Jalas 3322 Fantom Drylock

In Finland, the comic character "The Phantom" (you know, the butch guy who runs around the Bengal jungle in purple tights) is immensely popular. In fact, he's so famous that Jalas went and named a boot after him. And a top-quality boot it is too! We are especially thrilled, as these fit our wide, hairy Finnish hobbit feet well.

When The Phantom leaves the jungle and goes downtown, we're quite sure he wears these, as it's always pretty sloshy and cold there. Like the Finnish army M05 boots, these are full leather, but here's the catch; these have a waterproof membrane. If you're not a Finn, you probably pass this by with a shrug, but we're pretty excited - in a country that lags behind everyone else about 10-20 years, that's something! It's almost like, you know, introducing electricity to Zimbabwe (again).

Now, as us Finns do know something about winter, these have some pretty good qualities for cold weather footwear (along with the membrane): a rubber sole with good traction, strong construction, and a proper full leather tongue. Last but not least, these are sized pretty generously to accommodate thick (double) socks inside. Oh, and the insole is super, one of the best we have ever seen.

Miscellaneous info

Full leather construction. This means you can actually polish the leather to keep it in good shape. We recommend using special membrane-compatible polish, regular ones might block the membrane.

Shock absorption in the sole and superior traction - these are meant for Finnish weather conditions and work better than most in freezing temperatures too. The rubber doesn't get stiff easily and can take heat up to 300 degrees Celsius.

Reinforced toe box. Please note that this is not a safety toe. It's the same kind found on most standard military footwear.

Speed-lacing. Now, Jalas made a nifty little thing to make this better: they put small ball bearings inside the tunnel loops. Think about it, which causes less wear and friction, a metal tunnel or a shiny steel ball?

Fits better around the shaft than the standard M05 boot, thanks to the thicker tongue and light padding inside.

The membrane isn't Gore-Tex. Instead, it's something the boot manufacturer, Jalas, calls "Drylock". The manufacturer of the membrane fabric itself is Porelle. If you're confused, no worries - the membrane works just as it should: keeps water out and lets sweat vapor out. Porelle promises some pretty awesome specs for their membrane.

Size info

The sizing system is very Finnish - the sizes run big. As this boot is designed for Finnish feet, the last is wide. It probably would be wise to take one size smaller than usual. Of course, this is very individual and should be used only as a guideline.

Size conversion chart