BW Flyer's Combat Boots, Surplus
A single batch of German pilot boots. Available with a textile or leather shaft. These are well ventilated and lightweight boots for situations where the going gets too rough for dress shoes, yet you don't crawl through bogs and puddles constantly I.E. wedding parties.
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A single batch of German pilot boots. Available with a textile or leather shaft. These are well ventilated and lightweight boots for situations where the going gets too rough for dress shoes, yet you don't crawl through bogs and puddles constantly I.E. wedding parties.
The German armed forces contract well-known manufacturers to produce their equipment and these boots are no exception. In the photos, you'll see a well-known brand but the boots you get may have another or no logos.
These boots are lightweight and ventilated, the lacing is speedy, and a leather flap surrounds the shaft to tuck excess laces into a safe place. All of these are desirable features in boots you use in and around aircraft but why not other vehicles as well.
They decided to add a membrane as well. We suspect its purpose is to protect your socks from an occasional dip in water and would not expect the waterproofness of a proper rubber boot - especially as these are used.
The model we think is a summer variation has a textile shaft but the all-leather models aren't padded winter boots, either. Remember, these are not made for extremely harsh conditions, just the Air Force.
Size info
The sizing is true to German military footwear: if you order according to the Mondopoint sizes based on your foot length in millimeters, expect these to be a slight bit short but the width is regular. Because of the small toe clearance, we have converted the Mondopoints to other sizes with a shift so you can pick your usual size.
To measure your foot length, stand on a piece of paper with your weight evenly on each foot. Draw curves behind your heel and in front of your longest toes and measure the longest distance between them. Do this for both feet: it's not common to have precisely the same size on both feet. With these boots, don't round down the results at all! If you measure 286 mm, the 285 is likely to feel constricted and a 290 is the better choice.
Materials and construction
- Top: leather or leather and Cordura
- Sole: molded
- Insole: used or not included
- Sole attachment: glue
- Weight: TBA
We estimate these to be "2" when it comes to stiffness. The scale is from 1 to 4 as follows: 1; urban and light trekking, 2; more support for general use, 3; stiff hiking boot for demanding trails or heavy loads, 4; mountain boot for rocky paths.
Care info
These are military boots from durable leather so just some shoe polish and hardy work with a shoe brush does the job. You can spray the textile with some modern stuff that smells awful in a bad way (shoe polish smells awful in a good way) or you can choose to skip the spraying. Consider the membrane when choosing the wax or polish. Other than that, don't worry about it too much.
Read more about leather care if that turns you on.
German surplus
Used surplus boots often come without insoles or the included ones are used so you might want to get fresh ones. The laces are also a consumable item, although a hard-wearing one.
Despite all this, there are many travels ahead with these boots. We don't get a warranty from any manufacturer for these, but if you get a faulty pair, do let us know and we'll sort it out.
It is worth knowing that military surplus shoes and 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.
Recommendations
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Reviews
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recommends
does not recommend
12 ratings
Aidan H. 02.04.2021 ⚠ Unverified purchase
Jett H. 04.04.2021 Verified purchase
Carstem B. 08.04.2021 Verified purchase
Timo I. 09.04.2021 Verified purchase
Michael R. 18.04.2021 Verified purchase
PS please let me know when the Haix black shoe care creme polish is back in stock? The Canadian distributer has a minimum case order of 12! Pete’s sakes all I need is one maybe two! Skol!
Paul B. 20.04.2021 Verified purchase
Jacob R. 26.04.2021 Verified purchase
Mind you they sent me the wrong size, but still I was able to put them on and see how well they worked. The lacing is fantastic and I love it, and the overall design, but the ones I got were so abused they probably wouldn't last a year of casual wear. One of the flaps for the laces was torn so it was more difficult to use, and the toes were worn down so far it's probably less than half as thick as it should be, which also just generally looks terrible, besides the fact it will eventually fall apart.
But the biggest issue I have is that the tongues have some hard pieces of plastic, I guess to hold the shape for some reason, that by design, are nearly popping out of the leather at all times, and also dig into the front of your ankle which makes it impossible to wear for any reasonable amount of time.
If you happen to get a pair that are brand new, that's great, but even then I would worry about the plastic in the tongue which will likely be a problem eventually.
Bryce M. 29.04.2021 Verified purchase
As for the boots themselves, mine are pretty much brand new. I have to think someone took them, walked around the parking lot of the supply depot, said "nein," then exchanged them for a different pair. I would describe these more as a more modern "duty boot" than a straight-up combat boot. It's like a sneaker and a normal boot had a baby and they feel very light. I bought these pretty much exclusively for ruck-marching in relatively flat terrain, so I think for that they will work out perfectly.
Still not sure if I love the lacing system. It is convenient, but in the couple times I have put them on, I find it hard to get a custom fit -- it's either too tight in one spot and too loose in another. Hopefully, practice will make perfect. I do like the way the laces tuck out of sight. Final note, these things make a lot of noise with creaking leather, and hopefully some polish and a few miles will help with that.
Vladimir S. 09.05.2021 Verified purchase
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