OHUB Evaluation: 5.11 A/T 8″ WATERPROOF BOOT

November 16, 2022

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

I not too long ago wrapped up testing 5.11’s A/T 8″ waterproof boots over spring, summer time, and fall use in a ranching, mountain climbing 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? Learn on and let’s discover out.

Specs, Per 5.11:

All Terrain Load Help System for full help and stability
5.11 Tac Dry® Waterproof and Blood Borne Pathogen resistant membrane
Waterproof suede higher and Breathable Nylon mesh panels
Twin Density PU midsole with 5.11® Echo excessive rebound foam within the forefoot and 5.11® Power shock absorbing foam within the heel
Detachable 5.11® help plate to help carrying a heavier load
Locking instep lace eyelet for a customized match
Slip and Oil resistant full rubber outsole
Multi-direction outsole lug sample
Ortholite® insole
Ortholite® Achilles pad for higher heel maintain
Sizes: Males’s 5-14, each common and broad
Colour: Darkish Coyote
MSRP: $185

Out of the Field

My first Impressions out of the field have been that these boots have been made 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 measurement 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 present your self time to get into and out of those boots. For those who want boots that you could get on and off rapidly, get the side-zip variations.

General, they’ve the looks of a piece/tactical boot. Fantastic for ranch work, looking, and having fun with the outside, however possibly not your best option for a boot you may as well put on out to a nicer restaurant, should 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 each day grind. Probably the most spectacular grip was on snow lined 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 a number of slips on snow-covered boards on the catwalks of my working corral. My toes did keep utterly dry, nonetheless, regardless of continuously working a number of hours out in moist, muddy and snowy circumstances. One other 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 sporting mid-weight wool socks.

Scorching to Trot

Transferring into the second season of my 5.11 boot check, summer time was an excellent check of how nicely these boots might deal with scorching temperatures. My toes sometimes 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 time, 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 a giant profit in preserving 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 rapidly in summertime should you do inadvertently flood them. The insoles have been significantly snug, and my toes wouldn’t ache even after a typical 10 hour summer time workday, carrying a great deal of as much as 200lbs whereas strolling on gravel and dust.

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

Prepared for the Fall

Fall noticed me use these boots closely in steep hikes whereas scouting sport earlier than rifle season. The excessive higher stored 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 probably not the extent of ankle help I favor inn a mountain climbing boot. Typical hikes for me are off-trail, and contain 2000-4000 toes of vertical acquire/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, sporting out the midsole tread of the suitable boot.

That being mentioned, the aspect 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 by. That could be 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 received worn down a tad after 7 months, however nowhere close to as a lot because the midsole.

General Impressions

General, I might not hesitate to suggest the 5.11 A/T waterproof boot to anybody within the northern tier of states as an important 3-season work boot should you work within the mud and the dust. The Darkish Coyote colour handles the dust simply high quality, and these are fairly nice boots for the cash. They’ll maintain 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 would get away with sporting these boots all yr lengthy, as they dealt with 20 levels and 4-5 inches of snow simply as high quality as they did {the summertime}. The one factor I might not suggest these boots for is a severe vertical mountain climbing boot, and the loudness of the only prevents my advice for a devoted looking boot.