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The 'How Did Your Airsoft Day Go? Thread


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10 minutes ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

Thanks that's incredibly useful info, I'll go look for those Cold Wet Weather boots if you recommend them so highly.  They're not too heavy are they?

 

My foot sizing is anoying, I'm about a 9, or 9.5 in length, but a 10.5 or 11 in width

 

image.png.b9933e6fee7d87e2b6bb9a7d7e830f28.png

 

Makes buying shoes online... Tricky

They are not unduly heavy, but I guess it depends on what you regard as heavy.  Given your feet, you might struggle with them as they are not the widest boots.

Karrimor SF cold wet weather boots, which you can pick up on eBay, are quite wide.

Edited by Colin Allen
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Yeah @Tactical Pith Helmet they are ridiculously cheap for a new pair of boots, I'm watching a YT review of a guy who has bought multiple pairs because he loves them so much.  

 

I remain tempted to buy a pair to try them out. They are cheap and it seems they are tough (as.... old....).  

Hmmm, too many options now 🥴

Edited by RostokMcSpoons
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My son destroys a pair in three years daily use with absolutely no care at all.  The leather dries out and cracks in the end.  

 

The German jungle boots come in a HUGE range of widths and are the Rolls Royce of jungle boots.  I use extra extra narrow 9s!   About £50.  

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If you chaps can't tell me there's a clear winner I'll just have to stick with my Swiss army paratrooper boots that are so heavy the Earth is gravitationally attracted to them (rather than vice versa). 

I am unemployed, and therefore allegedly skint, after all 🤤

Edited by RostokMcSpoons
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With your weird feet being the opposite in width to length scale to my weird feet, I'd go German in xx-wide.  

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Since sports direct took over karrimor I'd avoid using their kit for anything more than a trip to the shops. They've gone from being a decent respectable brand to cheaply made tat which will fall apart if you just look at it funny.

 

The same goes for mountain warehouse. I picked up a pair of their boots a couple of months ago and they started to split in 2 weeks. When I took them back the woman behind the counter said she wouldn't touch any of the footwear they sell

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8 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

The German jungle boots come in a HUGE range of widths and are the Rolls Royce of jungle boots.  I use extra extra narrow 9s!   About £50.  

 

Okey dokey, so a quick search and I find an old model of the German jungle boot,which actually looks exactly like the Wellco classic Vietnam jungle boot, but had a different sole grip layout (smaller chunks, perhaps more suited to gripping on hard surfaces?)

 

And there's a new model which is only slightly more expensive, looks the same, but claims to be waterproof because it doesn't have the drain holes.

 

Both are available in green + black which does look cooler than the all black Wellco's at the preppers shop.

 

So they're definitely an option.  This leaves a shortlist looking like this at the moment:

 

Wellco classic jungle boot £28 brand new, available in wide, slippery soles?

 

German jungle boot, £35 grade 1, green and black for extra style points, better soles?

 

Karrimor SF full leather wet weather boot, £50 grade 1

 

Iturri Desert boot, £35 lightly used eBay, wide fitting, not great ankle support?

 

Iturri Patrol boot, full leather ~£45 used on eBay

 

Also found some used AKU army surplus desert boots for £35 but no one has recommended those, and I've not checked reviews yet.

 

The chunky patrol boots might be too close in style and usage to my paratrooper boots, that might be an unnecessary doubling-up of my inventory, so I think I'm more likely to go desert or jungle.   

Desert boots might get some extra use walking to the pub 🍻

 

I think I'll make a trip to Decathlon and Go Outdoors .. if nothing else I'll try on some boots to get a feel for the most likely best size

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4 hours ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

 

Okey dokey, so a quick search and I find an old model of the German jungle boot,which actually looks exactly like the Wellco classic Vietnam jungle boot, but had a different sole grip layout (smaller chunks, perhaps more suited to gripping on hard surfaces?)

 

And there's a new model which is only slightly more expensive, looks the same, but claims to be waterproof because it doesn't have the drain holes.

 

Both are available in green + black which does look cooler than the all black Wellco's at the preppers shop.

 

So they're definitely an option.  This leaves a shortlist looking like this at the moment:

 

Wellco classic jungle boot £28 brand new, available in wide, slippery soles?

 

German jungle boot, £35 grade 1, green and black for extra style points, better soles?

 

Karrimor SF full leather wet weather boot, £50 grade 1

 

Iturri Desert boot, £35 lightly used eBay, wide fitting, not great ankle support?

 

Iturri Patrol boot, full leather ~£45 used on eBay

 

Also found some used AKU army surplus desert boots for £35 but no one has recommended those, and I've not checked reviews yet.

 

The chunky patrol boots might be too close in style and usage to my paratrooper boots, that might be an unnecessary doubling-up of my inventory, so I think I'm more likely to go desert or jungle.   

Desert boots might get some extra use walking to the pub 🍻

 

I think I'll make a trip to Decathlon and Go Outdoors .. if nothing else I'll try on some boots to get a feel for the most likely best size

The ankle support on the Iturri desert boots is good; they are great boots as long as you keep them away from anything that vaguely resembles water.

 

I would not use the issue AKU Pilgrim for anything more than everyday around town use; they are very comfortable and reasonably supportive but are not particularly well made.  They are also not very waterproof and are quite narrow.  They are very popular in my eldest son’s reserve unit because they do not need polishing for parade.

 

Just to throw another option into your considerations, the Meindl black Bundeswehr boots are excellent; really good soles, goretex lined, comfortable, supportive, light and quite wide. 

Edited by Colin Allen
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6 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

Good write up of a weekend of Namsoft here

 

Another game that we didn't know about, but I don't think we could do two full weekends in a row (because money) and the Gunman ones take priority for us. 15 a side sounds like a blast though and glad that it was a great weekend. Here's hoping this coming weekend is good as well :D

 

(even if I feel a little called out by your moan about loadouts 😂)

 

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Went t'shops - Cotswolds/Trek (high-end), Decathlon (rubbish), GO Outdoors (sale) - tried on some boots...


Cotswolds had 

Lowa Renegade GTX.    Blimey that's a nice pair of boots, you can feel the quality oozing out of them  (Like the River Ouse, but with fewer discarded condoms, and less effluent).   And so they should be, for the Kingly (rather than Princely) sum of £215.  Lovely though, very comfortable even in a slightly too narrow size.  I am very impressed.

Salomon Mens Quest 4 GTX.   Blimey that's a light pair of boots, you can really feel the weight not being there.   Like a helium balloon weighed down with only a small number of miniature lead ingots.  Honestly. 655g for a full-height walking boot is silly when my paratrooper boots have a pair of black holes in orbit around them.   They also look very 'Special Forces' with a nice green / carbon-fibre grey effect.  £170 on special offer there, but I think they can be had for £120 on t'internet.   If I was feeling super-flush they'd be bought by now.

386065003_SalomonQuest4GTX.jpg.0f4fc9278258c810d8d8e04efdd69d41.jpg
 

 

Decathlon had 20 minutes of my time which I'll never get back.  Let us not speak of them.   Oh alright, if you insist.   A lot of own-brand mid-height walking boots that didn't look like they'd survive for long even if I was walking up and down my carpeted staircase (though to be fair, the barbed wire does tend to catch on things a little, and the acid can be problematic).

 

GO Outdoors in MK are closing down for a refit, so there's 30% off at the moment, but they're actively packing away the boots right now, so there was not much to see on display.  I worked my way through stacks of boxes.   I saw some Peter Storm boots (which I suspect won't be amazing in practice, but looked alright-ish), and some other cheapo brand which also came in a 'safety boots' version.  Nah.

They did have their own brand OEX Crusade WP Mid-height boots.  They looked like really good quality.  I tried them on, they fitted very well (size 10 standard width), felt very supportive around the ankle too.   They're £120 on the net, but usually ~£150 in-store.  There was no price, and no kindly shop assistant to ask, so I left without getting a 'best price'... they're more than I want to spend, so no problem.

 

So I circle back to my shortlist... but I'm going to be scanning eBay to see if I can get a cheap pair of Lowa or Salomon boots too! 

 

 

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3 hours ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

Lowa Renegade GTX.    Blimey that's a nice pair of boots, you can feel the quality oozing out of them  (Like the River Ouse, but with fewer discarded condoms, and less effluent).   And so they should be, for the Kingly (rather than Princely) sum of £215.  Lovely though, very comfortable even in a slightly too narrow size.  I am very impressed.


The only boots I wear, they last me two years, one for everyday use (literally everyday) and then one year relegated to farm use in mud, horse piss and shit. Best boots I’ve ever owned.

I’ve JUST bought pair from here, £140

 

https://www.outdoorclothing.co.uk/footwear-c119/mens-c121/walking-boots-c126/lowa-mens-renegade-gtx-mid-walking-boots-p3360


They also come in wide fitting.

 

I’m currently in possession of three pairs, one that I’m about to throw out as the Goretex lining has failed after two years, one new, and one just relegated to the farm.

 

I tend to go one size larger than I usually take as well.

 

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@rocketdogbert  does the horse piss and shit come with the boots, or do I have to pay extra for that?  ;)

 

Well that's quite a recommendation.   And a very good price, compared to the sticker shock in the shop.

However, we both know what happens when you recommend something to me matey....

 

:Goes off to search Alibaba for a cheap knock-off for a quarter of the price:

 

:D

 

 

In all seriousness, I am tempted.  Given the intermittent use they'll get, they'll last me a lifetime and they'll look good when I wear them to the pub

Edited by RostokMcSpoons
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6 minutes ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

@rocketdogbert

 

:Goes off to search Alibaba for a cheap knock-off for a quarter of the price:

 

:D

Mate don't pay a Kings ransom for boots just get some Viper v-cam double zip. Great for work,rest and play.👍

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29 minutes ago, Shamal said:

Mate don't pay a Kings ransom for boots just get some Viper v-cam double zip. Great for work,rest and play.👍

 

I had ruled those out as a little too pricey, but I can feel some 'budget creep' coming into play here, I'll add them to my shortlist.   £70 new, aren't they?

 

Edit: £80, at the only place with any stock I've found, so far...
https://www.horseandhoof.com/viper-special-ops-boots---multicam-68428-p

 

Oh yeah, I've found my combat boots in the loft, and weighed 'em.   2.4KG for the pair.  I suppose for a full height paratrooper boot in size 44, it's not actually outlandishly heavy.  But they do feel hefty for sure.
(Here are the same make / model boots in a recent ebay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295588238936)


Chances are I'll be either picking up something cheap (~£30) now, or wearing the chonky para boots next skirmish and hoping I get a job so I can treat myself to a pair of those Lowas (or something similarly fancy)

Edited by RostokMcSpoons
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Oh yeah, I've found my combat boots in the loft, and weighed 'em.   2.4KG for the pair.

 

That's divers boots lol.

You will know it after a day's skirmishing with them on🥵

 

Keep a look out on the bay cause viper boots do come up for sale now and again.

 

You can get them for less than £70 but it takes some searching.

I've only ever bought good condition used pairs for around the £25-30 pound mark.

 

But honestly they are sooo comfy.👍

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1 hour ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

Oh yeah, I've found my combat boots in the loft, and weighed 'em.   2.4KG for the pair.  I suppose for a full height paratrooper boot in size 44, it's not actually outlandishly heavy.  But they do feel hefty for sure.
(Here are the same make / model boots in a recent ebay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295588238936)

Oh god!  Those things!  Awful boots; heavy, uncomfortable and very basic.  I bought a pair once; they went back whence they came very rapidly.

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1 hour ago, RostokMcSpoons said:

(Here are the same make / model boots in a recent ebay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295588238936)

 

Mmm, after my Boots, Surplus, Assault, Gore-Tex, Kingdom, United wore the soles right through after a mere 6 years, I just took a punt on a pair of those Fallschirmjägermilitärstiefel, freshly resoled. They are chonky bois and no mistake, so I'll likely relegate them to motorbike use, and... uh... wear my motorbike boots for airsoft, I guess. 🤔

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8 minutes ago, EDcase said:

This tangent deserves its own thread.

~
Yes, sorry, that did occur to me halfway through proceedings - apologies.

 

I'll start one!

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19 minutes ago, EDcase said:

I wasn't complaining.  Just thought it was a pity that people might not find the interesting info and links about boots.

 

 

 

A very valid point!

Here's my new thread

 

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13 hours ago, Impulse said:

 

Another game that we didn't know about, but I don't think we could do two full weekends in a row (because money) and the Gunman ones take priority for us. 15 a side sounds like a blast though and glad that it was a great weekend. Here's hoping this coming weekend is good as well :D

 

(even if I feel a little called out by your moan about loadouts 😂)

 

I think that the best load out was the civilian in jeans and plain blue shirt.  I expect that is how millions of urban Vietnamese dressed in the 1970s!  

 

See you the weekend (until the game starts and you disappear...)

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