Boots / shoes to wear with your flight jacket s...

[Obscurator]

I don't generally go for anything that even faintly reminds me of my schooldays and the sports which I detested, but was compelled to engage in, and therefore haven't worn anything like trainers or gym shoes, ever since.

However, I do very much like the look of those, particularly that nicely-understated colour scheme and they're not made in China, which is a big bonus as far as I'm concerned. The price against the specification is excellent value.

Being in the UK, I'll have to find out where and how I can get my hands on some; or more precisely, get my feet into a pair.

 

[B-Man2]

I’ve read several accounts of specs ops personnel particularly Seal Team operators who related that they often carried a second pair of light weight canvas foot wear in their ruck sacks , that could dry quickly and be utilized in different terrain. Their preference was Black Converse High Tops like the ones pictured below.

 

[Smithy]

I've used Palladiums for decades and just love them when it comes to these kinds of canvas boots.

Everyone is different but I wouldn't be without a pair. The nearest pair in the photo are from 2014 and have been been worn every year and have been used countless times to kick a soccer/football round and to also kick an Aussie Rules football round. Getting a bit beaten up but still hanging in there.

 

[Cocker]

I’ve read several accounts of specs ops personnel particularly Seal Team operators who related that they often carried a second pair of light weight canvas foot wear in their ruck sacks , that could dry quickly and be utilized in different terrain. Their preference was Black Converse High Tops like the ones pictured below.

Indeed, they used Chucks in Vietnam, but also UDT coral shoes that were somewhat like sneakers. It must be said that SEAL teams in late Vietnam war did a lot of non-conventional stuff, equipment wise. Even for SEAL teams! Like wearing jeans, sneakers, going barefoot... Even their issued gear was "special", like the Stoner 63, the float coats, Mk.22 "Hush Puppies"... This was especially true for ST1 IIRC.

 

[johnwayne]

Been a Chucks fan since early 70’s where in London UK there was only one shop to buy them, £5.00 back then! Showing my age but not so happy how the world and his wife wears them now when I know mine are original good old made in the USA ones!

 

[JonnyCrow]

Been a Chucks fan since early 70’s where in London UK there was only one shop to buy them, £5.00 back then! Showing my age but not so happy how the world and his wife wears them now when I know mine are original good old made in the USA ones!

I've seen a photo somewhere of original chucks been worn at 1936 Olympics

 

[herk115]

Standard issue Belleville flying boots when I'm wearing the "zoom bag", and one pair of leather 8/P's for old time's sake. Off-the-shelf Nike Air Jordans when in civvies. Haven't needed anything else.

 

[flyincowboy]

Corcoran jump boots " marauders" nice green canvas& leather boots very light and comfortable. love them avaliable in sage usaf green black and coyote tan

 

[blackrat2]

Smithy, thanks for bringing Palladium’s to my attention, I have also mostly fallen in the Converse camp but the newer stuff is not anywhere on parr with the older US made ones.
I have one pair of US made, no idea of age but my newer ones the soles are coming away just as Jan described
The waxed Palladium’s have initially caught my eye, the soles certainly look more “up for” the British climate and will look pretty nice with jeans and an A2, UK site which is a bonus given how things are here currently

 

[Flightengineer]

By the way, do you know that the Palladium borrowed the design from the legendary French Pataugas army sneakers from the WW2?

By order of the French Intendance (Quartermaster Service) in the Far East (l'Intendance en Extrême Orient), in the early 1950s, the first model of canvas boots with rubber soles for use in hot climates ("Chaussures de brousse", literally "boots for bush"). These early boots were dark olive green in color, their structural seams were covered with stitched black cotton ribbons, black cotton laces were threaded into aluminum eyelets, and the black rubber sole was relatively thin and smelly, spreading a strong rubber smell around. The upper structure of the boot is reinforced with metal rivets at the base of the lacing system.This early model was further used at the beginning of the war in Algeria.

By 1952, there were several modifications of these boots, and they were produced both by military industry plants and by private manufacturers (contractors of the French Ministry of Defense). The main requirement was the ability to meet the requirements for materials and quality established by the military terms of reference.

French canvas boots with rubber soles received the original name "Pataugas". The term is derived from the French phrase "Pat au gas" (namely "pâte au gaz", i.e. "treatment of rubber with gas"), which in turn gave the name to the company that first developed the manufacturing process for this type of footwear. The rubber-soled canvas boots "Pataugas" were created on August 24, 1950 by René Elissabid, a French inventor of Basque origin, whose name can be translated from Basque as "the way to the church" ("le chemin de l'église" in French).

He lived in the small town of Moleón Sul, the capital of the smallest of the seven Basque provinces, located at the foot of the Pyrenees. There, under really improvised conditions, he conducted his experiments by heating rubber paste on a gas stove to combine it with the canvas tops of light boots. The idea for such shoes came to Rene back in the 1930s, when in a small village somewhere in the Roncal valley, he saw Spanish children making a semblance of traditional local abarcas boots from old car tires fastened to their feet with ropes. These scenes are not uncommon in Spain, which was devastated after the Civil War in the second half of the 1930s. At that time, he created and improved the technology of rubber processing and called it "Girodier", as a result of which he managed to create shoes like "Règum", a simplified prototype of future "patogasses" - simpler canvas boots with rubber soles, and he put the markings with his initials - "PE" + "gum" (sole material).

Rene returned to the idea of light canvas boots with rubber soles after the war, in 1948, when he returned from a trip to the United States. He has thought of the details of some lightweight yet durable boots suitable for heavy use in the field. During the first two years, the earliest prototype models of the Pataugi were produced, which are widely known today throughout the world. An interesting fact: "Pataugex" and "Patagom", early trial versions of the name "Pataugas" did not survive and were rejected, so almost no one remembers them today. René came up with a rather witty slogan for these early Pataugui models: "Je n'évite pas les flaques. Je les cherry! "(fr. "I never go around puddles, I'm looking for them!"). The success was immediate and impressive! If in 1949 only 10 workers worked at Rene's factory, by the mid-1950s the number of workers had increased 40 times!

And the factory has proven its ability to fulfill orders on time, especially for the French armed forces, which have signed a contract to supply shoes for French soldiers and legionnaires sent to Indochina and Algeria. The advantages and convenience of pataug were quickly appreciated by potential consumers, and these boots became the favorite footwear of several generations of warriors and tourists. These signature boots were among the few used in the 1950s and 1960s by the Algerian FLN guerrillas.


I've been Converse fan for decades (always lots of pairs of different colors but I always put in an orthopedic insole to make these shoes comfortable to walk on).

However, I recently bought a local replica Pataugas (closer Palladium version). These are incredible sneakers for walking through the forest and fields with my dogs.

 

[flyincowboy]

AS french been hearding this story decades ago , when i was a kid i did wear tan pataugas but now forgot about them...Why not getting a pair for this summer?

 

[NoCypher]

Hello Everyone,

here is what i like to wear sometimes...

these are M43 combat boots ( Reproduction of course ) very comfortable boots

 

[John Luder]

Hello Everyone,

here is what i like to wear sometimes...

these are M43 combat boots ( Reproduction of course ) very comfortable boots



View attachment 112265

View attachment 112269

These look pretty good, who are they from?
Thanks,
John

 

[Smithy]

However, I recently bought a local replica Pataugas (closer Palladium version). These are incredible sneakers for walking through the forest and fields with my dogs.

The French canvas boots are awesome Dmitry. Comfortable, rugged, good instep support. Like I said I would never be without at least a couple of pairs. Better than Converse IMO.

The white soled Palladium shoes make excellent sailing shoes - good grip when wet and won't mark the deck.

 

[Flightengineer]

The French canvas boots are awesome Dmitry. Comfortable, rugged, good instep support. Like I said I would never be without at least a couple of pairs. Better than Converse IMO.

The white soled Palladium shoes make excellent sailing shoes - good grip when wet and won't mark the deck.

Agree, Tim, but they are incomparable. I wear only low Converse and they are just lightweight summer shoes. And the French ones are like desert boots, more boots than sneakers. I'll take pictures of mine tomorrow.

 

[NoCypher]

Hello John,

the online-shop i bought my boots from has unfortunately closed permanently.

these here look close: https://shop.militaryrange.eu/product/u-s-m43-combat-boots-sand-repro-18541000

i cant say if these are the same..my boots have no company markings in them...
below is what they have stamped in, i think these are the "original" markings these boots had when they were produced for WW2

 

[Smithy]

Agree, Tim, but they are incomparable. I wear only low Converse and they are just lightweight summer shoes. And the French ones are like desert boots, more boots than sneakers. I'll take pictures of mine tomorrow.

What I find impressive about Palladiums (apart from how comfortable they are) is how I often wear them to kick a football or Aussie Rules footy around with my son. Most casual shoes, Converse included, fall apart pretty quickly with that kind of use. But the Palladiums just soldier on. That sand coloured suede pair above have been kicking footballs around for going on 9 years without failure.

Actually out of all the pairs of Palladiums I've had over the years, not one has suffered the sole separating from the upper.

Bloody great boots/shoes and boy do you get your money's worth out of them.

 

[B-Man2]

What I find impressive about Palladiums (apart from how comfortable they are) is how I often wear them to kick a football or Aussie Rules footy around with my son. Most casual shoes, Converse included, fall apart pretty quickly with that kind of use. But the Palladiums just soldier on. That sand coloured suede pair above have been kicking footballs around for going on 9 years without failure.

Actually out of all the pairs of Palladiums I've had over the years, not one has suffered the sole separating from the upper.

Bloody great boots/shoes and boy do you get your money's worth out of them.

Tim
Can you post a link for the place where you get yours from ? Or is there one brand of maker that is sort of the GW for these boots? I’ve seen different ones that were cheaply made and the soles peeled off as well . If I could find a quality pair I’d jump on them.
Cheers Mate

 

[Smithy]

Tim
Can you post a link for the place where you get yours from ? Or is there one brand of maker that is sort of the GW for these boots? I’ve seen different ones that were cheaply made and the soles peeled off as well . If I could find a quality pair I’d jump on them.
Cheers Mate

I haven't bought any since we were still living in Oz where I bought them online from Styletread.com.au.

If the soles were peeling off then they were guaranteed Chinese or Indo-China knock-offs. I have never had a genuine pair of Palladiums separate the sole from the upper since my first pair in '89.

There should be a US distributor Burt. When I get another pair (and I'm probably going to get another couple of pairs soon) I'll go for the European distributor.

If you go official you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Smithy]

Proper Palladium soles are very chunky and extremely hard wearing Burt. Here you can see the kind of wear these have accumulated over 9 years. The lining on the inside is shot but they're still wearable.

That much wear and with also booting footballs around and still going!

Bloody love the things.