Rocky Mountain Combat 8” Military Boot

Rocky has a 10 outta 10 with the Rocky Mountain Combat 8” Military Boot (not waterproof). This THE Boot! This is my 4th style of a Rocky Boot in a decade and surpasses my previous fav, the Rocky S2V Enhanced Jungle Boot. I debated on this boot for more than a month and pulled the trigger because I couldn't find anyone who has this boot - YET. Let's get to it: no break-in, no blisters, no hot spots, no fallen arches, and my bone spurs are pain free after 3 days of rucking trails at Mt. Diablo. These boots were completely soaked in creeks 9 times. Yes, my feet got wet but not soaked. The boots did not feel heavier when wet. Time to dry inside and out while rucking = ~2 hours. Socks worn were Fox River Tactical boot socks. Total distance covered = 44 miles. Average pace = 14 min 32 sec. Cumulative altitude climbed = 4278 ft. Ruck weight dry = 45 lbs Blisters = 0 Hot spots = 0 I would and will buy this boot again and I recommend it. Unkown = how well does this boot hold up over time? It started off as a keeper. The trail: the incline in places was volcano summit steep, highly technical, AllTrails difficulty rating = Hard. The terrain had about everything: steep loose pack, creeks to cross, ankle-deep mud, petrified clay pack, gravel, large rocks, boulders to go up and over, wet, mossy, water fall basins, and about 5 miles of a slight incline of 300 ft. This boot performed superbly and fit my foot like a....er, glove. The mountain boot is noticably lightweight - your feet and legs will thank you. The soles provided excellent stability and traction. On the rucks I had some slips, some slides, and had to use the inside edge of the boot to negotiate obstacles. So this boot light and comfortable providing firm ankle support. The end result = no sore feet, no blisters, no ankle problems, and the boots only suffered scuffs on the toe and heel bumpers. The fit: This boot really fits my type of foot. Wide toe box and very slender heel. Hence, I have bone spurs on my heels, 5th metatarsals (pinky knuckles) and distal phalanx (big toes), and top of the foot first metatarsals. From decades of making my foot fit into ill-fitting boots and making do - Go Army. The wide toe box does not pinch into my big toe and does not smash the pinky toe. The comfort on the top of my foot is a new experience thanks to the generous padding in the gusseted boot tongue and the way this boot fits. The laces did not dig into the top of my foot and the blood flow was not cut off. This mountain boot design allows for securing the laces close to where the shin meets the ankle without cutting off your blood supply to keep your heel from slipping yet the boot allows full freedom of rotation and motion in the ankles. So, your heels stay firmly seated with no slippage (= no blisters). The comfort around the ankle and shin is due to the same generous padding matching the tongue but with leather protection sewn over. The Rocky insole that comes with this boot works shockingly well for how slim it is compared the Rocky Airport footbeds. There was no slippage on steep declines and no hot spots on the balls of my feet, and no fallen arches after a weighted ruck pounding at an above average pace. Day 1: wore the boot out of the box. After 2 hours of warm-up I had heel slippage. I took the boot off to adjust and refit the boot. It fit more snug but I still had heel slippage. After another 2 hours I performed the old leather boot break-in by soaking the boot in hot water. There was a noticeable difference as to how the boot fit. The boot fit much more snug and there was no more heel slippage. After 6 hours of wear I took the mountain boot for an 8 mile ruck with a 45 lb ruck at a 14 min/mile pace and cumulative elevation increase of 736 feet. Day 2 and 3 consisted of the same regimen but over 18 miles each on harsher terrain. The boots were soaked in creeks and mud, and were used for scaling boulders and water fall basins.