ALTAMA’S OTB MARITIME ASSAULT BOOT

What if you could have your cake and eat it too? I love my Converse Chuck Taylors, they're comfortable, have a classic style, and don't weigh anything. I can slip a pair into my bag and not use up much space, they come in a plethora of colors, and they fit easily into fins if stuff gets weird. Enter the Altama Maritime shoes... All the same benefits of Chucks plus several other things that set them apart. 

The good: - canvas outer is replaced with 1000D Cordura nylon, tough yet light and breathable it dries faster and resists cuts and abrasion significantly better - the sole is a single piece of non-slip rubber that has some light tread and is glued and stitched to the outer - the insole is made of a single piece rubber that holds your foot really well and adds a bit more arch support - drain ports built into the outer and sole at the outside ball of the foot right where the shoe flexes when kneeling - a large blackstrap loop to assist in slipping your foot in - non-slip rubber toe cap - non-reflective black on black on black! 

The "not-as-good?" As of yet there are no half sizes. Altama hasn't given us specifics on why, but as of yet they don't exist. Hopefully we'll see them on the main release in the fall. For now they run true to size and Altama's website has a good foot measuring tool that lets you know what you should be getting if you do it correctly. We're not an Altama dealer and they didn't give us any details on the price, but based on the quality we're assuming they'll run a bit higher on the spectrum than Chucks, but remember: buy once, cry once! (You get what you pay for) 

So what have we done in these? 

• skateboarded The shoes are really grippy and felt like a good skate shoe. 
• wake surfed Wanted to test the grip when wet and they didn't disappoint! Riding a Liquid Force board I had no problems (I also didn't wear socks). 
• plain clothes intel gathering These shoes look like Chucks at first glance and blending in is important. Rocked them for a little over 10 hours from initial lacing to taking them off and my feet felt fine. 
• water One of the major selling points of the shoe is to wear them on land ops and be able to transition into the water without missing a beat. I run a set of Tusa fins and they fit just like a pair of dive boots. The non-slip sole and toe cups were great and the back strap didn't slide around. I was a bit concerned that they'd be too buoyant and feel awkward but I didn't notice a big difference. Once I exited the water I went on a jog and the shoes felt good and drained any excess water quickly. 
• range day Pretty basic day on the range; I made a pile of brass then walked all over it and didn't feel any sharpness underfoot! The soles and insoles on these are pretty awesome. - obstacle course Easily outperformed my normal tennis and gripped the rope well on rope climb, and I had no slip when running up the 7' wall. 

My overall assessment: When can I get a few extra pairs?!?!