Belleville Boots

Review of the Belleville F795 Women's Insulated Waterproof Desert Boot



INITIAL IMPRESSION & APPEARANCE: This boot was impressive right out-of-the-box was no real obvious shortcomings or weaknesses. This boot demonstrates top Belleville quality U.S. troops have come to expect. These boots appear rugged and durable but are by no means a lightweight boot. The F795 features several durable cowhide suede panels that are double stitched to each other with a 2 to 3 puncture and tear resistant nylon Cordura panels. One of items of note was the seamless joining of the Vibram outsole with the midsole. high quality work ship like this is what Belleville customers are used to. The F795 is definitely one sturdy, high quality boot, designed for tough duty.

KEY FEATURES: The Belleville F795 has a Gore-Tex fabric bootie that is sewn into the lining of the boot. What is surprising is the thickness of the Gore-Tex fabric which really adds very little weight to the overall boot. The Gore-Tex fabric is permanently sewn to all interior areas and creates in cases your foot all the way to the second eyelet from the top, essentially giving your feet a protective barrier that is impassable to moisture and water. An excellent design feature is how Belleville has utilized a gusseted tongue to provide waterproofing way above the ankle level. What this does is allow you to walk through several inches of standing water with no problems at all.

Another important feature of the F795 is the integration of 200 g of Thinsulate insulation into the lining of the boot all the way from the toe to the top of ankle. This insulationis was designed for low bulk and does not increase the size or thickness of the boot but does add 5 ounces to the overall weight. That is a significant amount of weight but this boot is not designed to be lightweight or to compete with tactical style models. just keep in mind that this boot is ideal for subzero temperatures and wet conditions. this is the type of boot you'll thank yourself for having when the temperature drops the rain starts in your feet are still dry and toasty.

TRYING THESE ON: One thing to keep in mind with Belleville boots is for some reason they are all oversized so just remember to order a half a size smaller than your athletic shoe size. That being said, these boots were extremely comfortable overall. The high-quality Belleville midsole provides excellent arch support for those with arch problems or with flat feet. Toe room was sufficient without allowing your toes to move around and that he'll design was a good spacious fit without having too much room so that your heel slides around. One area where Belleville could improve is definitely be factory insole which was very unsupportive and flimsy. this is the standard insole that they conclude with all of their boots and it is made of foam rubber and does provide ample cushioning, just very little to no support. My recommendation is to replace these with a pair of aftermarket or custom orthotics and you'll have very little you can improve upon with this boot.

OVERALL: It's impressive that Belleville makes a women's specific cold-weather waterproof boot. With over 90% of military boot sales going to male customers, very few military boot vendors are willing to produce women's specific boots much less a boot as specific in nature as the F795. There's not much more you can ask for with a sub $200 boot. DF 795 includes most of the optional features that Belleville offers in it's higher-end boots. You definitely won't be disappointed with picking a pair of these up when you find yourself working long shifts in outdoor sub zero temperatures.