View Full Version : Why is none of you using Jungle Boot for UK or Ireland ?
FreshMint
03-05-2006, 13:19
I don't know if I'm completly alone here, but I have a pair of Altama Jungle Boots and they serve me super well in the marshy woody areas.
Sure I would not use them if I want to climb a rock face (but I;m not to cool with height anyways).
Here is why i like to use them in combination with Seal waterproove socks..
Water gets in but also out and they seem to dry easy in combinations with waterproove socks I can comptably steap in any swampy area.
They are (as far as I can see) very comptable I never had any blisters.
So why is nobody using them or are there people who use them?
It's horses for courses mate, I have a set, but I have other boots that I find are as good and many which are better in this enviroment and everyone is different as are thier feet.
Graham_S
03-05-2006, 13:41
i don't use them because i don't have a pair, too expensive. i've got a great pair of KSBs that do me fine, are very comfy and keep my feet nice and dry.
i do have a nice pair of us army desert boots though.
FreshMint
03-05-2006, 13:47
The thing with the seals water proove socks is that I don't really care if water comes into my boot...you can feel your feed getting a bit chilly for a short 2 min or so but that's all you notice that acctually water came into your boot.
The price however is right, myself I have been looking around for AGES what boots to buy, I have some other very sturdy mountaineer hicking boots, but I personally like the Jungle boots for swampy bog woody areas best.
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
I've two pairs of jungle boots, but I only wear one pair. The first are vintage Vietnam-era ones (made somewhere in the late '60's/early'70s.) that have cotton duck for the uppers. I went through a military phase when I was high-school and ended up collecting quite a lot of useless kit. My local surplus store had a field day when I showed up and said "Here, take this stuff."
My second pair are the improved model jungle boot, they have cordura nylon uppers as opposed to cotton duck. They're my standard summertime hiking boot, provided I'm not going to be humping up glaciers or scree. Just as Freshmint says, they're excellent because they let water in as well as out. I had the bad experience once of having to cross a river in heavy mountaineering boots. I ended up with the so-called "moon-boot" syndrome and wrung about a gallon of water out of my socks.
My jungle boots took a lot of work to break in, but they're totally comfortable now. I don't bother with sealskinz socks, instead I wear one thick pair of woolen socks during the day, and at night I dry and powder my feet and slip into dry wool socks and a pair of slip on sandals. Next morning I put on the previous days socks and boots. The technique works!
My only complaint with jungle boots is the lack of sole comfort because of the steel plate inside of them. But then again, punji sticks are not very nice to step on.
Adam
FreshMint
03-05-2006, 15:55
I've two pairs of jungle boots, but I only wear one pair. The first are vintage Vietnam-era ones (made somewhere in the late '60's/early'70s.) that have cotton duck for the uppers. I went through a military phase when I was high-school and ended up collecting quite a lot of useless kit. My local surplus store had a field day when I showed up and said "Here, take this stuff."
My second pair are the improved model jungle boot, they have cordura nylon uppers as opposed to cotton duck. They're my standard summertime hiking boot, provided I'm not going to be humping up glaciers or scree. Just as Freshmint says, they're excellent because they let water in as well as out. I had the bad experience once of having to cross a river in heavy mountaineering boots. I ended up with the so-called "moon-boot" syndrome and wrung about a gallon of water out of my socks.
My jungle boots took a lot of work to break in, but they're totally comfortable now. I don't bother with sealskinz socks, instead I wear one thick pair of woolen socks during the day, and at night I dry and powder my feet and slip into dry wool socks and a pair of slip on sandals. Next morning I put on the previous days socks and boots. The technique works!
My only complaint with jungle boots is the lack of sole comfort because of the steel plate inside of them. But then again, punji sticks are not very nice to step on.
Adam
Seriously try the seal socks, they are expensive but man they are worth the money alright...
I NEVER had blisters in the army since I was working a long time in restaurants and Hotels before joining the service, so my feet were well able to take a punishment.
BUT I have seen a lot of people (and I had blisters before when I started working in the Restaurant) and I can only imagine the pain when you have to walk with raw feet.
So my question is...did you never got blisters while walking with wet socks?
Well yes and no. I bought my improved boots brand spanking new, and when I was breaking them in I made the mistake of wearing two pairs of socks: a pair of coolmax liner socks, and medium weight cushioned wool socks over top. Big mistake. At the end of the day, I had blood soaking through the socks from my toes.
After that and ever since then I just wear a pair of army issued woolies. They work fine, and as far as I know it's what's recommended to wear in jungle boots. Thick socks are important because they cushion the feet.
I totally believe you about sealskinz, except for one problem: If you're walking through deep water and it goes into the tops of your boots, it will go through the tops of your sealskinz. Voila! Moon boot syndrome. That reason there is why I don't buy them, although I have thought long and hard about it!
And no, I've never had blisters with wet socks in my jungle boots. They dry so quickly that you probably won't even notice it. The beauty of the two drainage holes in the instep is as you walk, your foot literally acts as a pump and pushes the water out. And so apart from the steel plate, they're great boots for hot weather hiking.
Cheers,
Adam
Mad Mike
03-05-2006, 18:48
Good info on this thread
One question do you find any difference between jungle & desert boots for hot weather when water is not a issue ( but cost may be )
thanks
I'am from New York ,we fall just about the same Lat.not as much rain but in the city we have a micro climate, high heat and humidity we're a bunch of Island's .
the JB's are ideal as they let your feet breath.The only down side is the fine dust get's in and leave's little "snake bite" mark's on the instep :rolleyes: :D
Mike,
In answer to your question: Yes and No. Desert boots are rough on the outside, *suede* leather. Jungle boots are smooth, unpebbled leather. I also had desert boots during my "play army" stage, and they're a lot different. For one, they have a padded collar and are lined with coolmax. Secondly, they have no drainage vents to let water out. Thirdly, when suede gets wet, it's ruined. Wet desert boots take a very long time to dry out and in my opinion, are completely useless in anything save for hot, dry, muggy weather.
On the other hand, the steel protection plate in DB's is not right under your foot, it's made further down into the sole. I think this is why my JB's took much longer to break in.
Honestly, where I live buying either boot brand new is expensive. That's where army surplus stores come in. In a way, I thank myself for playing army when I was in high-school because it gave me the immature opportunity to try out different types of kit. :D
In the end all you have is fashion!
Adam
PS: On a sidenote, for bushcraft, yeah, I'd say go for combat boots. They're much more durable in the long run that mountaineering boots. But just remember that you won't have much fun trying to climb in a pair of soft combat boots because they have far too much flex in the sole.
PPS: This is quite disgusting, but it actually works. In the old days, old salts with uncomfortable boots used to urinate in them and let them sit overnight to soften the leather. I don't want to offend anyone by saying that, but it works better than hot water. Spike Milligan even said so in one of his books.
Mad Mike
03-05-2006, 23:02
Thanks akabu & addyb the breathing in heat is the bit I am after
mojofilter
04-05-2006, 00:21
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
What exactly is your point, Lurch... :rolleyes:
FreshMint
04-05-2006, 08:55
What exactly is your point, Lurch... :rolleyes:
I tried to ignore him but I think he wanted to make me aware of my bad spelling and grammer mistakes :) I'm just to lazy to run all my posts through a spellchecker so Lurch and any other grammer Nazi can keep my spelling mistakes :)
Back to the topic addyb that's some seriously good information there mate, and I'm VERY very tempted to give your woolsock theory a fair chance, maybe I try it out the next time I'm in the wicklow "mountains/hills".
Could you find a picture of your boots on the internet and show me?
PPS: This is quite disgusting, but it actually works. In the old days, old salts with uncomfortable boots used to urinate in them and let them sit overnight to soften the leather.
Alright if you don't share your hootch with others.
However why not just soak thoroughly in water and walk around for an hour topping up the water with the garden hose. Do it again the next day. Boots will be fine in a couple of days. Been doing that to new JB's since the 1970's and never had a problem. They're not supposed to look good anyway.
Never did it to the 'pretty' hiking boots I sometimes bought with terrible consequences. Spent a day walking down hills in Exmoor backwards. No fun at all
Ogri the trog
04-05-2006, 09:31
PPS: This is quite disgusting, but it actually works. In the old days, old salts with uncomfortable boots used to urinate in them and let them sit overnight to soften the leather. I don't want to offend anyone by saying that, but it works better than hot water. Spike Milligan even said so in one of his books.
Yup,
Done that in the past. ;)
After getting your boots the right shape, the next step was keeping the water out (not claiming waterproof but it worked). Pour cooking oil into your boots, and slosh it around for a while - pour the excess out. Then put the boots on with a pair of wool socks, after an hour change the socks and wash the first pair. After several changes of socks dictated by how dirty your feet get, your boots are going to fit like gloves, be as soft as slippers and will be relatively water resistant for a good few years. The down side is that they won't take a shine - but then you don't treat your parade boots the same way.
Also, if you are going out for an extended period, take some road tar with you - if you get a slice or a hole in your boots, you can melt the tar over the leather as a temporary repair.
ATB
Ogri the trog
RAPPLEBY2000
04-05-2006, 10:09
i used to use jungle boots all the time,
all year round with no liner, :eek:
but like a few of you i was going through a military phase
i helpped lead a group and spend 2 nights up sca-fell in october, (in the nylon version boot), the weather was generally cold, wet, and very windy i convinced myself i never had a problem till the last day when my feet suffered and got very cold/wet because though water can escape it was constantly topped up by rain!
(realisticly my feet had gradually got worse over the weekend)
other times i have used them were following local rivers, for fun i followed them during floods so was wading knee deep sometimes for several hundred meters, mabey 2 or 3 times in a trip, then through loads of mud.
again though the majority of water escaped, the climate didn't really allow the boot to dry properly and on a few occasions i suffered with what i think was trench foot!
basicaly my foot got v-cold, skin went pale soft and wrinkly, and stayed cold!
on re-warming which i did very gradually, both feet felt like they were burning! not like frost bite which is more a tingly sensation.
yes they are light and i intend to use them this summer for camp work, but walking on rock or tarmac is a killer in them, there is practicly no shock absorbsion, and i find i catch my ankles on stuff (which jungle boots offer no real protection).
for the majority of the year i will be wearing either
goretex aproach shoes
or goretex walking boots.
i just don't think they ever properly dried when i used them.
for that reason i have to question wether they are a good boot for anything other than hot weather.
the strange querk to this thread is this:
using waterproof liners in jungle boots is practicaly the same effect as wearing a normal modern goretex boot, though they usually have extra insulation and more comfortable soles.
the only difference comes in wading rivers, which modern mountain leadership courses dissuade us from anyway!
RAPPLEBY2000
04-05-2006, 10:31
another point
jungle boots are designed for......JUNGLES
a hot wet enviroment where your feet will probably be wet all day anyway so ideally bare foot or sandles would be better.
ok can't do that because of various dangers
so make a boot to cover your foot make it breathable (nylon/canvas sides) and allow sweat/water to escape with the holes.
jungle boots designed not to be windproof (which allows feet to breath/dry in hot climates)
in our country the main dangers to health for the outdoors person are:
cold, wet, and wind(= hypothermia)
to sum it up jungle boots allow cold, wet, and wind into your boot
because that's how they are designed :yikes:not ideal!
i have some nerve damage in my toes which i think may be due to jungle boots used inapropriately be careful!
by all means use jungle boots for walking/bushcraft but be aware of the potential problems especially in winter!
FreshMint
04-05-2006, 10:40
another point
jungle boots are designed for......JUNGLES
a hot wet enviroment where your feet will probably be wet all day anyway so ideally bare foot would be better.
ok can't do that because of various dangers
so make a boot to cover your foot make it breathable (nylon/canvas sides) and allow sweat/water to escape with the holes.jungle boots designed to be not windproof (which allows feet to breath/dry in hot climates)
in our country the main dangers to health for the outdoors person are:
cold, wet, and wind(= hypothermia)
to sum it up jungle boots allow cold, wet, and wind into your boot because that's how they are designed :yikes:not ideal!
the only reason i am makeing a big deal is that i have some nerve damadge in my toes which i think is due to using jungle boots at inapropriate times!
be careful!
by all means use jungle boots for walking/bushcraft but be aware of the potential problems especially in winter!
i would never wear JB in the winter times, I reserve my mountaineer boots for that.
But for the summer time in woody bog kind of areas I still believe they are ideal.
Freshmint,
I'll try to find and post a picture of my boots later this morning.
Bod,
Don't worry, I won't share my hootch! I tried the water thing, it didn't work. The disgusting way worked much better, and yes, the boots are like slippers now. :P
Cheers,
Adam
Edit @ 9am-ish: These (http://www.altama.com/Tp1/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=6852 ) are my boots. Lucky for me, I got a pair NIB for $35 dollars when I gave my local surplus store a mountain of kit that I didn't need anymore.
Best boots I had was a pair of British Army Combat Boots. My mate served in the Gulf and kinda 'lost' his standard issues - guess what? I found em.
Was nice of him to break them in for me too!
I have found that most 'hiking' boots are too low on my leg - I damaged my leg many years ago resulting in a permanently weak ankle - so I need the extra support of boots half way up my shins.
Alas, my boots met a nasty end when they got involved in laying a concrete base for my shed. Concrete and leather do not go together especially when you are knackered and dont wash them down properly :(
Bod,
Don't worry, I won't share my hootch! I tried the water thing, it didn't work. The disgusting way worked much better, and yes, the boots are like slippers now. :P
Oh well what works for some doesn't always work for all. Should have molded itself to your foot shape.
Soft as slippers but what about the smell?
Hi all,
Just thought I'd jump in and share a "breaking in and softening" method with you all, it works great on Altama JB's but also just as good for leather GP's too,
1- take one pair of Black Altama JB's or any other GP boots
2- with a stiff wire brush, remove ALL the black surface on the Toe area up to the upper, the now rough leather should be a nice grey colour now.. (its this protective surface that is partly responsible for the breaking in problems people have as it stiffens the leather alot.
3- apply alternating layers of boot polish and bees wax or some other form of leather conditioner (like dubbin wax, etc.) until you get the colour you want, and it will even take a prety good shine too.
this method was tought to me by an American Vietnam vet and works great, I've never had blisters scince I've been doing this and have not had to use the old hot water routine either, it leaves the boots nice and soft they dont creek when you walk and seem to breath better too.
I've done this with my JB's, GP's and even my Hi-tec magnums too all with no ill effects to me or the boots.
I hope this is usefull to you all..
Karl..
RAPPLEBY2000
09-05-2006, 00:06
so you can get your magnums to shine after the treatment?
i have tried everything and the polish lasts only hours! tried the time honhoured spit n polish but the polish won't take to the leather!
so you can get your magnums to shine after the treatment?
i have tried everything and the polish lasts only hours! tried the time honhoured spit n polish but the polish won't take to the leather!
yes, its not a "mirror" finish but its pretty good , the reason it wont take a polish is because they are silicone treated, so they will actually repell the oil based polish.
Just an anendum to my last, You have to heat the wax up before you apply it.
If you want to get a polishable surface try heating the treated surface, carefuly so you dont burn the stitching, and then rub the surface with the back of a small spoon, in a small circular pattern, then hit them with some "Parade Gloss" by kiwi, keep doing this 'till you get a good surface, then "spit" polish them using warm water and a cotton ball, not spit, again you want to do this in small circles, apply the polish with a soft cloth, not a brush, and then buff them with a pare of soft nylon pantihose, these wont leave any lint or scratch the surface..
I use this same method on my number one parade dress boots for work, (Army)
and have never been pulled up by the RSM for poorly polished boots during dress inspection. And those you can really see your face in, its just a matter of how long you want to spend on them to bring them up..
Karl..
Hi have a pair of black Altama jungle boots myself, the only problem I had with them is that I went on a day hike onto Table mountain in South Africa , now anybody who has climbed up the that mountain knows that you basically walk over very rough terrain as in stones, and the boot is of course no were near as stable as you need it to be.
Climbing up was pretty ok, but coming down was where I had the most issues, I remember that I had a lot of close calls as always had the feeling they gave me no support in the ankle region.
So yes I think they are great boots for Woody swampy areas but no good (of course) for hill hiking.
phaserrifle
01-07-2008, 09:57
after trying walking in a pair of magnums (definately not waterproof!) I'm tending to go for leather boots now. as far as I can tell, the magnums are basicaly more padded versions of jungle boots.
the main reason lots of people arn't using them is likely to be the thinking that they are "jungle" boots, and britain is somewhat short of jungles, so why would they be useful?
I've started using a pair of Magnum style boots for the summer, Original SWATS, which are excellent combined with a pair of British Army MVP socks e.g. ...
http://www.militarymart.co.uk/prod5.asp?prod_id=8161&id=189
... which are also made by Sealskinz but a fraction of the cost and higher leg too.