Outdoor

OHUB Review: 5.11 A/T 8″ WATERPROOF BOOT

November 15, 2022

5.11’s A/T 8″ Waterproof Boot: One Seriously Good Three-Season Contender

I not too long ago wrapped up testing 5.11’s A/T 8″ waterproof boots over spring, summer season, and fall use in a ranching, mountaineering and looking context. These boots noticed a variety of miles, each within the pasture and on and off-trail within the excessive deserts and mountains of the American Mountain West. How’d they do? Read on and let’s discover out.

Specs, Per 5.11:

All Terrain Load Assistance System for full assist and stability
5.11 Tac Dry® Waterproof and Blood Borne Pathogen resistant membrane
Waterproof suede higher and Breathable Nylon mesh panels
Dual Density PU midsole with 5.11® Echo excessive rebound foam within the forefoot and 5.11® Force shock absorbing foam within the heel
Removable 5.11® assist plate to assist carrying a heavier load
Locking instep lace eyelet for a personalised match
Slip and Oil resistant full rubber outsole
Multi-direction outsole lug sample
Ortholite® insole
Ortholite® Achilles pad for higher heel maintain
Sizes: Men’s 5-14, each common and extensive
Color: Dark Coyote
MSRP: $185

Out of the Box

My first Impressions out of the field have been that these boots have been manufactured from thinner, lighter materials than I normally choose for a boot, particularly a water-resistant one. The boots have the looks of a mix of suede and heavy responsibility nylon. The tread is the usual A/T, with massive lugs on the entrance and heel parts of the boot, and small studs round the place your arch is. Getting my toes right into a dimension 13 pattern of those boots required me to completely loosen the laces. The boots match very cosy within the higher at first-and that by no means modified. Be ready to offer your self time to get into and out of those boots. If you want boots you can get on and off shortly, get the side-zip variations.

Overall, they’ve the looks of a piece/tactical boot. Fine for ranch work, looking, and having fun with the outside, however perhaps not the only option for a boot you too can put on out to a nicer restaurant, in case you’re into that kind of factor…

First Steps

We had some typical mountain spring climate after I first laced these up, within the type of a balmy mid-April snowstorm. I instantly went about my workday, noticing that the boots held their very own on snow-covered pasture, slick, deep mud, gravel, moist rangegrass, and different harsh terrain that makes up my every day grind. The most spectacular grip was on snow coated boulders that I used to be climbing up whereas checking on a fence line. I additionally didn’t get any blisters within the first 50 miles I placed on these boots, together with a 2000ft ascent I took them on within the first week.

There have been two areas the place the boots had some points within the spring: The outsoles would clog up fairly simply with heavy clay mud, and I had just a few slips on snow-covered boards on the catwalks of my working corral. My toes did keep fully dry, nevertheless, regardless of continuously working a number of hours out in moist, muddy and snowy circumstances. Another plus was that despite being a thinner boot than I usually put on, my toes stayed heat sufficient in temperatures starting from 20-60 levels whereas carrying mid-weight wool socks.

Hot to Trot

Moving into the second season of my 5.11 boot take a look at, summer season was a very good take a look at of how nicely these boots might deal with scorching temperatures. My toes usually get scorching fairly simply, so I used to be moderately happy with how the waterproof A/T boots dealt with the warmth as much as 90 levels. I used to be constructing a fishpond for lots of the summer season, so work would alternate between scorching/dry and moist. The A/Ts have been a good selection till the temperatures reached into the triple digits, after they’d begin to get uncomfortably scorching. I did discover that the outsole of the A/T boots (the mixed w my 200lb weight) is fairly loud when strolling on rocks. This precluded me utilizing them as a looking boot, particularly throughout bow season.

I did ford a variety of streams with the waterproof A/T boots, and the tight becoming 8″ higher has an enormous profit in holding splashing water from flooding into the boots. My toes stayed fairly dry for many of my stream crossings, however these boots additionally dry out fairly shortly in summertime in case you do inadvertently flood them. The insoles have been severely snug, and my toes wouldn’t ache even after a typical 10 hour summer season workday, carrying a great deal of as much as 200lbs whereas strolling on gravel and dust.

On that note-I saved the assist plates within the boots on a regular basis, being that I used to be both carrying heavy masses at work or mountaineering with a pack (and normally a rifle) when not at work. For a lighter boot, nevertheless, one can slip out the inflexible assist plates if one prefers.

Ready for the Fall

Fall noticed me use these boots closely in steep hikes whereas scouting sport earlier than rifle season. The excessive higher saved all of the prickers and burrs from attaching to my socks or entering into the boot. I did discover that though these are 8″ boots, there may be not likely the extent of ankle assist I choose inn a mountaineering boot. Typical hikes for me are off-trail, and contain 2000-4000 toes of vertical achieve/loss, with a variety of sidehilling thrown in. The famously brutal scree slopes of the mountain west began to take a toll on the soles of the boots as nicely, carrying out the midsole tread of the suitable boot.

That being stated, the facet of the outsole, in addition to all the higher, was amazingly freed from any cuts or scrapes after three seasons of hell that I put these boots via. That is a minor miracle for boots to perform in these elements, not to mention mid-priced ones such because the 5.11 A/T. The outsole tread bought worn down a tad after 7 months, however nowhere close to as a lot because the midsole.

Overall Impressions

Overall, I might not hesitate to suggest the 5.11 A/T waterproof boot to anybody within the northern tier of states as a fantastic 3-season work boot in case you work within the mud and the dust. The Dark Coyote shade handles the dust simply nice, and these are fairly nice boots for the cash. They’ll hold your toes dry as nicely, so long as you don’t put on them in temps hotter than 90 levels, and that’d be the sweat’s fault.

For different temperate climates, you may get away with carrying these boots all 12 months lengthy, as they dealt with 20 levels and 4-5 inches of snow simply as nice as they did {the summertime}. The solely factor I might not suggest these boots for is a severe vertical mountaineering boot, and the loudness of the only prevents my suggestion for a devoted looking boot.