Navy SEAL teams defend the country from high-level threats, sometimes even behind enemy lines. These brave soldiers carry out missions in all terrains; desert, jungle, arctic, you name it.
Naturally, only the most skilled soldiers get to be part of these elite task forces. As such, they have one of the most challenging training regimes in the world. The regime begins with BUD/S.
One question that isn’t asked nearly often enough is: what boots do navy seals wear in buds? That is the million-dollar question we are here to answer today.
We know what you are thinking, “It can’t possibly be that big of a deal.” Well, it is, and we’ll tell you why. We’ll also discuss the features that make a boot suitable for BUD/S and some other professions where these boots may come in handy.
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How Important Is Getting a Good Pair of Boots for BUD/S?
Let’s cut right to the chase; you cannot complete BUD/S without a reliable pair of boots. BUDs are no walk in the park, that’s for sure. Think of the most physically draining activity, have something in mind?
Now, double that. That’s how exhausting these training sessions are. Probably even more.
Jokes aside, you need a pair of comfortable boots that boost your performance and can stand the test of time. Let’s discuss why each of these factors is equally important.
Performance
Here’s a no-brainer; you won’t make it through the training if you don’t perform at the top level. It is no place for amateurs. You will be expected to be a cut above all of the rest of the soldiers on the field to be part of one of the acclaimed special ops teams.
Here’s another no-brainer for you: You’re not doing that in flip-flops or sneakers. You need a good pair of boots to meet adequate standards when it comes to the several physical endurance tests and exercises you need to carry out throughout this period.
If you don’t meet those standards, it is unlikely that you will be accepted into a team that needs to do these tasks daily. What’s more, you’ll probably embarrass yourself in front of the other recruits.
To make sure you make it through this challenging phase and not be humiliated,we heavily recommend that you get yourself a pair of boots that will help you give the best of your abilities.
Comfort
Remember how we spoke about exercise and physical endurance tests? Well, news flash, they are not going to feel like a massage. Chances are they are going to hurt quite a bit.
There will be a lot of pressure on your muscles from intense strength training with push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and sit-ups, coupled with the stress of cardio (you need to swim and run, yikes) almost too much to bear for most people.
As such, we suggest you be as comfortable as you possibly can be. If you’re one of those poor chaps who didn’t think it through and went in with regular sneakers, boy, are you in trouble?
Not only are those sneakers as good as finished (more on that later), so are you. Here’s the thing: sneakers are great for running, but that’s not all you’ll be doing at BUD/S.
You’ll be going through every possible exercise you can think of, and sneakers aren’t suitable for that.
A good pair of boots, on the other hand, may not feel as comfortable for running but provide a much better experience overall. Your feet will thank you for thinking it through.
Comfort and performance are also interrelated; you’ll perform better with boots that don’t kill your feet.
Durability
Remember how we said sneakers wouldn’t last long for your BUD/S experience? (Of course, you do; we just said it). “How long?” You might be asking. Well, our guess is they won’t make it through the day.
If that answer shocks you, you’re underestimating the severity of these tests. Sneakers are made for the average man or professional athletes. Soldiers fall under neither category.
As the first line of defense of our nation, they need to be at peak physical conditions, and so their training regimes put those two categories of people to shame.
Imagine the exercise that the best soldiers have togo through. Now, picture your sneakers going through that. Now, you tell us, do they make it past the day? We didn’t think so.
The types of boots we are talking about are unbeatable compared to the generic shoes that we see day-to-day. These shoes can take a beating and go on.
The last thing you want is to show up to training bare feet one day.
What Features Make a Pair of Boots Fit for BUD/S?
Now that you know that the right boots can make or break your journey to becoming a navy SEAL operative, it time to take a look at what makes a pair of the proper boots.
Size
A pretty obvious factor to keep in mind while picking the perfect boots for BUD/S is the size. You need to get your exact shoe size. The tiniest miscalculation can cause the biggest of mistakes.
We suggest either getting the boots custom-made or trying on multiple sizes and seeing which ones fit your feet to perfection. You cannot make any compromises here.
If it’s even slightly loose or tight, not only are you going to get blisters (which hurt like hell, by the way.) You won’t be performing well or feeling too good. Imagine your shoe flying off mid-pull up; how much more embarrassing can it get?
Furthermore, they won’t survive long either. If the boots are not the right fit, the friction does reduce their quality significantly.
Material
Another super obvious factor when picking out a pair of boots to start your journey as an aspiring NAVY seal is making sure your shoes are made of suitable materials.
The most important thing to consider here is getting durable material. As we’ve said countless times already, the activities put an enormous amount of strain on your shoes. As such, you need them to be made of tough materials.
But not too tough; they still definitely need to be breathable. You will spend a lot of time in these boots, so your feet will need air. It can get quite stuffy if you ignore this precaution. No one likes sweaty feet.
If you get the perfect blend between toughness and breathability, the shoes should not just fit like a glove (provided that you got the previous step right) but feel as good to wear one as well.
This durability and comfort translate into a great deal of confidence in your shoes, and you know what they say: confidence is key. You are guaranteed to perform better if you have faith in your boots.
Craftsmanship
You could have the best material in the world and make a boot that fits your feet to the millimeter, but none of it matters if the craftsmanship is poor. What do we mean by this?
What a lot of shoe manufacturers seem to have forgotten nowadays is the purpose of shoes. They are so concerned with making it look good; they seemed to have forgotten that they are making the shoes for a purpose.
Soccer cleats are made to play the beautiful sport, basketball shoes, master those rebounds, and snow boots toensure you don’t sink every time winter rolls around.
Following that trend, the boots we are discussing today are explicitly made to deal with the physical stress that comes with the intense BUD/S exercises. Some manufacturers don’t seem to grasp that point.
They get to step 1 and step 2, but they make one fatal error; they don’t make the boots right. Whether it be a stylistic choice that makes the shoe more uncomfortable or just a lack of ergonomics, these shoes are far from well-made.
Stay clear of these boots because no one cares if your shoes look good at boot camp, trust us.
Style
That’s not to say it’s a crime to be stylish. Once you can cross size, material, and overall utility off the list, you can go for style. Whether it be the color, the build, or the pattern, these boots have various varieties.
Pick the boots that fit your style best. Both anecdotal and scientific research shows that footwear you like automatically becomes more comfortable. The same goes for performance; you’ll be performing better if you feel like flying, won’t you?
As for durability, wouldn’t you take better care of a good-looking pair of boots than a boring old-school pair? Call us vain, but we definitely would.
Cushioning
Another secondary concern is the cushioning on your shoes. It may not be crucial for boots for BUD/S, but the added comfort helps you make it through the hardships that come your way.
The pads make your feet feel in place and add that light feeling of walking on air. We recommend getting boots with good cushioning as they can make a world of difference, not just for comfort but also for your performance.
We can’t stress enough the importance of comfort to your performance; it just elevates you to the next level.
Slip-resistance
Did we mention you’ll be running quite a bit when doing your BUD/S? Well, that’s an understatement. By the time you’re done, marathons will seem like child’s play. Wouldn’t it be awful to have slippery shoes for those runs?
That’s why you need to get boots that you can rely on. It would help if you had the grip not often to fall when running and avoid frequent injuries. But it’s not just for running.
Along with the exercises, you’ll also be doing some mountain climbing and treading jungle terrains. You most certainly want to stay on your feet in these endeavors.
Again, if there is a very low chance of you slipping,that will raise your confidence, and you guessed it, improve your performance.
Shock-absorption
Lastly, you want your boots to be capable of shock absorption. For those who don’t know what it does, this magical technology reduces the kinetic energy reflecting back on your feet when running.
In simpler terms, these boots will take in the impact made between your feet and the floor and soften the blow on your feet massively. It increases comfort by an extraordinary amount.
You might have this memorized by now, but; more comfort means a better performance, whichyou’ll get from these brilliant types of boots.
Who Else Could Use These Boots?
Boots of this kind are awesome. We know not all of you reading are aiming to be navy seals, or maybe we even discouraged some of you inspired bunch.Sorry about that.
The good news is you can use these shoes in other careers as well. Don’t believe us? Archeologists, explorers, hikers, and soldiers in other regiments could use these pairs as well.
These boots are extraordinarily durable,which makes them useful for many reasons in a variety of fields. The comfort makes them a favorite among professionals.
At the end of the day, the features will differ slightly for all those fields but these shoes won’t disappoint you, that’s for sure.
Final Words
Sowhat boots do navy seals wear in buds? We hope you have your answer. All these features are super important, but we want to remind you to get the right size as missing this feature can get you seriously injured.
Also, make sure you get a durable pair so you can save yourself a whole lot of money by not having to purchase multiple pairs.
We want to end off by paying our respect to the courageous men and women who risk their lives to keep the country safe from threats. We are forever indebted to them.