Bates Men's 11' Paratrooper Side Zip Boot

The size too big was amazing that i tried on for a day. I know the right size boot is going to be amazing. Ill upload before and after of polishing and stuff. I think these sre more comfortable especially for 12+ hours a days work than even my Justin's are :o and i love the Justin boots! These definitely are nice looks great with whatever. Hopefully the buttons and zippers are goodbto go when i get them and that everything is matching and we are good to go! I work 12 plus hour shifts in manufacturing so these boots are goood for anything i hike too.The bottom of the boot says oil resistant and they are in fact quite slip resistant if i might say so myself. I feel like it fits great like a cowboy boot but more snug and supportive.

Están muy bien solo que la talla es mucho más grande de lo que esperaba

Muy cómodas e ideal para el uniforme de Cazafantasmas

Very happyEasy to put on and comfortable. I have Doc Martens, which I love, but they take too long to get on.

These are nice boots for the price. I got them on a flash sale for 65$, couldn't go wrong. I cannot wear regular shoes if I will be standing for any length of time so (laugh if you wish) these boots will go fine with my black suits and tux. Wear Magnums all the time but they are too thick around the ankle to go well with dress pants. Likely I will buy another pair of these if I see them on sale again.

The delivery was on time. The boots were in perfect shape. I wanted a pair of boots that I could keep a nice mirror shine on, that were comfortable and were meant to last. I don't mind getting a great pair of boots resoled. The toes spit shined super easy and can hold a mirror shine with ease. I didn't care for the heal material as much but still not bad if you don't want to spend time polishing a heal. The leather was good quality. Breaking them in was not an issue as they were pretty comfortable from the start. I personally like to get polish worked into the leather to get them to break in easier. After two weeks of wear I did decide to get some Dr. Scholl's inserts and they fit and feel like a tennis shoe. I wear them for up to 8-10 hours at a time so I can honestly say they feel great. I read the reviews about the snaps popping off. You have to zip them up, snap them and then tie them. If you tie to tight the snaps do pop off. I guess this does keep me from make them too tight. I would recommend this boot for anyone wanting an all leather boot. As far as how long they hold up to long term wear and tear, we will have to see. I'm pretty hopefull from other reviews of this boot. At $99 a much better risk than good Cocherans at $150+.UPDATE. I have had these boots for about a year. Love them. I keep a mirror shine on them and they hold up super well to a LEO'S life on the street. Getting ready to order a second pair to switch off every other day. Haven't even had to resole the first pair yet. They broke in wonderfully.Second pair actually shined up quicker than the first pair. They look and feel fsntastic.

*Just a note that my purchase of these boots was mainly for style and comfort than for function. So I cannot comment on how they hold up as far as work-wear or day-in-day-out use. I wear them for the looks and the feel.*I have searched high and low for great combat/paratrooper style boots, I considered many brands, including Doc Martins and Demonia (a gothic style brand), none of which fit properly or had much in the way of size options. I even went so far as to import some from the UK (Grinders) but these Bates are unparalleled.They fit like a charm, but I did have to make sure to measure my feet to get the exact right size. Boot sizing is a tricky thing. The Grinders I bought (Herald model) did not fit due to a mistake on my part in measuring; but regardless, those only come in whole sizes and you cannot choose different widths, similar to the Docs and Demonia boots. So I knew I would not find the right fit anyway since it turns out I wear a wide (EE) and not the 'standard' medium (D) width. So despite liking the look of the Grinders just a bit more than these since they are a dull wax-finished leather (satin black) all over, as well as other small stylistic differences, I can confidently say these Bates are much better overall.For one thing, the zipper sides are a HUGE plus, since lacing up boots tall boots like this every time I want to put them on or take them off is a no-go. That could be fine for concerts or going out for the night, but since we take our shoes off in homes here in Canada, forget lacing up 14-hole boots every time you go in or out of someone's place! These are tie once, never again. Love it. They also do look quite nice with the shiny accents on the toe and back; I've come to like it more and more.One shortcoming I find is that I wish they had more eyelets and no 'gap' part way up the lacing, it makes them look a bit messy and limits the type of lacing styles you can do. I wanted to do ladder style lacing but that didn't work out due to the gap (also due to the fact that the laces that come with them just aren't long enough, so I would have to buy longer laces to do special lacing like that). The Grinders were a bit better in that respect. But there is no substitute for a perfect fit, and as someone who wears runners most of the time, these are close to as comfortable as runners.I also considered the Corocans and the Rocky zip-side combat boots; it was pretty much a toss-up between the 3, except for some small stylistic differences; I liked the look of the Corocans better than the Rockys, but to be honest, being in Canada and not 100% confident of what the fit was going to be like, and returns being very pricey, I rolled the dice on the ones that were cheapest in my size (you may notice that they vary in price as to the size, I'm not sure why), so it ended up being the Bates. I'm glad it was. Next time I may try out the Corocans as well, they are about $30 more though.Anyway overall these are a great boot, and from other reviews I've read, they hold up quite well so I'm looking forward to that. BTW, these do not have a steel toe, so take that into consideration. The Grinders I bought did, but since I'm not using them for anything that requires a steel toe, it's actually a good thing that these do not, as it makes them lighter.*Edit - as of Mar. 2014 - I've worn these to several concerts and they have been great. They didn't leave me wishing I'd worn runners for sure: they help protect your feet out on the floor and look badass while doing it, plus they don't have a steel toe so if security had any issue with that you'd be in the clear (I haven't had any problems with that so far). The only issue I have is that the shiny parts get a bit scuffed and it's hard to keep them looking new. That's a small caveat though, and I can still highly recommend these.