TreeLineBackpacker

The A/T Mid from 5.11 are heavy duty, waterproof work boots designed for long, hard shifts on dirt, rocks and pavement. My review:

The A/T Mid Boots are medium weight, heavy duty boots built upon a rugged, full rubber outsole designed for slip and oil resistance. The body is mostly synthetic, featuring a robust rubber toe bumper, a reinforced heel, Tac Dry waterproof (and bloodborne pathogen resistance) membrane, and a breathable mesh upper with TPU welded panels for added durability. The insole is dual density PU with high rebound foam in the toe and heel for increased impact absorption. The shoes come in various sizes and colors, including wide variants, and retails for $165.

What I liked

First and foremost, the A/T excels in stability. The boots wrap around the foot snugly with a stout, cupping heel and a wide platform that helps prevent the foot and ankle from rocking side to side, while still allowing the toes and foot to flex naturally in stride. The ankle is supported well with a fairly stiff fabric shoulder, reinforced by synthetic bands that act like braces, running around the perimeter of the ankle and connecting to the heel cup like a cable suspension. This all works together to create a very sturdy, confidence inspiring boot that provides excellent stability, be that on flat, hard surfaces or uneven rocky surfaces. Be it traversing along smooth concrete, wet pavement, rock or dirt, I always felt secure, confident and in control.

Support is also a strong point with the A/T. The full rubber outsole provides a still foundation for a form fitting, molded insole that has multiple layers of high and low density foam, all wrapping around the arch, toes and heel. The outsole (the bottom/tread of the boot) is actually built up, into the inner sole, which provides increased stiffness, support and provides a nice direct to the ground feeling that I haven’t come across before. I can only really describe the feeling it creates as “cradling”. The arch isn’t overly pronounced either, which can cause soreness, but does curve gently into the foot. After hours on my feet my arches still felt fresh and ready for more action, despite hammering them with concrete, rock and more.

Comfort wise the A\T are pretty good. The boot as a whole has a very cohesive construction, with little in the way of detectable seams or ridges on the inside or outside. Everything is constructed smooth, evenly, and with little internal stitching which provides a smooth surface for the foot to rest against. The boots are moderately narrow, but provide a snug, form fitting shape that keeps them from slipping and causing friction. Wider users will definitely want to go with the wide option here but they aren’t overly narrow either. I did find the toe box to be just a little tight at my somewhat in between size, so those who fall between sizes might want to step up a half size. Otherwise the fit is great. I found absolutely no heel slip or toe shifting inside, which helps cut down on blisters.

When it comes to traction, the A\T also holds up really well. High area, thick, obtuse angle lugs run the perimeter of the boot, which provides excellent smooth and wet surface grip. Meanwhile, tighter, more angular lugs are placed in the middle for better grip on muddy or rough terrain surfaces. Smaller, pin-like lugs are positioned in the arch which helps with stepping on onto roots, hoses or small, linear objects. This technique of combining differing shapes and sized lugs depending on the area of the sole works quite well and emphasizes grip on smoother surfaces like tile and pavement over rock and soil. Given the purpose of the boot, I think this is the right decision. The boots are less suited on steep, loose materials in particular, like a soft pack dirt trail, as it lacks dedicated braking lugs and the smaller, more penetrating lugs are relegated only to the center of the sole. Still, performance on hard pack dirt is quite good and this seems to be a good balance given their focus.

Other positive notes include great foot protection thanks to a very robust toe bumper and heel shank, laces that stay tied even when wet or dusty, and waterproofing that holds up great even when crossing streams of water. Durability also seems great, although I need to do longer term testing to know for sure. The harder compound of the rubber sole has held up great to pavement and concrete.

I really like how these boots look. Aesthetically, they fall somewhere between tactical boots and modernized high performance work boots, while not looking out of place in either scenario. The cuts are smooth and minimalist, but they have small flourishes like complex texturing on some of the fabrics and subtle complementary lines that really bring them together while adding subtle contrast. A brighter option might have been nice, but the color options that exist are great.

What I didn’t like

The shoelaces are rather short making them a bit hard to tie, especially when they are new. I don’t have particularly tall feet, but did find myself almost out of lace when breaking them in. As the materials stretch it becomes a bit easier, but I definitely don’t have room for more complex knots, just the basic double bow.

Being a fully waterproof boot, they can get pretty hot in the summer. I found that a wool sock with a long calf extension really helped to wick the moisture away, but they’re definitely only decent in the breathability category. But, this is typical for any fully water proof boot. Working in the heat my feet definitely built up some moisture, but the boots did dry quickly when airing them out.

They can take some effort to get on, especially when they’re new. The foot opening is still and do not open very wide, especially during break in, requiring some force to get on. The integrated tug loops greatly help with pulling them up, but they’ll still take some effort. If you prefer loose socks, they may bunch up when trying to slide these on.

Other thoughts

These boots, like many work boots, take a long time to break in. I do not recommend wearing these for more than a couple hours at a time when you first get them. Take them to the grocery story, doing errands, or working around the house, but give them at least a couple weeks of light break in before you take them on a long day unless you also pack another pair of shoes or boots to swap them out with during the day.

Overall

The A/T Mid Waterproof boots from 5.11 are certainly solid boots. They’re built to last thanks to their modern construction techniques, robust materials, and a generous reinforcements around the seams and creases. They provide excellent foot protection, are comfortable to wear for very long periods of time after they break in, and they also look great. They’re certainly tuned more for work than play, and their traction and stability profiles align with that emphasis. They have solid traction on smooth and semi-smooth surfaces, wet or dry, but do suffer slightly on loose, rocky terrain. They get hot in warmer weather and can be a pain to slip on and off, but overall are great options for those looking for a sturdy, safe work boot that handles itself both on and off the pavement.

Highly Recommended

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