not recommend them for work, hiking, or rough wear. They are heavy duty enough, but in that I-bought-some-boots-from-Eddie-Bauer way. Sure they look tough, but I wouldn’t bet my life or safety on them. They are based on military specifications, but I wouldn’t expect them to handle an enlistment. This boot can handle occasional high-impact activity, but shouldn’t be used as an everyday work boot. And those became the four improved features in the I Boot-4, according to the executive summary of the study obtained by Navy Times from the Chief of Navy Personnel.