Customer Reviews Oakley SI Assault 8" Boot '11

I own these in tan. As Soldier, I wear them often for running and ruck marching. They are the best boots I have ever owned in my 11 years with the military. They are extremely light and propel your foot forward when running. I wore them for the USMC Volkslauf, a six-mile run through wooded trails, wading through two rivers, and a mud pit. The boots continue to provide the same comfort and support. When everyone else was nursing blisters after a 15-mile ruck march, my feet were fine. I will never wear anything else.

I love this boot. I bought it to upgrade from a pair of Bates 922 Tropical SEAL boots that I have been wearing for quite a while. I wear boots even while doing SEALFit and my normal workout routine. These boots offer great support and comfort. They seem extremely durable. The shaft is a bit tight and the speed-lace tabs are a little small for the paracord laces that I normally use. The laces are also a bit rough but they appear durable. The boots will require some break-in period but that is to be expected and I looked forward to the period for the greater support it will provide in the ankle area. My father was a SEAL and he likes these boots as well.

Great boots. These things feel like you're wearing a pair of running shoes. I love them. When you put them on you feel like you need to start running. Can you tell I like them?

These boots are true to size. I've worn mine 10 hours a day, four days a week for the last 4 months and they are still as comfortable as the day I first put them on. They don't accept a shine very well so I would not wear these if your department requires a dress boot. I realize these are for military use, but a side zipper would be the icing on the cake. In fact this is my only complaint about these boots. I'll buy them again next time I order boots.

The SI Assault Boot by Oakley has been by far the best boot that I have owned to date. It fits very well, and the Vibram sole provides excellent traction. It is important to note that this boot is Made in China and is not the same one or quality sold on the Oakley Standard Issue Website. That being said it is of slightly lesser quality, but still overall a good boot.

Thank you Oakley for making a size 16 boot. Very comfortable. Wish the tongue was a bit thicker with the padding. Also, a side zip would make the on/off so much easier with such a huge foot. I recommend this boot to everyone that needs a duty boot. Excellent boot otherwise!

For posers only. Great in garrison...suck in the field. This is the second time I've gotten the Oakley SI Assault. Both times with great Zappos service. Feel great, fit right, uppers wear very well. But this boot's tread is not made for the field...especially not if you are rucking. First time, I went through the soles in less than 400 miles with ruck. Thought it was an anomaly. It wasn't. This time, I'm at 100 miles with ruck...noticeable wear on sole...this pair won't make it to 300 miles. Soles are very rock and ruck averse. If I ever get a desk job, this is the boot I want. It is the boot for posers.

Oakley 8" Assault Boots - Temperate - There are several different Oakley assault boot configurations and it isn't because they're made in different countries. There's a temperate climate boot that does not have stitching all around the outside of the sole, and it is a much warmer boot. It's available in black or desert tan. Then there's the desert boot only available in desert tan. This is made of a lighter material with stitching all around the outer sole. The boots I purchased are the black temperate climate boots made in China. I found that they're sized about one half a size smaller than athletic shoes. I normally wear size 12 sneakers, and I had to step down to size 11.5 with the Oakleys. The leather construction is cheap. It feels like the fake leather they use on cheap belts or wallets, nothing like the leather used on military issued boots. There's a sticky leather used around the inside of the boot neck and at the heel. The heel leather tends to peel off. The rubber used for the sole and around the forward part of the boot is of medium stiffness, but the boot still needs break-in time to feel flexible. The ankle area feels extremely stiff out of the box and Oakley should have gone to an all-Cordura material for flexibility. The soles are still rather thick and don't feel like sneakers. They also make a lot of noise when wet and they also squeak on polished surfaces. The tread compound appears to wear easily. The price of these boots was definitely not commensurate with the manufacturing quality. I've read numerous complaints from owners regarding the boots falling apart within 6 months and I don't have any reason to doubt these reports. Pros: Fairly stylish, soles have decent traction on rough surfaces, feels light weight. Cons: Still needs break-in time, felt very stiff, still did not feel like running shoes, ankle area was too tight, cheap construction and materials, extremely high price tag - most "military-spec" boots are available at a lower cost. Overall: 2/5 stars, you're paying the price premium for the Oakley brand.

I was looking for a desert hiking boot for Arizona. These boots do it well. They are relatively light weight, comfortable, have excellent traction, give great ankle support and are high enough to protect against desert hazards. I would put them up against hi-tops any day.

I've been wearing military style boots since boot camp (11-B USUT at Ft. Benning, GA 1992). These are the best boots so far. Extremely light (26.9 ounces each) when proportionally related to the ankle support. No more you will find the problematic unglued outer sole since it is now stitched all the way around. Also by changing to a Vibram product your feet will stick to the ground like glue. To give you a little testimony, I was running after a bad guy (I m an LEO), had to jump a small obstacle and to my surprise on the other side the floors were ceramic tile. I thought that would be it for me, to my surprise no slip at all. Another iffy part, the inner heel, was also fixed by changing the material being used to a leathery fabric. Not much of a break-in period, great ankle and arch support plus extremely light. The only blemish would be that they run about a full size big and are too narrow. All in all a great product.

These boots are nearly perfect. Excellent support, incredibly light and very well made. The grip is fantastic on the slickest of surfaces as well. My only issue was that the gusseted tongue did not have enough slack for me to get my foot in. I simply cut each side a couple inches down and I was able to get them on just like any other boot. That cost one star in my overall rating. I would buy these boots over and over again despite that small issue.