Unissued McRae Combat Boots

I’ve had a pair of these for a long long while now, done plenty of rucks and hikes and put em to the test in various conditions so I want to give the most complete and comprehensive review of these boots as possible.

To begin, let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, these are a variant of the official general issue boots of the Israeli Defense Forces, although the IDF issues the reddish-brown version of this boot, and to my knowledge do not actually issue the black variant of the boots. This means that these are by all means an American boot, as they are made in America and despite being the exact same boot structurally and aesthetically as the official IDF boots, they are not the same color, making them distinctly different from both the true IDF boots as well as McRae’s black hot weather boots issued to American soldiers.

What makes these different from the USGI ones, you might ask? Two things: height, the design of the upper, and the mid/outsole. Height-wise, these baddies clock in at 10” from the tread on the heel to the collar on the top of the boot shaft. The USGI variety only rises 8” in height. That extra 2” does more than you would think at first glance. Extra height provides extra stability and rigidity for maneuvering over rough and uneven terrain, and provides better protection from dirt and debris on the ground and that height helps keep your pants from ballooning over the sides and enveloping the rest of the boot. The leather strap around the back of the calf below the collar provides excellent support on your Achilles tendon too.

Design-wise, these use more leather than the USGI boots, but that is to the wearer’s advantage here as the extra leather on the upper half of the boot and over the ankles provides superior support and stability while providing protection for the ankle. The USGI ones have a full fabric upper with fabric backstrap and fabric ankle support producing a hilariously flimsy and bad boot. The leather backstrap also helps a ton with balance and helps to keep your heel locked down into the heel counter. Despite the extra leather, these boots breathe exceptionally well and the cordura canvas on the upper, along the sides, and on the tongue gives amazing breathability and allows for sweat and moisture to wick away from the feet and helps reduce sweat buildup and promotes excess heat to leave the boot rather than cook your feet. Amazing for hot summer days.

Now on to the outsoles. USGI hot weather boots are notoriously bad for a reason, and it has a lot to do with the mid and outsoles they come with. These IDF style combat boots utilize a medium-density midsole that provides excellent shock absorption and cushion to the foot and makes walking long distances feel painless compared to the USGI boots. The outsole is a Vibram Sierra sole and I need not go into detail here as Vibram anything is always a solid foundation for a boot, and these excel on rough rocky ground as well as soft forest floors and hard cement and asphalt surfaces. A 10-mile ruck over rough terrain will feel relatively easy with these on, so long as you took the time to break em in first and you wear the right socks with them. These are NOT for thin socks, get yourself solid boot socks or some darn tough brand socks and they’ll never give you blisters once broken in.

Now let’s get into my experience with these, shall we? When I first got them, they were a bit of a pain to break in like any new leather boot is, but after conditioning the outside and inside leather a couple of times and patiently and carefully wearing them around the house and on shirt, easy walks around the neighborhood, they felt as good as any other quality combat boot I own and I own A LOT of combat boots. My first test was a 12-mile hike with a total of 1,350 feet of elevation change on steep, slippery terrain. They performed better than anticipated and my feet didn’t hurt at all afterwards. Then I began wearing 4 days out of the week around the city as a general boot, which I still do. I’ve brought these to brutality matches, MilSim events, intensive range/training days, backpacking trips, you name it. Never have I ever had any issues with them and it’s been over six months now!

If you re looking for a highly ergonomic and super flexible, waterproof, and ultralight boot that you can do regular backpacking with or super technical activities, then I would recommend something different like LOWA or Salomon boots or a contemporary trail boot. If you want a solid, durable, comfortable and reliable boot for rucks, for general wear, for hot weather, for LARPing, range days, milsim, etc., and don’t need them to be waterproof and you don’t want to break the bank in the process, then I couldn’t recommend these more for you. They’re actually sone of the best boots I own, so good in fact that I bought a pair for my fiancée and he swears by em, too. Don’t miss the opportunity here, this is a solid deal on some fantastic new b...

As a metalhead I can confidently say these are metal asf

Can't complain, boots are as advertised. Ordered the regular size that I would normally wear. They fit great.

Most of the stuff I buy from here is good but not really these boots. If you do any type of actual work these things kinda just start falling apart.

Exactly as described, stellar quality.