Jackboots (Landser outfitters, how do they hold up?)

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

those repros look like wellington boots

stick with the wacht boots just neats foot them every day and they will give

i have had the same jackboots for 9 years had them resoled last year they will last another 30 years now

i too have calfs like a rhino

now thats a good idea kkk - I'll ask the cobbler to try and stretch them for me!

[Parsifal]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %26otn%3D4

This is not expensive for a pair of jackboots, for example the crappy sturm ones are E150!

Are these of good quality, and how do they fit? wide shaft? I have " muscular" (fat) calves...

I've heard Landser's are pretty bad. For a while they were selling these boots with crap leather and hobnails that looked like cheap carpet tacks. These seem to be an "upgrade".
The Sturm ones are quite crappy also. After throwing away good money on those uncomfortable shitty ATF boots, I finally decided to buy and convert a pair
of wachtbatallion ones with hobnails from bunkermilitaria. 100% accurate boots? no, but the WB look a hell of a lot better. Also, at the end of the day I have all my
hobnails intact and my feet don't feel like I've walked through broken glass.

[Sturmgeist]

I owned a pair of those jackboots and I'm telling you, they're shitty! The hobnails are like tacs. The leather is this weird Indian artificial stuff. I also own a pair of Sturm jackboots which arent AS shitty but are still horrible. If you're going to get reproduction well made footwear, go with Eric Grigsby, RAU (if he still makes them), or Lost Battalions. Also try Tom Mattimore!

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

I owned a pair of those jackboots and I'm telling you, they're shitty! The hobnails are like tacs. The leather is this weird Indian artificial stuff. I also own a pair of Sturm jackboots which arent AS shitty but are still horrible. If you're going to get reproduction well made footwear, go with Eric Grigsby, RAU (if he still makes them), or Lost Battalions. Also try Tom Mattimore!

Thanks. I'll just have to spend around 200 per pair. Sucks but it's the most important part of your kit.

[Sturmgeist]

You really want something thats made of quality if you're going to be using them alot. Always keep in mind that your footwear take the biggest beating. I have a pair of Eric Grigsby lowboots and they are well worth the price!

[Peiper]

Gruss gott kameraden
Seeing as we are on the thread of boots
Ive got some Bundy jackboots which ive been thinking about getting resoled and
heeled in leather for a while now (but haven't got round to it )
Ive also got a set of original boot iron mongery (studs heel irons etc).
Would it be easy to attach the iron mongery myself or would i need to ask
the cobbler, only im a bit dubious about asking a cobbler to do it incase it
turns out to look crap
Any advice

Regards P.

[Sturmgeist]

Talk to a cobbler.

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

And bring photographs of original footwear. Also find the oldest cobbler in town (Mine was 73 when he quit last year)

[Schuetze Arsch]

Schuetze Arsch> Are you basing your writings on experience or by "reenactors expertise" collected on internet pages?
Please re-read what I wrote.

Mikkel, I have my personal experience with the Sturm-boots. I started with the collecting
of WW2 militaria a long time before any WW2 internet-forum exist. Belive me or not, I had
enough original WW2 collectors items and reproductions in my hands, so I think that I am
more then able to assess which repros sucks or not .

[Peiper]

And bring photographs of original footwear. Also find the oldest cobbler in town (Mine was 73 when he quit last year)

Thanks for the advice gents

[BaggyPants]

I bought a pair of wachtbattalion boots at the weekend and, comparing them to actual WWII issue, I can see virtually no difference in shape. Some of the WWII boots have a flatter toe, but others are practically identical. I'd sooner have a pair of these than a repro pair that won't hold up to abuse. I had a pair of RAUs more expensive low boots a few years ago and, lovely though they were to look at, they weren't that good for use. On mine, the brass lace hooks bent like butter and the leather inside the heel irons was incredibly soft and came away from the heel the first time it got wet, even though they had been treated correctly with dubbin etc. The glue used was terrible. I'd rather spend £50-£60 on boots which are designed to be used and are incredibly well built than £160+ on a pair of marschstieffel that might fall apart.

[Franz repper]

I have a pair of RAUs boots that have lasted very well I use them for all our weekend machies and training events . The only problem I had was when I fell in the lake at -30c some of the studs came out LOL

[Mikkel]

I bought a pair of wachtbattalion boots at the weekend and, comparing them to actual WWII issue, I can see virtually no difference in shape.

The heel section is completely wrong compared to WW2 issue. On the wacht they go straight down, where on originals they go a bit in. I think someone made a photo comparison on AHF some time back.
Also they are full smooth side out, where we know that (the majority of) ww2 issue are rough out lower and smooth out upper.
Plus the way the soles are stiched to the upper.

[BaggyPants]

If anyone gets that close to the underneath of my boots, it'll be because I'm stamping on their face. Don't suppose they'll care too much that the heel isn't flush with the boot and the stitching's a bit different Seems that officers boots and private purchase boots had the heel stepped out anyway in most cases.

[BaggyPants]

http://www.grigsbymilitaria.com/german_footwear.htm

Seems that Grigsbys repros also have the wacht type stepped out heel:



And their toes are nothing like The wachtbattalion boot on the left compares far better with the original in the middle than their repro on the right.

The Lost Battalions ones look the best: http://www.lostbattalions.com/german33- ... Boots.html

But at $450 ( about £300), they'd better do

I'll stick with my solid, not going to fall apart or let water in, £50 boots