U.A. UNDER ARMOUR VALSETZ 2.0 TACTICAL BOOTS (REVIEW)


“BOOTS”! Without boots we’re going nowhere!. We can have all the MOLLE, PALS, Hook & Loop, 1000D, YKK, Bags, packs, pouches and organisers on offer, without boots it’s all unless. If we’re taken prisoner behind enemy lines why do you think they take our boots? yep! so we can’t escape! Boots are key and I for one, don’t talk about them anywhere nearly enough, that is changing.

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This is my first post and boot review and it’s all about my not so new as I write: Under Armour Valsetz 2.0 Tactical Boots. I don’t mind admitting that as far as this type of boot is concerned (Urban Duty Tactical), I am a newbie so your opinions maybe different, based on experience but for me, I was absolutely blown away by these boots.


A TASK FOR THE UNDER ARMOUR VALSETZ 2.0

So I’m going to say right away I got these boots for running?

They needed to be light weight, comfortable for athletic work and have a good sole and tread for pounding mostly sidewalks, with the occasional warm dry weather hiking mission. I wanted to see if I could get a pair of boots that I could wear running during the week and at weekends use the very same boots for a full day hike. This seems to have been achieved with the Under Armour Valsetz 2.0 boots. I am both pleased and surprised.


WHY BOOTS?
I have a little bit of history with regard to running in boots. In the past it was considered as an endurance and experience thing. I.E. learn to run in boots because we are most likely to be wearing boots when we need to run. During this time I developed a likening for them especially for foot and ankle support / protection. I sprained my ankle while training for a London marathon, it took 6 weeks to heel and guess what?... I was wearing low-top trainers!!! And then more recently I ruptured and Achilles’ tendon and again I was wearing trainers??? psychologically... I prefer boots.


THE LOOK OF THE BOOTS
Was I really that bothered about how these boots looked? I guess I was. I especially liked the toe design. Instead of solid leather the Valsetz 2.0 has a fabric toe encased in a texture rubber toe box giving our toes some protection while climbing over walls and chasing bad guys across roof tops. I’m probably never going to do that but it’s nice to have the options right?




THE WEIGHT OF THE BOOT
They say a pound on the foot is 2 in your pack and given how I wanted to use these boots they needed to be light, like trainers, gym shoes light. The Under Armour Valsetz 2.0 weighs in at: 440g (15.521oz) and this is an 8” height tactical boot! I come from a background where combat boots were solid leather and weighed 35oz each. This is nothing sort of outstanding. A full service duty /combat boot that weighs so little and is great to run in is unbelievable to me.


THE COMFORT OF THE BOOT
So I’ve used these boot for runs, with gear, up to 7 miles and I’ve hiked in them (Up to 16 miles) with weight and during mid day summer sun and found them to work really well for both tasks with only my right heel developing an ache during the last couple of miles. No problems at all while running. I might find the sole to be a bit thin, if I’m hiking or running on rough ground, lose gravel can poke into the soul. This was fixed by introducing SUPERFEET TRAILBLAZER insoles, they have completely eliminated the problem and seem to have sorted the heal ache as well. These boots are really comfortable when you pull them on. The sole is well cushioned and the main body is padded, protecting our feet from impacts and giving us a warm cocooned sock like feel. This is great but the down side is this boot is not water proof so if they get wet they soak up water and and weight and take about 4-5 days to dry. Having said all this I’ve gotten mine wet, completely forgot all about that and completed my hike in comfort, this was during the summer, it will be interesting to see if the experience is the same in colder weather.



DETAILS
The speed lace system is quite basic but works great for all that, being quite easy to tighten the boot and adjust just how you might want them. The laces have a slight spring to them, I don’t really know if that helps performance in anyway but I liked so here it is. The tongue has a good gusset to it, which usually would be a nice feature on a waterproof boot, these boots are not water proof but this gusseted tongue does a great job in keeps; mud, grit, rocks and sand out. A stone in the shoe is not an issue here.



THE BUILD QUALITY OF THE BOOT AFTER 194.58 MILES
I’ve mostly been using these boots in warm dry conditions but they have also been completely soaked, indeed I’ve even swam in fresh and salt water and so far, there is absolutely no damage on these boots what-so-every, even the sole, after 194.58 miles of runs and hikes, that I have recorded, there is hardly any wear. These boots have a synthetic leather and fabric upper, with a welded PU film that surrounds the entire boot for abrasion resistance, what's this all mean? In theory there’re tough, it’s still early days but so-far-so good.


THE SOLE AND TREAD
As already mentioned, I chose these boots primarily for running therefore the sole / tread needed to be appropriate for that purpose. Under Armour has a fair pedigree for making athletic shoes this was a major factor for me when choosing them. “Trust!” I am no expert when it comes to running shoe design but when choosing the boot for my requirements, it seemed that the sole needed to have a lot of rubber contact with the ground but with a tread pattern that produces decent grip on concrete and asphalt etc. I would say the rubber is a medium compound, so should last a long time and grip well and so-far, that is the the case.


NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED - I LOVE THESE BOOTS
So in short, so far I love these boots. They're cheep, light, comfortable, breathable, tough, look great. There’re entirely built from synthetic materials so no animals were harmed in their production so they’re totally vegan friendly, we really can not ask for more : )

TECH SPEC FROM UNDER ARMOUR

• Lightweight, durable synthetic leather & textil upper
• UA ClutchFit ankle support system contours & supports
• Outer Material: Other Leather
• Inner Material: Textile
• Sole: Gum Rubber
• Closure: Lace-Up
• TPU toe cap for added protection
• Welded PU film surrounds the perimeter for abrasion resistance
• Orothlite moulded anti-microbial sock liner.

LINKS:

UNDER ARMOUR VALSETZ 2.0 TACTICAL BOOTS
SUPERFEET TRAILBLAZER INSOLES

ABOUT THE LINKS WITH-IN THIS POST.

I've included links so you can find out more or even purchase. In some cases items have been upgraded or discontinued so I have linked to equivalents, I hope that's OK.

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Comments

  1. To bad you can't find these anymore.. im size 8.5 amd the last pair I could get was off Amazon going on 3 years ago.. guess they stopped making them! Had 1 pair before this pair and they are by far the best shows hands down

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