Belegarth

i figure theyre mass produced but i cant tell if theyre peices of crap. i still havent bought any boots because of the hiatus i was on with fighting and the ones i fight in are simply black combat-ish shoes. i dont want to spend a lot of money and i dont really care if its the most high grade stuff, honestly. so all im asking is, does anyone have any experience with any of these boots and would they be ok to fight in or just good enough for regular garb off the field? i mean, for 40-50 bucks you cant ask for a lot since all the good leather footwear i see online is 200+. so anyone with knowledge of any of these boots please let me know what you think. or just educated opinions as well.

thanks for any and all help!

links:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Renaissance-Medieval-Pirate-Mens-Calf-High-Boots-12-13_W0QQitemZ260342973662QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item260342973662&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rennaisance-Boots-Brown-Micro-Suede-size-mens-L-12-13_W0QQitemZ270357404983QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Men_s_Shoes?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-Renaissance-Captain-Boots-Size-Large-12-13_W0QQitemZ160322364255QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item160322364255&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brown-Faux-Suede-Mens-Renaissance-Moccasins-Boots-12_W0QQitemZ370119827173QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Men_s_Shoes?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

If you're thinking about fighting in these then I would council against it. It doesn't look like the have much traction, and looking pretty isn't going to keep you from spraining an ankle.

If you're just looking for something to wear around at night that would look good as garb then I'd say they're a fairly decent option. Depending on the suede though, the may absorb water, and the grass tends to be wet in the evening and morning from dew, rain, vomit etc, so I would advise also purchasing a spray on sealer.

The best advice I can give is that unless you've tried these on in person somewhere else, be careful about ordering shoes online. Sizes are in not really standard between brands and you never know exactly what it will look like until you're wearing it.

We bought a pair of these boots for a Halloween a few years ago.
They are good for a costume as long as you don't wear them for long periods of time.

For combat they would be absolutely useless. The sole unglued after wearing them for 3 hours, walking inside a house.

However, if you have experience making basic leather shoes, they are good for taking apart and using them as a pattern, or simply remove the sole and use them as boot covers. Other than that, they are pretty much a waste of money.

They suck. Buy boots with traction.

ok excellent! thanks for the advise guys! i guess ill just stil with the shoes i have now. they work alright and are all black but i always wanted some boots. (im just too poor).

i think my next course of action will be to try converting some old combat boots like a lot of others have. ive seen some awesome conversions that you cant even tell theyre modern at all.

anyways, thanks for the input everyone; you saved me some money!

Most of my Unit wears just plain steel toed combat boots. You really don't need to fix them up that much to look good with any kind of gard (and I bought mine used). Also, they are built strong to last long, so fighting in them presents no noteable problems. So, go grab a pair and you will be set for a good couple of years (Assuming you clean them every once and a while.)

Or go barefoot. Because it is made of win. Lightest, most agile footwear you'll find.

Last time I went barefoot a 300 pound fighter stepped all over my toes when I was next to him. Also, woods battles are never any fun without shoes. It all just depends on how many calluses you have on your feet. On the up side, feet are free...for most...

Go barefoot enough, and the calluses will come.

calluses are also free, which is good news.

I'm barefoot most of the time, except in winter, which is stupid.
I go everywhere barefoot, even the grocery store, much to Magnus' horror.
But I ALWAYS wear boots to fight. Cop boots, to be exact. New school combat boots.
I wear Hi-tech Magnums and Magnus has a sweet pair of Converse Tac Boots, but they don't sell those big enough for me.
FB

I used to swear by combat boots but recently I started fighting barefoot. Amazing, I did not realize how heavy the boots were until I took them off and started moving my feet. There were a few moments where I step on a twig etc. that sucks. And one sliver. Other than that I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Until I meet Forkbeard of course and he finds someway to step on my toes. Which im positive is gonna happen

For those of you who wish to be barefoot, I would suggest a lightweight, tight fitting shoe. Like a Martial arts shoe or something like that. If you don't mind the extra weight, go for the boots. I personally don't like combat boots myself, but I am a through advocate of wearing shoes to fight in. When you've had a 3" thorn shoved through your foot from barefooting it, and can't fight for a couple weeks because of it, you may reconsider the shoes.

I have very good ankles, etc. so I don't need the ankle support, I like fighing in shoes. If you need the extra support, go for the boots, but for the love of all things, don't go barefoot. As awesome and free as it feels to fight that way, a light weight shoe will feel the same and still protect your foot from most injuries.

Those splt toed, windsurfer shoes you wear are cool as ****, Soo.
I wish I could wear them, but I'm too fat.
My ankles need boots. And if you're fat, or just huge like me, your ankles will eventualy fold like shirts at a chinese laundry. It sucks and it hurts for a long time. But it might not happen if your wear boots, fatty.
FB

Yeah, my Dog ate them and they don't make em any more. I am so bummed. I am not sure what I will do next. I may try those five finger ones, or the nike split toed ones.

Soo Ma Tai wrote:I may try those five finger ones

Do it.

What about Tabi boots? Like what ninja wear.

I was thinking of something like this, which would put functionality above historical accuracy.

The traction quality on those and other china flats and tabi is really crappy, and you tend to slip a lot. I am going to try the 5 fingers I think.

There is a thread on the dag board about them, they look really sweet.

These ones look really cool: http://store.japan-zone.com/product_inf ... cts_id=120 They have a steel toe and ankle support.

The soul doesn't look like it would have bad traction...

That's the same as the others. The JRFMA rubber soles are very hard and dont provide the best traction. They have a tendancy to slide, even on grass instead of sticking.

I have a fighter who wears these in my realm. He likes them. He recommended that I get ones made for rice paddies-apparently these are pretty sturdy. The do not have the steel in them however. He also has a leather strap that fits around his arch for extra support-I think this is his addition to keep the shoes in place better for lots of fighting. I can say they look pretty cool.
-AoC

durability is also important to consider...and all i know is with the exception of dogs eating them, boots last. I'm not sure I can say the same for the ninja style shoes, looks like a good couple of slides with those and you are back to bare feet. Though, I could be wrong about this.

Forkbeard wrote:I'm barefoot most of the time, except in winter, which is stupid.
I go everywhere barefoot, even the grocery store, much to Magnus' horror.
But I ALWAYS wear boots to fight. Cop boots, to be exact. New school combat boots.
I wear Hi-tech Magnums and Magnus has a sweet pair of Converse Tac Boots, but they don't sell those big enough for me.
FB

What size boys you wear FB I think I could find you a pair around where I am at

I owned a pair of the boots from the first link there, and the side lacing points ripped after wearing for a day at an event. If you wanted leather boots for wearing during nightlife, try these:

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~ite ... +Boots.htm
http://www.kultofathena.com/product~ite ... +Boots.htm

I wear steel-toe boots to fight in, and they've lasted the entire time I've been fighting (~7 years)

So this was mentioned in another thread but the thread seemed as tho it got hijacked before any good was done.

What are ways to wear greaves, yet still fight as close to barefoot as possible. Im not sure how Tabi shoes would hold up with the leather rubbing. I was considering using my old wrestling shoes but the traction would suck and frankly they dont look period at all. Ideas?

You could try flaring the **** out of them where the top of your foot meets the greave, then adding some padding to the flare.

Forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject. How would I go about doing that?

Well, you need to be actually properly shaping them in the first place, well soaked in water and all that. Then what I did was just to put them on and shape them, take them off and shape them harder, put them back on to fine tune, off for more hard work, etc until they felt right. It's hard to get them to take a compound curve like that, but you can get it if you don't want it to go too far out on your foot. Mine stick out maybe a half inch, but that's plenty that the edge isn't resting on the top of your foot.

I don't actually ever fight barefoot, I just wanted the extra shape.

Wet leather is plastic, so if you pull and bend and stretch and push it around with your thumb enough, you can get it to take funny turns like that.

I started wearing boots t fight all the time years and years ago so that my GREEVES would stop grinding into my ankle/top of foot.
By the way, I wear a size 16 shoe. If you can find **** to fit me, I most likely can't afford it. SHoes that big are invaribly expensive.
I like combat boots anyway. I'm so heavy, light shoes don't make any difference to me.
FB