Swedish Ankle Boots, General Model, Surplus

Extremely well made, tough ol' ankle boots, nowadays know as "work boots". No GTX, or unnecessary puffy linings, just thick leather, roomy fit and to top it off, a Goodyear-welted leather sole. Used Swedish army surplus from the times when things like planned obsolescence were not fashionable. God, they had it good in the old days and if someone says otherwise, your mother's a ho.

Ankle height, old timey unlined leather combat boot with a somewhat wide last and good room for socks. Leather sole, Goodyear welt. They usually slapped on a pair of rubber half-soles on top of these, many of them made by Tretorn. In all of their simplicity these are a magnificent but nonchalant pair of Good Boots. When worn with thick socks and proper insoles these are very comfy to walk in, designed for marching and fighting as they are.

Some small differences depending on the year of manufacture; some have an external toe reinforcement, some have it inside. Some have ski grooves on the back of the heels, some don't. All are ankle height leather boots with leather soles, usually with sewn on/glued rubber half-soles and heel pieces. The half-soles are often surprisingly little used, but no promises whatsoever.

Cobbler-friendly boots

These boots are generally in a bit scruffy condition and might require some touch-up especially concerning the usually oxidated eyelets. Fortunately almost everything in these boots is actually repairable, including the whole sole, unlike most boots made today.

Care

These work well with grease and regular polish. Remember to take care of the crevice between the upper and the sole. An old toothbrush is a good tool for this. We recommend cleaning and greasing the boots once you get them in your hands and decide you're satisfied with them.

Size info

Sizes in the Mondopoint system: user's foot length in millimeters. The sizes run quite big, no need to pick a larger size for extra sock clearance. The conversion to US sizes is made by us, based on how shoe sizes actually relate to each other. (You know, barleycorns, Paris points, and such.)

Some sizes may be available with the European system as the primary. They are tighter than the label would indicate. For these, we made the conversion to a smaller US-size to help you pick the correct size.

Condition

Made usually in the 50s and 60s. Usually these are well used, but also well cared for decades ago when they were decommissioned. Almost every pair has been refurbished with rubber half-soles and heel pieces and then used a bit more. The metal parts, mainly the eyelets, might have heavy oxidation and might require replacing soon - accept this when ordering. This has been taken into account in the pricing.

One-off lot

Once the sizes listed are gone, they're actually gone. No restock!