Whether you’re a veteran of GORUCK events or are just looking to get started, footwear is important. After all, a good pair of shoes or boots will serve as your foundation for everything you do.
A common question is: “What shoes should I use?” The answer is: “It depends.” Every person’s feet are different, so you should choose shoes the provide protection, support, flexibility, and comfort you need to achieve your objectives: ruck training, PT, or duty.
Approach: I’ll be comparing the MACV-1 boots (black) to other boots, lightweight running shoes (Saucony Guidance 9), and cross training/adventure shoes (Salomon XA Pro 3s).
Background
I am a civilian, so I look at things from that perspective. I completed my first GORUCK event about 3 years ago. Since then, I’ve completed the following types of GORUCK events:
- Ingress Urban Ops
- Light
- Tough
- Jedburgh
- Constellation Beta 002 (12 hour event in Jacksonville Beach, FL)
- Constellation 24 (which turned out to be a 25 hour event due to Daylight Savings time) in Virginia
- Firearms Training: Active Shooter Intervention (ASI)
- Firearms Training: Counter Ambush Response (CAR)
- Firearms Training: Personal Security Detail (PSD)
- Firearms Training: Force on Force (FoF)
SUMMARY (TLDR)
MACV-1 boots (black):
- Weight: +
- Durability: ++
- Rainproofness: ++
- Waterproofness: N/A
- Water Drainage: ++
- Ankle Support: ++
COMPARISON
Saucony Guidance 9 running shoes:
- Weight: +
- Durability: +
- Rainproofness: N/A
- Waterproofness: N/A
- Water Drainage: ++
- Ankle Support: +
Salomon XA Pro 3s:
- Weight: +
- Durability: ++
- Rainproofness: N/A
- Waterproofness: N/A
- Water Drainage: +
- Ankle Support: +
The MACV-1 boots hold up to the original design to craft a balance between weight and support. Drainage does work well, although I’m not sure I found it particularly better than my running shoes (maybe because both are so lightweight and use lightweight materials), though the MACV-1s did better than my Salomon XA Pro 3s. For travel, these are ideal, even with shoe trees in them (to maintain shape and assist in drying after Challenge events). These are a suitable replacement for my running shoes, which were my go-to shoes for traveling to events by air (and space and weight is at a premium). Happily, although these boots are not waterproof (by design), they are suitably rainproof as the leather uppers prevent water ingress- unlike the mesh uppers of running shoes and the Salomon XA Pro 3s.
Buy or Not? They are a good hybrid between the lightweight nature of running shoes, have the durability of adventure shoes, and have the ankle support of boots.
Price: Higher than most other shoes and boots of its kind. If you have a particular kind of shoe or boot that is specially-built for a purpose (lightweight running shoes for running, combat boots for … combat, etc.) then you may not need this boot.
Value: Price and value are often regarded as interchangeable. Admittedly, price is a major consideration when evaluating the value of something. While you can easily find shoes and boots for a lower price, the SCARS warranty does cover any damage that may occur to the MACV-1s, such as tread separation, damage to the uppers, grommet detachment, etc. We have not yet seen how SCARS has handled repairs/replacement on MACV-1s, but your $195 (or $155) will go a lot farther with the MACV-1s than with other shoes. Granted, replacement costs for other shoes will be less, but it depends on whether you would prefer paying more for a boot that will be repaired/replaced with no cost (initial purchase and return shipping are now free) or prefer to pay for two, or even three shoes for the price of one MACV-1 pair.
The Last Word
Lightweight, extremely travel friendly boots that feel like hightops with good drainage and support. A little on the pricey side, but if you can come up with the scratch, these boots (and their replacements) could be cheaper than the replacement costs for another brand.
