The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
Salomon brand footwear has been my go-to company for many years now. I’ve had hiking shoes/boots from a variety of leading manufacturers, but Salomon reigns king in my eyes. I was introduced to my first pair of Salomon boots by the great imperial 1st Ranger Battalion. The Salomon Quest 4D were my first issued pair […]
Everyone loves a good pair of boots and socks. For the last week, I’ve been wearing the Bogs Bedrock 8″ Composite toe men’s waterproof leather work boots. I’ve been wearing them with Coronado tactical boot socks from Farm to Feet. Check out the video review below for a look at one of the most comfortable […]
It’s odd how you learn about companies and how that forms an opinion on the company itself. I first heard of Merells in reference to expensive boots for women. In Florida, we don’t wear winter boots often and it seems as soon it dips below 60 the women of Florida switch to their fanciest winter […]
Between the Polar Vortex and record amounts of snowfall in February alone, Northern Michigan has become a winter wonderland. Last week, over three feet of light fluffy snow has accumulated and begs to be played in. Fortunately, MSR was kind enough to send out a couple of pairs of their Lightning Explore Snowshoes to help […]
Another January in the books and two major trade shows attended. Like last year, I attended SHOT Show in Las Vegas with the crew from the Loadout Room. And then flew directly to Denver for Outdoor Retailer the following week. Two weeks living out of a 5.11 suitcase and backpack in various AirBnb’s but I’m […]
Depending on where you live, the shoulder seasons and winter can bring some foul weather. As a General Contractor, I like to wear a functional and stylish boot to work. One that doesn’t sacrifice anything in ways of comfort or weatherproofness. Muck Boots have a long tradition of producing fantastic rubber boots for hunters and […]
In an attempt to improve the soldiers’ well-being and effectiveness the U.S. Army is testing prototypes for its new Army Combat Boot (ACB). The U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Soldier Center settled on a number of prototypes. Over the span of the next four months, the Army will issue them to recruits […]
Salewa is known for their mountaineering footwear. In fact, they are one of Europe’s premier manufacturers of mountain equipment. Having equipped several high profile expeditions since their inception in the 1930s, Salewa continues their tradition of excellence with the new Mountain Trooper. Based on the companies already successful Mountain Trainer boot, the Trooper is a […]
For years, Lowa has built a reputation as one of the finest boot maker on the market – be it for the hiking enthusiast, alpine professional, or soldier, their product seems to rise to the top of many shopping lists. I recently got a pair of their new Innox GTX Mid from their Task Force military line. The boot […]
In the Marine Corps, we learned quickly the value of taking care of our boots after field exercises. Field exercises always ended with a few days to clean all our weapons systems and get our gear squared away. One commonly overlooked piece of gear to address was footwear. We always carried spare socks in our […]