Paintball Magazine February 2018 | Page 111

The weekend saw the circumstances change and while the temperatures stayed frigid, this time it was paintball that had me on my feet. While these Altais may not be ideal for competitive tournament paintball, for serious scenario and big game players, and tactical mag-fed paintball players, these boots are an excellent choice. They offer plenty of ankle support to help prevent rolled or sprained ankles in challenging terrain and the Vibram soles offer confident traction, even when the mud and sand is covered over with ice, snow, fallen leaves, broken paint and whatever else you might come across. Light enough to allow for plenty of quick movement, supportive yet flexible enough to allow a player to squat, kneel, crawl, lean and bend their legs and feet to fit into tight places, the Altais will be at home as much on the field as they would be on a challenging hike in rough terrain, hot or cold. Though the temperature never managed to clear 23 throughout a long chilly day of broken paint, numb fingertips and questioned sanity, my toes were about the only part of me that never got cold and I could walk easily from paved parking to gravel walks to tiled indoor floors to snowy, frozen grass and dirt without slipping and falling like some people who will remain nameless assuming their checks clear. And at the end of the day, I used a wet rag to simply wipe the paint, mud and dirty ice off and they looked about as new as they had at the beginning of the day. After a week with my Altai boots, I’m extremely impressed and I’m just getting started. The question now is longevity though I’m not concerned, as thus far the product has proven itself time and again, evincing an excellent, well thought-out and executed design with durable construction that appears built for the long haul. I’m already considering calling Mr. Begin and swiping my card for a set of six inch hikers to put on when the weather warms up, and using these for work throughout the week. In fact, when I head in tomorrow to knock the dents out of some sheet metal, I’ll be wearing them again. And when it comes to a pair of shoes or boots, isn’t the desire to put them back on and get back to work about the best review there is? MSRP - $129.99 Available Heights: 6inch & 8inch Available Colors: Black, tan & brown Available speed laces or side-zip www.AltaiGear.com www.paintball.media 0111