Regardless, it isn’t just one of those affordable boots that looks strong and lithe, but will fall apart because of its budget construction. The service boot style remains popular because it is the perfect refinement of a functional practical boot assuming a pleasing form. Plus the 6” height is perfect for fitting with most pants. It’s also effectively slip-resistant. I’ve worn this shoe up and down slippery marble stairs at work and outside in the rain, with zero trips to the ground. Where the most confusion and grievances come from is with the sizing. Golden Fox recommends sizing down just a half. Some reviewers say they run extremely large, while others say they don’t run large enough to merit sizing down. Introductie van onze handgemaakte museumkwaliteit reproductie van de WO II Duitse M43 Rough Outs Low Boots, een perfecte aanvulling op elke vintage laarzencollectie.

Chamois in general deserves its accolades as a do-everything rugged leather that’s still darned beautiful, and it rewards heavy wear about as well as anything out there. Especially when flipped to its reverse side, the “fat-liquored” leather has a truly unique feel to it, and is unafraid of basically any elements. It’s also legitimately self-healing—even nice big scratches will generally disappear just by…walking. And the nap only gets better with wear. Wonderful stuff. The Sole: Dr. Sole Raw Cord Full Sole Crazy Horse leather was originally used in saddlery and is renowned for its toughness and durability. It is a full grain cowhide and so perfect for this style of boot and a value at this price point. These boots are a bit of a project in putting on. I find that I need to loosen the laces or unlace them down to the 4th eyelets before putting my feet in. Once I l get my foot in there, the comically tiny pull tab is no help. These are not boots that you grab when rushing out the door in a hurry. This boot can handle occasional high-impact activity, but shouldn’t be used as an everyday work boot. If you’re seriously considering Golden Fox service boots, the two main things to think about are budget and what you’ll be using them for.The President’s comfort technology is worlds better, offering a cork midsole and an EVA-comfort footbed. The eyelets are well finished and have no sharp edges. Around the eyelets on the inside is tough pigskin to reinforce them and this extends to around the collar. I appreciate this attention to detail and the strengthening at the wear points. The only thing I don’t like about this is that I often have to incrementally loosen the rows of laces to get it loose enough to take off. It’s not enough to untie and loosen just the top portion.

Rugged and supple-looking, the material on this boot has a lot of character to it. It’s built with crazy horse leather, which gets its name because it’s often used for horse riding saddles. It’s full-grain leather that’s been soaked in coal tar dye, which gives it a distressed look that takes to scuffs well.

These boots run a touch big, but they are not particularly wide, so if you have wider feet as I do, you may want to go longer to make up for the narrowness. I did find that they loosened up nicely and shrunk down where I needed them to except at the toe box, but that may be because there is a tremendous amount of room there. According to Golden Fox, the outsole is crepe rubber, which initially surprised me because it looks like standard gum rubber. Typically, I associate crepe with the lighter porous version that gets dirty easily and is hard to clean. Several years after getting out of the Navy I decided to join the Navy Reserves. Most of my active duty had been with the Marines and I wanted to see more of the Navy. Within minutes after being sworn in I was informed that I would be assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines. Well that didn't work out as planned. Just be aware: these things are for real. They’re pretty darn heavyweight, and require a bit work to get some flex going. The flip of that is they’re one of the most wear-impervious outsoles on the market. And damn do they look so damn perfect for this boot. This boot is fortified where it counts most though. I can immediately tell that the footbed is substantial. It makes a solid sound when tapped, and just the sheer weight of it assures me that Golden Fox delivers on their steel shank promise.

These are constructed of a full-grain leather and have a nice tannic scent out of the box. They use Crazy Horse leather that is well oiled and waxed. The wax bonds with the fibers and so you can easily hide scuffs and scratches by just rubbing them, handy. While not the best, this insole turns out to be more effective than it looks, which I’ll cover in the sole section. The outsole of these is crepe rubber and is slip resistant and oil resistant. While not as durable as higher end rubbers, it is very flexible and felt broken in from the moment I stepped into them. It feels very grippy walking over a variety of surfaces. It also provided a bit of bounce and cushioning, adding to the overall comfort.So many of the M-43 boots were made and they were so popular that they became commonly available in military surplus stores as well as popular shoe brands adopting the style.