OTB Boots

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Written by JT McAvoy

There are many problem and debates that rage within the civilian and military special operations.  For those that are involved in operations in and out of the water one challenge faced is finding the best foot wear for this situation.  This again is a strongly debated topic and one where everyone seems to have an idea and opinion.  It is my opinion however that with a new product on the market the answer to this question should be clear and the debate coming to an end.  

    The name of the company is OTB Boots.  They specialize in aquatic shoes that serve several operational parameters.  In short they were approached by the U.S. Navy SEALs to design a boot totally different from all others with operations in and around water in mind.  In addition to the SEALs there were others that put information in on what they needed and what had worked in the past and what had not.  So after listing to their future customers and some cutting edge manufacturing techniques  OTB Boots were born.  These boots have now been used my countless SOF Operators to include SEALs and others that I am not at liberty to mention.

When OTB offered me the opportunity to try out a pair of their boots I jumped at the chance.  I did not figure that I could put them through anything new that the teams mentioned above have not but I thought I would try.  I waited eagerly for them to arrive.  Unfortunately the pair meant for me I did not get.  Let’s just say that there were people in other parts of the world that needed them more than me and it is just not in me to be selfish and take away from the men that need them.  Finally mine arrived and my first impression pulling them out of the box was wow!  This seems to be the easiest way to sum up the entire set of testing that i have done on the OTB boots.  OTB makes several different types or styles of boots.  I received the Odhin style which seemed to be best suited for my uses.

    The Odhin boots were impressive to me straight out of the box just as they are the more I wear and use them.  I noticed that they had a rugged and tough feel to them.  Strategic parts of the boot have extra armor and reinforcement.  This adds support and durability to the boot.  In addition to what you see there is also reinforcement in the soul and a recessed arch that helps your balance when climbing.  There is also what is called ballistic mesh at different points all over the boot, this prevents rocks and debris from entering the shoe.   The type of material that the Odhin is made of is unique as well.  It is a tough material that outlasts conventional leather and also has minimal to no water absorption characteristics. There are multiple mesh ports all over the boot which is to allow for water drainage.  To allow for extra water drainage there is also a unique luge sole remenesant of the old jungle boots.  In addition to this there is also a patented SEAL footbed that allows for extra drainage and breathability.  This footbed also has a removable pad so that the wearer can customize the size wet or dry and allow more comfort.

    After I read all about the boot, its history, and features I instantly had places I wanted to try it out.   I also has specific conditions that I wanted to test their performance in as well.  I divided this up into 3 categories.  Each of which I will go into a little and describe how they preformed for me.  The first category is waterborne activities, which encompassed anything in and around the water.  The second was how they wore during shoot and move scenarios, and the third is how they wore dry doing regular activities.

    This year I was asked to be on the IHBA (International Hot Boat Association) boat rescue team as a medic.  The timing was perfect, no better place to do the first test on the OTB Odhin boots.  The three day event was very intense and required allot of activity which was perfect.  I was in and out of the water, boats, docks, EMS units,  etc.  The drainage on the boots was amazing which I noticed the first time I got on the boat after being in the water.  Almost immediately the boot was empty of water.  Even on the slippery pitching deck of the rescue boat I never once lost my footing or slipped.  I did learn very quickly though that I had on the wrong type of socks for the boots so it took only a matter of 4 hours to rub a few blisters.  That was my fault though.  After the first day the problem was fixed and the boot felt wonderful and preformed flawlessly.  Drainage was great, drying time was quick, and they took all the abuse, and at the end of the day had no damage at all.

    Unfortunately in the recent past I have had no deployable situations in which I could test the boots during shoot and move maneuvers.  So we decided to simulate a few.  The first was on a range doing simple shooting and moving and shooting.  The Odhin boots were extremely comfortable.  They held the ground well, no slipping at all.  They also, even as hot as it was that day kept my feet very cool.  The drainage system that cause the boots to drain so well also serve as a great cooling mechanism.  Second I wore them during a trip to the paintball field.  While on the field once shots were fired I instantly went to work.  Shooting moving, shooting retreating and so on.  This was repeated many times that day.  They were extremely comfortable and allowed me to move just like a regular boot with no restrictions.  With the armor and materials that the boots were made of stood up in a most awesome manner.  There were not separation of the bottom edges from the boot.  There was also no damage noted to the boot that could not be wiped off with a wet rag.  Once again impressed with all the features.  

    Finally I wanted to see how they wore and held up under everyday conditions.  I wore them for a few days including a 24 hr shift when I was on flight duty.  Once again choosing the right socks are important.  I found that middle to heavy weight socks are the best for the OTB Odhin boots, even with the inserts in.  As for the inserts just for me I found that it made the boot more comfortable and cut down on slippage even when wearing the wrong sock.  The Odhin did very well during everyday use.  Even after at one point being in them for 24 hours straight they still felt comfortable.

    There was very little that I did not care for or like about the OTB Odhin boots.  The materials and design are great.  One thing that I would like to see is a boot exactly like the Odhin  except maybe in an eight inch height. The shoe laces are another area in which I would suggest some changes.  The shoe laces themselves unless wet have a tendency to untie easily.  I would also suggest making the holes for the shoelaces bigger.  This would accommodate 550 para chord, which is what I like to lace my boots with during real operations.  Finally a pair of fins to fit over the OTB Odhin is hard to find and takes some effort.  This is a detail that I recommend you take care of prior to being in that situation.

     Over all I have no real complaints at all about the comfort, performance, or versatility of  the OTB Odhin.  I do think however that to fully appreciate this boot, its features, and the unmatched performance they should be worn and used around the water.  It is only then that you can appreciate the genius behind the design.  It is also the only way that the main feature that set OTB apart, the drainage, can be fully appreciated.  If you are in or work around an environment that requires you to be in and out of boats, or the water my suggestion is check out OTB boots.