Bates Ultra-Lite 8″ Side-zip Tactical Boots Review

With winter fast approaching, I find myself going through the yearly ritual of pulling out my snow gear, and preparing for the coming cold. I’ve got the spark plugs changed on my car, got my heavy coats on, and I just slapped another coat of shoe shine on my boots. I’ve had these boots for about three years now, and wear them most of the year, sometimes alternating with a pair of sneakers. When searching for boots, there are several key features that you want to look for before committing to a purchase, because good boots are expensive, and rightly so, because if you take care of them, you can get a lot of life out of them.

Men’s Bates® Ultra-Lite 8″ Side-zip Tactical Boots

The key features you are looking for when looking for a heavy duty boot include:

• Having a side-zipper will enable you to quickly put on or remove the boots, but will not be as water proof as a boot without a side zip
• Being in warmer climates, you may want to find boots that absorb moisture (called “wicking”)
• Find boots with removable insoles… This will give you the ability to replace them when they are worn out, and/or buy high quality insoles to make them more comfortable
• Having a steel toe will help prevent injuries but you may want to consider non-metallic composite toe inserts to prevent your shoes from setting off metal detectors
• Keep your boot leather polished and shined to help make it last longer
• Replace your laces when they become frayed to prevent breakage
• Replace your insoles when they start to wear out for comfort. I’ve had mine for three years and I’m thinking they are due for a change.

Above all else, make sure to go to a store where you can try the boots on… You can find boots cheaper online, but you definitely want to make sure that you pick the right size. In my experience, boots tend to be about one size larger than what I’m used to wearing because they are taking into consideration that you may want to wear two pairs of socks (wool and cotton). I usually buy size 12 sneakers, but my boots are actually size 11′s and they fit me perfectly.