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As I have spent time scouring the internet looking for ways to help people using the knowledge I have gained from over a decade of military service. There is a question I keep stumbling upon and I’d like to throw my two cents in on the subject. Now the question can be worded multiple different ways, but the question generally sounds something like this: Are tactical boots good for hiking? or

Can I use tactical boots for hiking? or

What’s better for hiking tactical boots or hiking boots? something along those lines. Now you might be surprised by this answer, or not, but the answer is…YES!!! (military humour, sorry)

YES!!! TACTICAL BOOTS ARE EXTREMELY GOOD FOR HIKING!!!

YES!!! YOU CAN USE TACTICAL BOOTS FOR HIKING!!!

And yes, as to which boot is better for hiking or for that sake trekking and mountain climbing as well.

And, Yes, to the last question because other than some minor design differences and potentially the target sales audience… EACH TYPE OF BOOT WAS CREATED TO EXCEL IN NEARLY IDENTICAL ROLES!!!

Tactical boots were originally designed and created for soldiers. Your front line, combat arms soldiers. That means infantry, armoured, combat engineers, and elite forces. These were the guys finding the enemy, fighting the enemy, and destroying the enemy, on their own two feet and perhaps treads or wheels if they were armoured.

These tasks had to be accomplished regardless of how demanding and unforgiving the terrain and conditions were.

Fighting through dirt, water, mud, and blood; hard pack or soft pack, urban or rural, scaling hills and mountains, descending into valleys and gorges, whether freezing cold or burning hot, rain or shine, and these warriors did it…on foot!

Hiking boots were originally designed and created for your avid outdoorsmen.

The individuals whom you might find climbing Mount Everest, trekking through the Sahara Desert, or hiking the Grand Canyon. These explorers accomplished these feats regardless of how demanding and unforgiving the terrain and conditions were.

Fighting through dirt, water, mud, and blood; hard pack or soft pack, jagged cliffs or scorching sands, whether freezing cold or burning hot, rain or shine, and these great enjoyers of nature, did it…on foot!

Sounds pretty darn similar, doesn’t it?

So what does that mean? Well, as it relates to the three questions above, it means…an unequivocal YES! and yes to far more than just those three questions!

Tactical boots are made to excel everywhere (other than maybe a ballroom or formal dinner)….and so are hiking boots!!! (GASP)

So, let’s do a COMPLETE SIDE BY SIDE comparison of the two styles. Below, I’ve laid out the intricacies of these two types of boots, so you can see all the aspects of both styles of boots in an easily listed format.

THE BIG COMPARISON

PURPOSE

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION

UPPER

The “Upper” part of either boot is everything from the sole up.

MIDSOLE

The midsole lies squished between the outer sole and the upper and is almost exclusively meant to help with cushioning and support.

OUTSOLE

The outsole or outer sole is the section of the boot below the upper. This part is what’s in contact with the ground.

You can see from the comparison tactical boots and hiking boots in materials and construction are nearly identical!… Identical!!!

They are two styles of boots which although have different origin stories, were created to fulfill the same need; the need to let people go anywhere anytime with the ultimate comfort and protection. The tactical community simply took it one way while civilians took it another.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

I did say at the beginning there were a few minor differences. So, what are those differences?…

• Colour: That’s right, colour. Although this is truly a minor issue as far as the quality and functionality of the boot, it is a huge issue for tactical boots for two reasons:
  
  1. Militaries, police forces, and first responders generally have strict dress regulations that need to be adhered to while in uniform and functioning in an official capacity.
     
     The boots they wear must fit all the requirements of their dress regs. A few pairs of boots that fit those dress regs are the Belleville C320 One Xero Combat Boots, the Garmont Men’s T8 Bifida Tactical Boot, and the Lowa R-8S GTX Patrol.
     
  2. and tactical boots are meant to be tactical. That means they need to give the wearer a strategic advantage over the opposing force. If tactical boots are all kinds of random bright colours, they would stick out like a sore thumb in combat environments.
     
     So, for this reason, tactical boots are usually, black, tan, or coyote brown, to match the camouflage of the soldier’s uniform and to blend in with the surroundings.
     
• Upper Height: Tactical boots are never regular shoe height like a hiking shoe would be. Tactical boots are most commonly 8″ – 10″ high. This is the required height for most military dress regulations.
  
  From a functionality standpoint, it offers greater ankle support and safety. However, the Canadian Armed Forces also allow a 6″ boot to be worn, as well as both American and Canadian Special Forces.

WHICH STYLE DO I PICK?

Before I joined the military and really knew about tactical gear, I would have picked hiking boots. I did own numerous pairs of hiking boots and they worked great. But that was before my mindset changed and my knowledge grew. Now, I would almost always choose tactical boots!

Not because they’re made with better material, cause they’re not and not because the construction is better, because it isn’t (as shown in my tables above).

I would choose tactical boots cause of those small differences. Having a higher upper helps when walking through wet and/or sharp dense foliage. As well, I also like having that tactical advantage of being able to blend in any environment because I don’t have bright stand-out colours all over my boots.

MYTHS & FACTS

Myth #1: Tactical boots are not made for comfort or tactical boots are not that comfortable.

Fact #1: Tactical boots for the most part are EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE! Now, like anything you shouldn’t make large generalized statements as they won’t inherently be very accurate.

Some manufacturers may focus more on one aspect over another, but if they completely missed out on something like comfort, no soldier would buy their boots. So, like any footwear, some tactical boots are more comfortable than others, but all are generally comfortable.

Some manufacturers of boots such as Lowa, GORUCK, and Garmont pride themselves on how comfortable their boots are!

I can testify from first-hand knowledge as I have owned three different pairs of Lowa boots and they are some of the ABSOLUTELY MOST COMFORTABLE BOOTS I have ever worn!

I would argue that something like %80 of soldiers even when they’re off work and at home wear their boots around because of how comfy they are.

The soles are like pillows in these boot brands and many others!

Myth #2: Tactical boots are generally hard to break in or tactical boots take a while to break in.

Fact #2: This is NOT true. This again is a very poor and very broad statement that comes with some truths and some lies. Hiking boots or tactical boots can take a while to break in or break in very quickly, it all depends on the material the upper is made out of. Split grain leather is soft and is pretty darn easy to brake in and it brakes in pretty quickly.

Full grain leather is much thicker and stiffer therefore harder to brake in and it can take longer. Hiking boots and tactical boots both use these two different styles of leather. So regardless of whether they’re tactical boots or hiking, if they use full grain leather they’ll be harder to break in and if they use split grain leather they’ll be easier to break in.

CONCLUSION

Yes, tactical boots can be worn for hiking, trekking, climbing, and every other rough task you could imagine. That’s literally what they were made for! They are made with the best materials and have years of field and combat experience proving their quality.

However, hiking boots are made equally as tough! Same material, the same general construction, intended for the same rough activity in the same environment (minus the bullets).

Even then, it is not uncommon for the elite members of the military to wear regular ankle-high hiking boots for great speed and agility as they move through rough terrain.

I have offered links throughout, to only the top-tier tactical boots. In case you would like a few more, here they are:

• Danner Scorch Military and Tactical Boot – Amazon
• Belleville Tactical Research Khyber TR550 – Amazon
• Lowa Zephyr MK2 Hi TF Tactical Boot – Lowa Website
• Propper 100 Series Tactical Boot – Amazon
• Garmont T8 Bifida Tactical Boot – Amazon

Check out my article “Toughest Tactical Boots of 2022: Conquer Every Challenge” for some of the best tactical boots money can buy.

So wear your tactical boots whenever you go to the field and take solace in knowing that your feet will be protected and your footing sure no matter where you are.

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