Garmont/Extreme Outfitters T-8 desert/jungle boots

[jmjennings]

i'm interested in trying a pair of these. garmont is a class outfit, i love their telemark ski boots. i also hear good things about their civilian hiking boots, though i haven't worn any.
but i believe garmont is kinda new to the tactical boot scene, so before i shell out i'd like to hear some feedback from anyone who may already have worn a pair. thx ...

[tony_vernetti]

We sell the full line of Altama and Bates boots, but the Garmont T-8 boots outsell any individual model of them by far. They are very well made boots... then again, I sell them so of course I'm going to say that! I welcome any additional feedback on them.

Tony

[jmjennings]

tony, thanks for your input -- and honesty!

possibly a dumb question: when you say 'we sell' and 'i sell,' i assume you run the navySEAL.com store?

also though i forgot to mention it, i'd like to hear feedback on the T-6 too. but i'm leaning toward the T-8 because -- if/when i go back on active duty -- it's more likely to be authorized for wear while in uniform. thanks -- jj

[tony_vernetti]

Sorry. I need to add a signature to this. I'm the manager of the NavySEALs.com Store. So when I say "we sell" I mean the store.

The T6 is build much like a high-end hiking boot, the sort you would pay $190 for at REI. It has a nice padded collar, a reinforced toe... very rugged and comfortable. Thr T8 has a high collar, better for keeping out debris. It is a little lighter. We sell more of the T8, probably because of the price point, but I'd rather wear the T6.

Tony

[MP5ffr]

Hey hope this helps,
I am using both T6 and T8. The T6 is everyday:cool:
I really like the T8 but the left boot, roller eyelet at the crease in the lace puts a pressure spot on the top of my arch. I sent them back for the next larger size and it still is a pressure spot, just not as much. I keep my left boot a little loose compared to my right. I tested them after and no worries!
I would recommend both.

[jmjennings]

thanks again guys -- i appreciate your advice.

[jmjennings]

I bought the T8s about 5-6 weeks ago and broke 'em in on short hikes -- 1 to 1-1/2 hrs -- three times a week, for a coupla weeks, on moderately hilly dirt roads in the old mining district E of my home. I made it a point to hike briskly, carrying a 50-55 lb ruck: I have learned thru bitter experience that I can't break boots in for load-bearing WITHOUT load-bearing. In the past I have 'broken in' boots by running and just wearing em around ... then I don a ruck and suddenly sprout horrific blisters where I never even had a hot spot before. [Maybe we are really talking about breaking in my feet].

Anyway the big test was an overnight backpacking trip over 2 weeks ago, in extremely rough country -- desert mtns ENE of Phoenix. My ruck probably was 40-45 lb. My route ran at first for about 4 miles along a jeep trail. In southern AZ, these look inviting from a distance. But they suck to walk on, because they are adapted for 4WD tires not feet. Their surface is generally a loose treacherous slurry of fist- to head-sized rocks that roll and slip underfoot. Then my route turned to a foot trail. It was well marked with rock cairns, but the path was barely visible due to lack of recent use. So in places, instead of 'hiking' I was just 'bushwhacking' from cairn to cairn, along steep rocky brushy desert slopes.

I was concerned the T8s wouldn't provide enough ankle support in that kind of terrain, but they did fine. They were also very comfortable: I got one puny mild hot spot on the 'bunion' of my R foot-- which I always get, even with my beloved civilian Merrells. I just paused for a snack and slapped some duct tape on the hot spot.

At one point, I crossed a stream bed and slipped into a shallow pool I was trying to hop over. I got 'em both wet; it was over my boot tops so the insides, and my socks, got wet too. However, the boots dried so quickly that my concern about more and bigger hot spots due to wet feet proved baseless.

Even on my short break-in hikes, I often sweat through the nylon lining into the leather. So I have been treating the T8s at least weekly with silicone-based 'Wet-Pruf' spray. BTW -- the manufacturers at 'Extreme Outfitters' in NC [whom I contacted before I bought these from NSC] warned me that if I DIDN'T treat them regularly, the leather would soon crack.

The T8s are of simple but proven design, reminiscent of traditional jungle boot, only with rough-out leather and something called 'DD diamesh' nylon instead of canvas [or heavier, hotter Cordura]. Also, the sole pattern is more aggressive than the old 'mud soles' and hence better suited to rugged dry terrain.

The T8s are nowhere near as lavishly engineered as, say, the Danner TFX hot weather boot; and are correspondingly cheaper. That said, so far I have NO complaints about the T8. They withstood the test of hiking for 16 hrs with a moderate load over rough country, much of it trackless. Simplicity hath its virtues.

One last note: Just like my Garmont telemark boots, the T8s seem to run a little loose. I wouldn't dare go narrower than D or regular width. But I could probably have bought 'em a half-size shorter than usual. That didn't occur to me, so I ended up putting Dr Scholl foam pads under the manufacturer's insole, and wearing a thin liner sock under a midweight Cabela's coolmax hiking sock. That seemed to do the trick.

[tony_vernetti]

jmjennings,
Thanks for the great, and honest feedback about the Garmont T6 Boots!

Tony