NOS U.S. Army Afghanistan Issue Cold Weather Mountain Combat Boots Size: 13R

This is the genuine U.S. Army Afghanistan issue cold weather Gore-Tex combat hiker boots in size 13R. They are in NOS, unissued condition! They are still in their original box.

These boots benefitted from and were the end result of a decade of experience, trial and error in combat in the mountains of Afghanistan. When American troops first deployed to Afghanistan they were issued the standard hot weather desert boots that were designed for the deserts of Saudi Arabia. They were unsuitable for the climate in Afghanistan (especially the winter) and were quickly shredded by the jagged rocks in the mountainous regions. Various types of boots were procured and issued for short periods of time, and even non-standard civilian hiking boots were tolerated to some degree. By 2012 the Army started issuing two variants of the mojave/olive colored combat hiker boots. The first was the hot weather combat hiker and the second was a companion pair, the cold weather combat hiker which was a very similar boot in the same color scheme but with a full leather outer and Gore-Tex lining. The boots were produced by Bates and Belleville and proved to be very successful in filling a need for solid and rugged footwear for the conflict in Afghanistan. They are no longer being produced.

There are rigid protective caps on the toe and heel to protect against jagged rocks and ensure durability. These are American made boots. They are more rugged and of a much higher quality than comparable civilian hiking boots. When compared to commercial brands, these are a bargain and will provide many more years of solid service to the wearer than a high priced pair of boots from REI.

In spite of their relatively recent issue, these boots are getting very hard to find in the normal range of sizes. Collectors, there was once a time when WWII gear was common surplus. These boots were produced and issued in much smaller quantities than anything issued in WWII or the Cold War.

*A Note on Size*
These boots tend to run about 1/2 size large wearing standard midweight hiking socks.

Please know your combat boot size before ordering. There are no returns on these. I am not Amazon or Zappos, and I can't afford to ship boots back and forth for the sake of fitting them.