Boots Men's Pampa Hi Originale Canvas Boots

I got my first pair of Palladiums when I was on active duty. Having worn (and worn out) dozens of brands and styles, I can say definitively that most of the tactical footwear out there is bulky, badly designed for wear (probably due to designers trying to make them look "indestructible" with huge stitching and webbing) and they were super tough on feet and knees. This was especially apparent when I was standing or travelling on foot while doing 12+ hour shifts or deployments. One day, a visitor came to the base where I was working wearing a pair of Palladiums. I asked about them because they looked like the old, cheap canvas "Israeli commando boots" I used to see in surplus catalogs, but these were nowhere near as cheaply made. The visitor knew a little about the brand, advised me that Palladiums had indeed made boots at some past time for the IDF, but that they currently sold boots as a fashion brand. The key takeaway was that the visitor swore on them as the most comfortable footwear they ever owned. I decided to try some out and managed to find some that passed within our uniform requirements. Short end to a long story: I now *live* in these. High top, baggy, pampa, doesn't matter. Every pair of about 7 or 8 I have bought since then has fit superbly, are light weight, and has held up to plenty of punishment for at least 2-3 years. Usually I replace them for cosmetic reasons rather than because they were genuinely worn out. They look great, meander the line between tactical and streetwear well enough that it's no problem to put them with either a uniform or any casual outfit. I sometimes even have strangers compliment them or ask about them, which is not a usual thing with boots. If I have on critique, I just wish Palladium could get their act together with the supply. These things are onky sold in a few places and they are constantly running out of most sizes and colors. I generally have to hunt for a few weeks until what I wanted is refreshed in a tiny run or in a slightly different style. TLDR: These *are* the boots you are looking for.

Always comfy and reliable with class.

I have wider foot so I got men’s size 7 that equals women size 8 1/2 and I absolutely love them. The soul is pretty firm so I had to put some cushion in the insole, but the shoe is very stable. The quality is amazing. I definitely would like to get another color.

Like numerous people have said, you should order these about 1/2 size larger than what you normally wear. I normally wear a 10, but ordered the 10 1/2 and the fit is absolutely perfect. My feet don't slide around in them at all and I have plenty of wiggle room for my toes. I don't feel like I'm even wearing shoes at all. As for build quality, they seem durable, the canvas has a nice thickness to it and it has double stitching all around. The insoles look a bit sketchy, but it's easy enough to remove them and replace with the insoles of your choice. The one downside is they are a bit slippery on wet floors, I don't know if this is because the soles are still brand new, I'll have to see if wet traction improves after they have been broken in a bit. Update 6/24/17. After three weeks of ownership I replaced the crappy insoles with a nice pair of gel ones, and they have gone from very comfortable to downright heavenly. One slightly annoying thing is the spaces between the lugs in the heel are the perfect size for trapping small rocks, twigs, etc., so expect to pick up a few if you walk over any areas with gravel or mulch.

I'll update this as I continue to wear them. Day 1: Unpacking These boots were comfortable out of the box. The fit is exact and perfect in comparison to the Converse All-Star high tops. Do yourself a favor and get fitted for a pair of Chuck T's if you're unsure about Palladium fitment. They're exactly the same in both room and feel. Obviously the Palladium Pampa Hi's have a more aggressive tread; but that's beside the point. The higher tread and more pliable sole make these about 1.4x more comfortable than a pair of Converse Chuck Highs. These are, also, not much heavier than the Converse. I'll repeat this comparison further, I'm sure. The wear-in isn't as bad as other hiking boots I've encountered. There's no sore ankle or ball-of-foot skin wear for me. The upper mate-stitching isn't obvious when walking / wearing for the first time. The upper canvas is, too, pliable just like the lower soles. The laces seem tough now but I wonder how much pulling / tugging will adversely affect their reliability. I'll continue to keep my focus on these; as I don't typically trust cotton bound laces on boots. A length of paracord might fit better and last longer. I'm only 3 days deep into these boots but, so far, am impressed. The light-weight mixed with obvious flexibility and military-style looks are great so far. Next week I'll continue to test, outside an urban environment, with a short hike with mild grade. My previous all leather boots proved to be too heavy and non-flexible for a comfortable walk through the light grade. Great gear thus far.. Day 7: These boots have only become more comfortable! There's a small seam overlap in the right boot on the outer side where the upper meets the forward canvas that bent downward and caused discomfort until forced in the opposite direction. Otherwise, I've worn these EVERY day for about 9 to 10 hours straight and have not felt any other discomfort. The sole is very forgiving and rather soft; which helped on the trail today. I walked mostly dirt path but took my dog up into some sturdy rocks and had no trouble keeping up with him. The ankle support isn't strong. I'm sure to either pack or pre-wrap my ankles with athletic/waterproof wrap on my next hike just in-case. I've not noticed much wear on the sole tread, either, which is entirely surprising. I tend to wear the insides of previous shoes and soles quicker than the outside; I've not seen this same wear pattern with these.. YET. I'm not sure that they're entirely worn in, as I've not noticed any age marks in the top/upper yet. Though, these are surely more pliable than any other canvas-upper boot that I've purchased yet. Not bad at all for $55.

Palladium started out as a company making tires for aircraft and started making boots that were eventually adopted for use by the French Foreign Legion. I was about to go on a camp out with my family and I haven't had any kind of boots for years so I found these ones. We live in Texas so I didn't want anything super heavy and clunky or hot so I gave these a shot. First off they look cool and I got a lot of compliments on them. The fit is good for my 9.5 feet. They look durable and there's so nice padding on the sole inside. They're much like a sneaker top with boot bottoms so they are not monster clunkers. No real break in period, they were comfortable from the first time I put them on. They did very well for the campout, probably did about 10 miles worth of hiking on trails and they did fine. Where they really shined was the last day, when we decided to go geocaching. The first one was on top of a hill and not hard to find but we totally screwed up our approach on the second cache. We end up going off any kind of trail and through wilderness at Tyler Nation Park. So we are bashing through pricker bushes and climbing over dead trees, completely off any kid of trail and I was glad to have the boots on, protecting my ankles from thorns, brambles and giving my ankles support. [...] Look off the trail and that's the type of terrain we were trucking through So, they've pretty much passed the test, cool enough to wear to work, comfortable enough to walk around all day, and tough enough to get off the trail. They were covered in dirt etc after this trek, so washed them in cold water and dried on their own, looked good as new. I don't know how water proof they are, so I will probably put some water proofing on them. Overall, very happy with these boots I got for $37.00 .

I had purchased these for a durable lawn/gardening boot. These boots are designed a bit narrow looking and it seems that they could have made the back of the shoe more narrow than the front. Which causes these to be wider at the front. More of the new age, narrow legs, baggy waist, trending perhaps? Was not sure about the size, I had worn a 12 since????? But it seemed as if all my shoes made my feet ache, so perhaps my feet have grown? Thus, opted for a 13, still it seems my foot might could stand more room? Perhaps an E? No fault of the shoe! Though the shoes/boots are light, breathable, and they have nice soles, which are not stiff like many other boots. Though as stated, it appears they shrunk the back of the boot, both in height and width, they are just trendy perhaps? They fit securely on the foot, even on terrain that is uneven and rough, they seem to fit securely on the foot. They seem to absorb shock and rough surfaces, without being hard on the knees, soles of ones feet, etc.... Excellent traction, I was walking on logs, woodpiles, and they did not slip not once.... Nice boot for intended use. Though like basic issued military boots in the US, they have that wider at the toe, extremely narrow at the heel look, which is not as suited as a wider heel would have. The heel seems to be a bit sunken on these shoes as well. Perhaps due to their intended use being for trekking? To cut down on weight and some orthopedic support for hikers, design wise? They just look different than a Dr Martin, Timberland, AirSeal, etc.... Where they have thicker, heavier soles, w/ wider thicker heels. These boots are shaped more like the human foot. If you are a hiker, you do not want all the extra weight, of the wider, thicker heels, perhaps? Seems reasonable. Overall, too soon to tell? Thought I would leave a comment. Sometimes comments help, when deciding on making a purchase. The purchased item is not broken in as of yet, once they get that way, they will look different one would suspect. Provided the material is canvas, they will most definitely assume a new shape.Though, one would suspect they will outlast any other comparably priced item. Box store or retail brands, which are constructed of leather or leather like materials, which often do not last. In footwear, you generally get what you pay for. If you pay more, you generally can expect the boot to last for years. If you spend less, you can expect the sole to be a marking sole, for the boot to wear down quickly, etc..... So once again, there may be another chapter to the story of these shoes? Value!

I like these boots so much I bought four pairs in different colors. They are great for everyday wear. If you like Converse hi- top shoes you will love the Pampa Hi boots from Palladium. They are like hi-top sneakers (trainers), but even more comfortable with a thicker yet somehow more flexible sole. They fit true to size and are honestly some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I haven’t worn them on long hikes or in rough terrain so I can’t really evaluate their suitability for hard use but they are solidly constructed and would probably be fine for the type of hiking most people actually do. They are not waterproof if that’s important to you but they are great for daily all day wear and let’s face it, they just look really good. I purchased one pair because I liked the way they looked and three more shortly thereafter because I love the way they feel. Just my opinion but I love them. I highly recommend the Pampa Hi boots.