Sage Green Uniform Boots

AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, 28 May 2015.

6.4.3.2.  Sage Green Boots.  Will be worn with the Airman battle uniform, the battle dress uniform or the flight duty uniform.  Boots will be sage green, lace up with plain rounded toe or rounded capped toe with or without a perforated seam.  A zipper or elastic inserts may be worn; however, if worn, they will be without design.  Green boots can be either with or without a safety toe.

There are always a lot of questions about boots, so here is my personal take after wearing them for the past decade (the sage green ones anyways).  My links are for Amazon but shop around because there are multiple sources online.  I would personally go with U.S. Patriot Tactical or Kellac.

Men’s Corcoran 10″ Marauder Boots Sage Green, SAGE GREEN, 9

U.S. Patriot Tactical:  $159.99
Kellac:  $169.95

These probably aren’t very popular anymore but I wore them for 5-6 years.  They are the same as the old-school black leather version for BDUs but on these the toe, heel, and material which holds the lace eyelets is made of suede leather.  The leather is sewn onto nylon-type material so it breathes fairly well, but this also means they are not water resistant.  My biggest complaint with these boots is that the sole was very soft so it wore out after about a year.  It wore completely through so my foot was sticking through the bottom after 18 months or so, so after two pairs I gave them up for good.

Nike SFB 8″ Sage/Sage 329798-200 Men’s Special Field Army Tactics Boots (7.5 D(M) US)

U.S. Patriot Tactical:  $150

After I got sick of the Corcoran Marauders I switched to the old generation Nike SFBs.  These boots were extremely comfortable and light-weight.  There lower part was made entirely of suede leather so they were a little more water resistant, and the upper portion and the tongue was made of that nylon material.  They were so comfortable it almost felt like I was wearing slippers, but I only ended up wearing these for 3-4 years.

My complaints for these boots was that the laces wore through the tongue of the boot.  I don’t know if it was how I laced them or what, but on two different pairs the friction of the crossed laces wore clean through the thin nylon material of the tongue.  My second complaint was the sole wore out after 12-18 months just like the Marauders.  I guess I am tough on boots but I worked in an office so in my opinion boots should last longer than that.  Honestly I think it has something to do with the green rubber they are made of.

Oakley Mens Light Assault Boot 2 Boots, Sage, 11

U.S. Patriot Tactical:  $150

I got really sick of the soles of my boots wearing out, so I looked for a more durable option.  My complaint about almost every boot on the market is that they are heavy.  I am sure it is all relative after getting used to the Nike SFBs, but I grew accustomed to the weight so I wanted to try to find a boot that had a similar weight.  I tried Danner, Rocky Mountain, and Reebok but they were on the heavy side and none jumped out at me.  My impression of the Belleville boots is that they are the ones that are normally issued so they are bulky and generic.  After I stumbled upon these boots I was surprised that they were just as light as the Nike’s.  The main difference between the two is the soles on the Oakley’s are much more solid material so they hold their form better, but since they are still light they are the bets of both worlds.

Fell free to comment with other recommendations and I’ll add them to this post.  The best information will be from prior enlisted Airmen in the Facebook groups or on the forums.  One thing to remember, however, is that people are particular about their boots so 90% of what you hear is their opinion.  At some point you will just have to throw a pair on your feet and decide for yourself what you like.