Some things I forgot/didn’t convey very clearly in the video. 1. Polyurethane (PU) is durable and is not affected by water in the first few years after manufacture. 2. PU can survive past its use by date provided it’s kept totally dry. 3. After this point the decay of PU is significantly accelerated by water & humidity as was the case here.
Excellent review, thanks! I never served but mine have survived prolonged backpacking trips in West Africa and the republic of Georgia, along with general mistreatment. I concur with pretty much everything you said, although I found grip on soft surfaces (deep loose sand and mud) to be suboptimal. On rock with a thin layer of sand - a much more common surface in desert environments - it's perfect though. I know the Elite Evo is also used in some militaries but indeed, it's hard to come by useful reviews of it. Curious about the new Breacher too, it seems to be something in the same vein.
Cheers, you’re welcome. It’s proven difficult to find a boot that gives me the confidence to jump around uneven terrain with 25+ kg on my back and yet not feel like a ski boot as this one does. The Breacher looks very promising but I can’t find any info on whether it uses the same last as the Desert Elite.
Damn, I didn't know these were discontinued. I was issued these in 2020 and they are still going strong, it'll be a sad day when they finally fall apart.
Some things I forgot/didn’t convey very clearly in the video.
1. Polyurethane (PU) is durable and is not affected by water in the first few years after manufacture.
2. PU can survive past its use by date provided it’s kept totally dry.
3. After this point the decay of PU is significantly accelerated by water & humidity as was the case here.
Excellent review, thanks! I never served but mine have survived prolonged backpacking trips in West Africa and the republic of Georgia, along with general mistreatment. I concur with pretty much everything you said, although I found grip on soft surfaces (deep loose sand and mud) to be suboptimal. On rock with a thin layer of sand - a much more common surface in desert environments - it's perfect though.
I know the Elite Evo is also used in some militaries but indeed, it's hard to come by useful reviews of it. Curious about the new Breacher too, it seems to be something in the same vein.
Cheers, you’re welcome. It’s proven difficult to find a boot that gives me the confidence to jump around uneven terrain with 25+ kg on my back and yet not feel like a ski boot as this one does. The Breacher looks very promising but I can’t find any info on whether it uses the same last as the Desert Elite.
Damn, I didn't know these were discontinued. I was issued these in 2020 and they are still going strong, it'll be a sad day when they finally fall apart.