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

[LV426]

Hi @LV426 Yves,

THX for sharing!

I own a very early pair of ATF boondockers as well as Service boots. They must be more than 10 yrs old but have not been used yet.

Back then the BOONIEs have been extremely wide - sole was the standard Army-version (yeah ATF admitted it was too expensive to copy those cord-soles) so not that convincing.

I will try to grab some pics as soon as i'm back home ...

What's your opinion Yves about to most accurate repops on the market?

As from photos that i see its SMWholesale???

WW2 IMPRESSIONS even had USMC-para boots in roughout. Unfortunately i was too slow to order and when i decided to pull the trigger my size was sold out ...To add some thoughs , I found these pics on the WWII imp site about rough out and bonndockers soles. The soles of the B corded soles were from Dr sole ( I did not know that ! ) and the type 3 heels are the same as the one I found on Etsy ( Biltrite , made in Canada as it is indicate on Etsy , but shiped from HK )

I found these repros rough oput jump boots , but ... I would not go for and wait for a miracle to find some nice one second hand . Here is the link from ebay .
And about other repros , I just go to the "reenactors " specialist repro maker/seller , I see some post here of really intersting service shoes or boundockers from modern brands , perhaps even accurate as good repros.

WW2 USMC Paramarine Jump boots, leather boots | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WW2 USMC Paramarine Jump boots, leather boots at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[LV426]

I don't think ATF and Buzz are not on the same level of details & quality, Even though Corcoran (Carolina shoes) knows how to make boots for sure.

For the price I could try ATF but Buzz really gets my attention for accuracy and details.

Hey ! I just retreive a review I was searching for. A very interesting way to compare OG and repros . Yes , BR are better than ATF. One thing that makes the difference , my taste , is the rounded counter heel that BR reproduce ( like some nice heritage modern boots ) an that I don't see on ATF / Corcoran repros , even the jump boots . It's just a detail , but like for members here are arguing about "small" details on repro A2 ,, I feel the same about the boots PS : The jump boots are mine , the left is a modern from ATF / Corcoran and the right is an original named from 1943 Corcoran ( I choose to resole them with a 90° heel instead of the 45°)
The type2 pics are from web sites . Too bad BR does makes them anymore .. perhaps some days ?

BOOT OF THE DAY | #67 | WWII US ARMY & AAF M-42 SERVICE SHOES

sensational detailed views from MASH’s reproduced WWII US ARMY & AAF M-42 SERVICESHOES. i never saw such a fine information about a boot. really great. especially the comparisonbetween or…

lifetimegear.de

 

[LV426]

Hi @LV426 Yves,

THX for sharing!

I own a very early pair of ATF boondockers as well as Service boots. They must be more than 10 yrs old but have not been used yet.

Back then the BOONIEs have been extremely wide - sole was the standard Army-version (yeah ATF admitted it was too expensive to copy those cord-soles) so not that convincing.

I will try to grab some pics as soon as i'm back home ...

What's your opinion Yves about to most accurate repops on the market?

As from photos that i see its SMWholesale???

WW2 IMPRESSIONS even had USMC-para boots in roughout. Unfortunately i was too slow to order and when i decided to pull the trigger my size was sold out ...

And again ! I found this very instructive blog , well from 10 years now but a good review of some of the best repros . My opinion ? The Japanese kills ! too bad , all sold out for years now

LTG BOOT & SHOE COLLECTION | 24 | THE REAL McCOY’S FIELD SHOES N-1

after a five months break i will continue my LTG BOOT & SHOE COLLECTION series. the boot today is really outstanding and this not only because of the price – this one is so well done and crafte…

lifetimegear.de

BOOT OF THE DAY | #188 | WWII US ARMY & AAF M-43 SERVICE SHOES

in july 2011 i did a post about MASH’s reproduced WWII US ARMY & AAF M-42 SERVICE SHOES. this post seems to be very interested for you guys – since more than 2.5 years still a lot of peop…

lifetimegear.de

BOOT OF THE DAY | #67 | WWII US ARMY & AAF M-42 SERVICE SHOES

sensational detailed views from MASH’s reproduced WWII US ARMY & AAF M-42 SERVICESHOES. i never saw such a fine information about a boot. really great. especially the comparisonbetween or…

lifetimegear.de

 

[pillepalle123]

I wear all kinds of vintage boots with my jackets, but mostly swedish ww2 boots (earliest pair from 1940), here are some pairs I acquired. I resole them myself with different rubber soles and toplifts. All the pictures are before restoration.

I sold some of those in the next photo again, but kept some pairs. I really like the unique style from e.g. moutnaineering or square toe boots. I love the ones with the toe caps as well.

The white stuff on these shoes is old leather grease which came to the surface in the 80 years of storage and can be just wiped away.

These will come dry as bones, and need a proper lickering, oiling and some grease as well as some pH balancing.

 

[LV426]

I wear all kinds of vintage boots with my jackets, but mostly swedish ww2 boots (earliest pair from 1940), here are some pairs I acquired. I resole them myself with different rubber soles and toplifts. All the pictures are before restoration.
View attachment 168279

I sold some of those in the next photo again, but kept some pairs. I really like the unique style from e.g. moutnaineering or square toe boots. I love the ones with the toe caps as well.
View attachment 168281
The white stuff on these shoes is old leather grease which came to the surface in the 80 years of storage and can be just wiped away.

These will come dry as bones, and need a proper lickering, oiling and some grease as well as some pH balancing.

Hi ! I saw some of them on Ebay sometimes , I was near to buy one of these kind of boots but never did 'cause I was concerned about the break'in process . I never get frightened by the break'in , in fact I pretty like this , it makes me feel to really makes the boots mine and love the feeling of "hard" leather/soles ( I'm not in the SM !!! ) . The one you show seems to be never worn . Btw , They are splendid ! respect for your craftsmanship !

 

[pillepalle123]

Thanks for the kind words. The break in is not worse than e.g. Redwings or Vibergs, so do not fear

I bought these directly from Sweden in bulk. One reason for getting into vintage boots was actually cost for me. To get this quality of heritage boots today would cost 500 Euros or more per pair, these cost just under 100 Euros per pair plus 20 Euros for new Vibram rubber soles and toplifts.
Swedes never participated in WW2 but stockpiled army stuff if it came to entering the war. That is why you can find so much unused ww2 military surplus from the swedish army.

Furthermore I found that most vintage boots are quite small in size, but it was no problem to source size 45 and up from Sweden, home of tall people it seems.

 

[flyincowboy]

Too slow to order , that's the story of my life !!!! Ahahahaha ! About the cord soles you can go to Dr Sole that makes some really great soles and heels , I own some and used them to resole an 1943 Type 3 pair .

#1122 Raw Cord Full Sole | drsole

Inspired by the soles on WWII field boots.Oil-resisting compound. Pulverized hemp cord added for vintage-like look and better grip.Use with #1102 heel.See more example.

www.drsole2011.com

https://www.drsole2011.com/product-page/raw-cord-whole-heel

Yes , the modern repros tends to be wide from D to EE . But that's not a big deal , for me ( my taste ), I always order half or one size higher to get some thick trek socks and thick leather insoles had comfort ( see pics ) These insoles have the advantage to be leather and get some xtra support AND be wide enough to ensure your feet a good stability. The Munson Last is wide by nature , I love that , never felt more comfy !
The more accurate repros ... hard to tell. I would say for the past that about the rough out Type 2 and 3 and jump boots made by Corcoran for private sellers like ATF , WWII impression and also Doursoux are great value. But Corcoran stopped producing them as you may know : too bad . About SMW I can only talk about the type2 that are IMHO not as good as they should for the price . Leather too thin , soles and heels too soft and the shape of the counter heel is not accurate at all . I had two pairs that I sold , that's just my opinion , there is a site who made a review and they find them good - http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Reviews/SMWServiceShoes/index.html .
Then I decided to go for original ones , more expensive , hard to find and to resole but to get the accuracy I had to do that. I made mistake once buying a pair with leather like cardboard , it never happened again , like for og leather jackets I think !!! Now got 2 pairs of type 2 in good leather and seams conditions , a pair of rough out type 3 cap toe really good condition too and 3 pairs of jump boots , 2 Corcoran and 1 International shoes 1943 ( hells like the ones that ATF sell ) .
About the other brands like Buzz Rickson , as I know the only shoes that they still produce are the Type 3 ( I just got a type 2 pair second hand , NICE ), high quality but expensives , my thoughs - I'd prefer wait for the ATF ones .
For a small budget the Sturm Mil-tec are not bad , especially the service shoes type 2 and 3 , I would go for jump boots .Reason : accuracy of the Last , for me they are not trur Munson Last , that is very important for good repros . And if you find the ATF wide , the Mil-Tec are much more wide especially on the middle of the foot ( you see ? ) that provocs a certain instability and miscomfort . Mil-tec has good reviews oin Youtube by reenoactors , but I'm not one .
I forgot the Real Mc Coy's , for the price they have to be super high quality !! or with gold eyelets ;p . They are over priced , it's a joke to me.
To find good repros I go for the second hand now . I found a good seller "fatalitas" , here are some boots he sells , one pair of original resoled ( I would have bought 'em but I already did for his BR type2) He is in France , so for Eu members , no taxes !!

Vintage Original WW2 US Army Service Shoes / Jump Boots / 9.5C / Cat's Paw Sole | eBay

WW2 Service Shoes. The real mccoy for WW2 look. A-2 rough wear jacket, B10 jacket, 37J1 Jacket, At the Front, Buzz Rickson, Corcoran 1510, Jump boots, Marines, Paratrooper, US Navy. C width so a bit narrow.

www.ebay.de

Vintage Original WW2 US Army Service Shoes / Jump Boots / 9.5C / Cat's Paw Sole | eBay

WW2 Service Shoes. The real mccoy for WW2 look. A-2 rough wear jacket, B10 jacket, 37J1 Jacket, At the Front, Buzz Rickson, Corcoran 1510, Jump boots, Marines, Paratrooper, US Navy. C width so a bit narrow.

www.ebay.de

I hope my answer is not too long and in "quite good english" !!!!
View attachment 168257

Corcoran WW2 type 2 Service Shoes / Russet Brown / 10,5D / Panco / Biltrite | eBay

Panco soles and biltrite soles with light wear. Russet glass leather. Made by Corcoran. Rare pair of service shoes made by Corcoran / HH Brown long ago and now impossible to find. WW2 Type 2 Service Shoes.

www.ebay.de

A great thanks you was looking for new heels and half soles will check on their website.

 

[LV426]

Thanks for the kind words. The break in is not worse than e.g. Redwings or Vibergs, so do not fear

I bought these directly from Sweden in bulk. One reason for getting into vintage boots was actually cost for me. To get this quality of heritage boots today would cost 500 Euros or more per pair, these cost just under 100 Euros per pair plus 20 Euros for new Vibram rubber soles and toplifts.
Swedes never participated in WW2 but stockpiled army stuff if it came to entering the war. That is why you can find so much unused ww2 military surplus from the swedish army.

Furthermore I found that most vintage boots are quite small in size, but it was no problem to source size 45 and up from Sweden, home of tall people it seems.

Nice !!! yes redwings and Vibergs are very easy to break . I'll take a look at these ! I like also some ww2 army trousers . Boots and trousers , more on ETSY than ebay . Totally right about the quality/price ratio !

 

[LV426]

A great thanks you was looking for new heels and half soles will check on their website.

About the heels , you'd better pay attention to the thickness of what you need . If you need some 2cm , that is the case of the majority of the ww2 boots you'd better go to teh ETSY link , if not raw cord heels . Then if you want raw cord , then Dr Sole is the right choice

 

[Dany McDonald]

Hey ! I just retreive a review I was searching for. A very interesting way to compare OG and repros . Yes , BR are better than ATF. One thing that makes the difference , my taste , is the rounded counter heel that BR reproduce ( like some nice heritage modern boots ) an that I don't see on ATF / Corcoran repros , even the jump boots . It's just a detail , but like for members here are arguing about "small" details on repro A2 ,, I feel the same about the boots PS : The jump boots are mine , the left is a modern from ATF / Corcoran and the right is an original named from 1943 Corcoran ( I choose to resole them with a 90° heel instead of the 45°)
The type2 pics are from web sites . Too bad BR does makes them anymore .. perhaps some days ?

Hi,

Wow nice review and comparison of the M-42 service boots, thats 14 years ago but well made. Back then MASH really did a superb job in replicating details and parts, that sole in itself is amazing. But it's missing an important feature, the nice rounded toe area, it's a bit flat.

EDIT: I just revisited sites with original services shoes images and some had the toe area pretty flat, so MASH were constant with their repro, just a bit different than the original in the comparison.

Cheers,

D

 

[pillepalle123]

About the heels , you'd better pay attention to the thickness of what you need . If you need some 2cm , that is the case of the majority of the ww2 boots you'd better go to teh ETSY link , if not raw cord heels . Then if you want raw cord , then Dr Sole is the right choice

Second that, need to keep the shoe balanced.

But usually a full heel replacement is not needed, you can use a piece of sole rubber to fix the worn out portion of the heel.

https://www.orthobedarf-roeder.de/thumbnail/ec/82/ae/1714984825/000000274900Astro_Star_Streifen_1_800x800.png

I only do a full replacement when there is too much wear all over the toplift after quite some time.

Furthermore you can just stack some veg tan leather to compensate if a replacement toplift is too thin. (If you can´t find a matching one)

 

[flyincowboy]

WW2 Jump boots in need of new heels and sole

 

[LV426]

Hi,

Wow nice review and comparison of the M-42 service boots, thats 14 years ago but well made. Back then MASH really did a superb job in replicating details and parts, that sole in itself is amazing. But it's missing an important feature, the nice rounded toe area, it's a bit flat.

Cheers,

D

Yes , that was my concern about , too . I don't know if it was the case on all of their M42 . For example my BR are not quite like siamese , one as a more bulbous toe . it's not bothering me as much as that and you don't see it if not lookin' at directly to see imperfection , but I know that ... eheheh

 

[LV426]

WW2 Jump boots in need of new heels and sole
View attachment 168303

You can get the soles and heels from Dr Sole , or make a combo ( what I did ) with Dr Sole soles and heels from ATF like I did on a pair of original, ones . It gives a great aspect . I tried to resole with original soles from the 40's but , bad choice !!! The rubber is too old . Your did a greatb job with your jump boots ! They are pretty nice !!

 

[flyincowboy]

You can get the soles and heels from Dr Sole , or make a combo ( what I did ) with Dr Sole soles and heels from ATF like I did on a pair of original, ones View attachment 168311. It gives a great aspect . I tried to resole with original soles from the 40's but , bad choice !!! The rubber is too old .

Yes found some NOS sole but they start to break the rubber is too hard and split in pieces.