





Austrian KAZ 03 Combat Boots, Surplus
What a treat: Teutonic heavy combat boots with a light price tag! These Austrian boots are closely related to and an improved version of the German Bundeswehr KS2000. Both boots are manufactured by the same contractor, Völkl from Germany.
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What a treat: Teutonic heavy combat boots with a light price tag! These Austrian boots are closely related to and an improved version of the German Bundeswehr KS2000. Both boots are manufactured by the same contractor, Völkl from Germany.
- Stout full-leather combat boot
- Welt-construction enables resoling
- Rapid lacing and hooks
In the good old times, military boots were rough and virtually indestructible pieces of footwear that inspired street fashion for civilians. The modern world is ruined, civvy-trinkets are copied to army "boots" and their service life is short just like the attention span of the users. Not in Austria, nein! The Kampf Anzug 2003 (KAZ 03) combat boots are made to last and to be repaired. The idiom "don't make them like they used to" comes to mind, except they still make these. Jawohl!
The laces run through D-rings on the instep, then through locking tunnels and hooks on the shaft. These are quick to put on and adjust for a good fit. Some pairs have thicker padding on the shaft and a synthetic loop instead of a tunnel between the D-rings and hooks. These are not sorted apart, they are all great.
We recommend buying new insoles and laces right away. You probably get laces and insoles with the boots and they might be good to go, but it's better to have these consumables for the time you need them.
Size info
Manufactured to European size specs. The lasts are not particularly wide so if you're often between two sizes, consider the larger one in this case. Here's a table to help you compare it to true US sizes.
Conversion table
Materials and construction
Most of the materials are the same as on the Bundeswehr Kampstiefel but the midsole is not crummy and glued rubber foam. These Austrian ones have a proper Welt sole that can be replaced (resoled). The light leather lining feels like a glove and can be rather arousing to the foot without a sock on. The laces pass through proper steel hardware, not some brittle molded trinkets.
- Top: heavy-duty leather
- Sole: Vibram treaded vulcanized rubber
- Insoles: buy new ones
- Sole construction: Welt-sewn
- Weight: 2250 g / pair, size 43 (4.96 lbs)
The stiffness is suitable for general use, the Austrians have mountain boots separately. The shaft offers good support so these will serve you in hard use.
Care and maintenance
Wash with gall soap (aka. bile soap) or just your regular hand soap with lots of water and a brush. Don't dry in sunlight or high heat, do take out for a walk. When the boots are moist, they are most hospitable to leather oil and grease. This gives you a basic level that you can finish as you please.
Warranty info
These are not covered by the manufacturer at this point. However, you should not be disappointed with these. If you run into a lemon, let us know and we'll sort it out.
Condition
Used for sure, but in a good condition and serviceable with lots of miles to go with the treads. The manufacturer is most often Völkl, sometimes Holzer.
Some pairs may have a small tag-hole punched through at the top of the shaft or tongue. Most also have a white X made with a crayon to the toe box or heel. It'll come off with use, brushing, and care.
It is worth knowing that military surplus boots don’t usually come with insoles, and even if they do have them, they are often used. So, get a good pair of insoles at the same time. For example, from us.
Austrian surplus
Functional, neutral, clean. That's what the Austrian Bundesheer gear is made of. Our Austrian surplus revolves mostly around the Anzug 75 and Anzug 03 clothing systems, but who knows, maybe the "Tarnanzug Neu" will make it's appearance if the Austrians decide to clear the stocks in the future. Get your OD gear while the stocks last.
After the Second World War the Austrian soldier looked like a weird mixture of Allies and Germans; the M1 style helmet and general profile really tried to bring that NATO vibe up, but a lot of the gear and even the dotted camouflage pattern looked surprisingly much like WW2 German issue. In the 70s they took a major leap towards NATO with the introduction of the all-green Anzug 75 clothing and equipment system closely inspired by the American equivalents, finally letting go of the "old stuff". The Anzug 03 brought the game up to date with some changes in effort to modernize the whole thing. Now the Bundesheer is again moving over to camouflage.
Recommendations
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Reviews
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recommends
does not recommend
68 ratings



Sebastiaan T. 04.06.2020 Verified purchase



Andrew D. 05.06.2020 Verified purchase



Joseph N. 09.06.2020 Verified purchase
*UPDATE* I had these resoled and it cost $100 USD to fix them so keep that in mind when deciding if it is worth it. I would have returned them but since I live in the US it would have cost additional $$ to send them back so I figured I might as well get them resoled and be done with it.



Marko N. 16.06.2020 Verified purchase



Daniel S. 22.06.2020 Verified purchase



Mathieu B. 26.06.2020 Verified purchase
If there wasn't that crack, these would be perfect.



Marcel N. 01.07.2020 Verified purchase
One sole was getting loose from the shoe at the tip. When i brought them in at the local cobbler i was expecting a complete new sole for both but the shop owner suggested just glueing it back. He noticed that the other shoe was also starting to tear at the front so that will also be glued. He will also glue the fixed inner sole back inplace (not the removable innersole, the one below that which was loose in both :) ). Total repair cost including new laces; 30 euros.
When buying; don't forget some extra costs (insoles and laces as noted by Varusteleka and maybe some work on the soles by a cobbler). Still for that price a very usable and comfortable boot.



Gerard B. 07.07.2020 Verified purchase
Off course unfortunately I cannot use these boots during para jumping or parasailing because of the lacing hooks on the shaft. (the infamous "horse shoe" accidents/boots being caught in para-cord)
But I already own WWII style US Army jump boots from Särmä without these hooks on the shaft. And you guessed, the same type of soles ;)
On my extended trips away and as a former operator I always took a second pair of additional boots with me in my backpack.
So for inside the EU, these Austrian boots will become my second pair of boots.



Robert P. 11.07.2020 Verified purchase


Comments
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The Austrian boots come with a very thin "insole," just a thin piece of leather. I put in simple 1/4" thick felt insoles, put the boots on, and found them to be a little tight. I wear a US 13 and ordered 47's. And then I started to realize that the tightness had to do with the height. I took the felt insole out, and they fit much better. The Baltes boots also come with a very thin (albeit thicker than the leather strip in the Austrian boots) and I had the same problem with them.
Since I don't have this issue with US boots, and I don't imagine that European feet are less tall than American feet, I am wondering if these boots were sized to be work with just the really thin insole? I've put a lot of miles on them since taking the felt insoles out, and haven't had any issue.
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