BW Flyer's Combat Boots, Surplus

A single batch of German pilot boots. Available with a textile or leather shaft. These are well ventilated and lightweight boots for situations where the going gets too rough for dress shoes, yet you don't crawl through bogs and puddles constantly I.E. wedding parties.

The German armed forces contract well-known manufacturers to produce their equipment and these boots are no exception. In the photos, you'll see a well-known brand but the boots you get may have another or no logos.

These boots are lightweight and ventilated, the lacing is speedy, and a leather flap surrounds the shaft to tuck excess laces into a safe place. All of these are desirable features in boots you use in and around aircraft but why not other vehicles as well.

They decided to add a membrane as well. We suspect its purpose is to protect your socks from an occasional dip in water and would not expect the waterproofness of a proper rubber boot - especially as these are used.

The model we think is a summer variation has a textile shaft but the all-leather models aren't padded winter boots, either. Remember, these are not made for extremely harsh conditions, just the Air Force.

Size info

The sizing is true to German military footwear: if you order according to the Mondopoint sizes based on your foot length in millimeters, expect these to be a slight bit short but the width is regular. Because of the small toe clearance, we have converted the Mondopoints to other sizes with a shift so you can pick your usual size.

To measure your foot length, stand on a piece of paper with your weight evenly on each foot. Draw curves behind your heel and in front of your longest toes and measure the longest distance between them. Do this for both feet: it's not common to have precisely the same size on both feet. With these boots, don't round down the results at all! If you measure 286 mm, the 285 is likely to feel constricted and a 290 is the better choice.

Materials and construction

• Top: leather or leather and Cordura
• Sole: molded
• Insole: used or not included
• Sole attachment: glue
• Weight: TBA

We estimate these to be "2" when it comes to stiffness. The scale is from 1 to 4 as follows: 1; urban and light trekking, 2; more support for general use, 3; stiff hiking boot for demanding trails or heavy loads, 4; mountain boot for rocky paths.

Care info

These are military boots from durable leather so just some shoe polish and hardy work with a shoe brush does the job. You can spray the textile with some modern stuff that smells awful in a bad way (shoe polish smells awful in a good way) or you can choose to skip the spraying. Consider the membrane when choosing the wax or polish. Other than that, don't worry about it too much.

Read more about leather care if that turns you on.

German surplus

Used surplus boots often come without insoles or the included ones are used so you might want to get fresh ones. The laces are also a consumable item, although a hard-wearing one.

Despite all this, there are many travels ahead with these boots. We don't get a warranty from any manufacturer for these, but if you get a faulty pair, do let us know and we'll sort it out.

It is worth knowing that military surplus shoes and boots don’t usually come with insoles, and even if they do have them, they are often used. So, get a good pair of insoles at the same time. For example, from us.