The Altama Maritime Mid is a combat shoe designed for special forces conducting water operations. These comfortable shoes also fit your casual sneaker needs when you're off-duty.

• Lightweight, breathable and quick-drying
• Zero-drop sole and a functional combo of support and flex in the right spots
• Popular allround / active sneaker for the summer season.

Everyone knows the classic Vietnam Jungle Boots, at least from the brilliant movie Falling Down. (Altama makes those boots, by the way.) Everyone also knows Converse / Chuck Taylor sneakers, though not as many know their popularity among fighting soldiers who have the privilege to choose their gear.

Some decades from now, we'll look at the Altama Maritime Mids the same way: they are the modern lightweight combat shoe for high-speed / low-drag operators in and out of water. These are the future classic of today with a bit of history behind them already: previously known as the Maritime Assault Mid, the name has been shortened to Maritime Mid. Don't tell the ATF, they don't like it when you shorten things.

Designed for demanding work

In maritime operations, it's no use wearing waterproof boots because once you get them wet (and it will happen), they take ages to dry, hindering your performance. The better choice is to design a shoe or boot that dries quickly to avoid blisters and keep your feet ready for action. The Altama Maritime Mids do exactly this: they are highly breathable, lightweight, and pump out water to dry your feet in record-time.

• Air mesh lining to wick away sweat and other moisture quickly
• Shallow tread with large contact areas with siping for reliable grip on wet surfaces
• Full-length shank for support on a caving ladder
• Non-metallic front drainage ports to get rid of water and increased flexibility
• Rustproof lace grommets with matte finish
• The insole absorbs no water and has channel pattern cuts to direct water away
• Fin-friendly fit and flat laces, compatible with most military dive fins

These shoes are made to last and punch way above their weight class in durability. All materials were chosen to make the shoes functional and fast-drying for consistent performance in all situations.

On a stiffness scale from 1 to 4, the Maritime Mids are 1. They aren't minimalist shoes or completely flimsy, but the contours of your walking surface can easily be noticed. There is some support in the right spots and almost a hinge-like ease to bending at the ball of the foot.

The sole's SEAL Sticky rubber compound was originally designed for rock climbing shoes and it has been slightly modified for wet and messy play and tactical maritime operations.

To complement the quick-drying functionality, forget cotton socks altogether. Socks of thin construction and more synthetic fibers such as the M05 Liner Socks or Varusteleka Light Merino Socks are the ones we highly recommend.

If you are unlikely to get the shoes wet, an ordinary insole may be substituted for the non-absorbing stock insole for increased comfort.