Recently, I have fallen in love with a classic and it’s one that might fit your needs as well. Don’t write me off immediately because the name of the boot is the Altama Leather Combat Boot, colloquially known to service members as the “All Leather”. We aren’t talking historical here, we are talking about something for modern-day use. And not as a Desert Storm Re-enactor.
In my day, only the super hooah dudes wore all leather boots. Because it was like 80% more boot you had to shine compared to a jungle boot. Which is even more significant when you woke up late to formation with a hangover and no haircut. So it might not have been the most common boot around, but enough were in service to prove the concept of durability and usefulness.
As black boots have gone the way of the white buffalo in favor of no shine desert or tan boots, the classics have been getting harder and harder to find. So I was stoked to see Altima still making this boot, in its original configuration. Why, as a long-retired guy with not one can of kiwi to my name, would I care?
Because the All Leather is one of the very few boots to have the looks to transition away from the VFW and into your everyday wardrobe. Provided you aren’t 19 and outside of Ft. Gordon/Camp Lejeune, the boot blends enough with a pair of jeans to look normal. In an age of leather motorcycle boots, it doesn’t really scream Veteran or wannabe. It slides right into normal dress without people asking if you are in need of the VA crisis line number.
And then we get to the benefits of this particular boot. First, it looks tough. Ever since they gelded Dr. Martens (go look at the soles, child of the 90’s, and scream in outrage), some of us have been looking for a replacement. Altama’s are Metal as the day is long, and no one can deny that.
Should the need arise to soul crush a door or give someone a Reebok shampoo, the Altima has a proven track record of being up to the task. The all-leather construction is very durable and will survive things like an asphalt dragging in a way nothing else could. The sole, while not ideal for mud, does an acceptable job in all-terrain, and is outstanding in the city.
Available in both width and size for real boys, this is one I hope never fades away. If you want to relive the grunge days, this one is for you.
Clay, are you riding a KLR650?
I use to wear mine bow hunting because it made climbing the trees easier than regular winter boots back in the day. And when it had snowed I wore my old East German snow camouflage with the green splotches on the white cotton with them because they would hang down over the boot.
I use to work for the original company (Altamaha Delta Corporation) that made both the jungle boot (green canvas and leather) and the NBN (all leather) boots your artical reference’s. It was located in McIntosh County, Georgia from the 60s into the late 80s when it was purchased and parted out by the company that bought it. It’s still owned by one of the people from the purchasing company and they produce the boots you have in Tennessee.
That’s Altama Detla Corp. Damn spell correct.
Ha! Im old enough to remember when we ran PT in our Corcoran jump boots. But Friday regimental runs we had a choice of wearing jungle boots- the worst boot ever designed for running on pavement or crawling around armor. That hard panama sole was just too slippery. “Jungle” is the key word for those boots.
I will wear rubber soled boots on a dirt bike, but wearing them on a street bike is asking for trouble. I see kids on street bikes wearing sneakers sometimes. If you got into a slide on the street with rubber soles and try to right the bike by putting your foot on the street surface, all that will happen is something breaks – usually part of your leg. Leather soles that will slide is the way to go.
ALTAMA boots????????? Not worth the time to break them in(if they last that long).
I’m looking at an ALTAMA boot that’s so new it’s not even broken in and already has a hole in the instep and the gore-tex liner is exposed.
I’ve contacted ALTAMA twice about the problem w/o a response. YMMV but mine are dog crap.
Your article made me laugh. I’ve been out the Marines since 1979 and I still wear military boots sometimes. I also wear leather cowboy boots because my old ass doesn’t feel like tying some laces and the 12 crews in my neck from a motorcycle wreck doesn’t help the situation. I enjoy going for walks when I have my military boots on, after I polish them of course or at least give them a good brushing. Black boots go with almost any pair of jeans. My cowboy boots are brown because I like a little variety..:) Semper Fi…:)