lightweight work boots - ALTAI® Footwear

Tactical Footwear: Why Waterproof Boots Alone Won’t Cut it

Team ALTAI® on July 27, 2023

If you work in an industry where you’re on your feet all the time or plan on going on an outdoor adventure- then you probably know how important it is to be tactical when choosing the right boot.

Although a waterproof boot is essential when exposed to certain weather conditions and/or in demanding situations where the material really matters. When it comes to tactical boots though, it’s key that durability and performance meets protection, and you are going to need more than just waterproof capabilities. The main function of a waterproof boot is to keep your feet dry in wet or damp conditions. At the very least, a tactical boot needs to be waterproof, but the truth is, that alone isn’t enough.

At ALTAI®, we specialize in designing high quality waterproof tactical boots and know exactly what additional features are needed to help you purchase the perfect pair!

Lightweight Flexibility

If you work in an industry such as law enforcement, security, construction, landscaping or warehousing where your day-to-day is physically demanding, then a lightweight waterproof work boot is ideal. There are many waterproof boots out there, but not many have the combination that is made of lightweight flexible fabric, which is necessary when it comes to achieving high quality performance.

A lightweight waterproof boot can improve mobility and agility so that you can move more freely, especially if you have to navigate through uneven surfaces or potential hazards. Wearing heavy boots can lead to foot and leg fatigue by increasing the strain on your muscles and joints. But if you wear a lightweight waterproof boot, you can alleviate these types of issues and increase your productivity while also reducing any risks of injury.

At ALTAI®, we understand the significance of this – that’s why our lightweight waterproof work boots barely tip the scales at 23 ounces and are approximately 50% lighter than most boots currently available in the market today.

Advanced Technology Materials

Lightweight waterproof boots are a great combo but the actual material of the boot is equally important. This is because if the material is not breathable, moisture can stay trapped in your boot and cause cold feet. A lot of waterproof boots are made with material such as Gore-Tex that claim to keep your feet warm in the winter. The only issue with this is that they tend to be on the heavier side and may require extra winterization.

At ALTAI®, our boots, on the other hand, are made with our very own patented SuperFabric® technology. Our technology is not only lightweight and breathable, but it doesn’t require any extra winterization so it’s perfect for all the seasons! We created our own innovative material through extensive scientific and technological research that has even been tested against blades and knives to ensure its durability!

Ultimately, it’s important to have a lightweight waterproof boot that is versatile enough to keep up with a wide range of work environments. It’s also important that it’s suitable for different outdoor activities, which is exactly what you get with our advanced SuperFabric® material!

Maximize Comfort

The right fabric can make a big difference in how comfortable your shoes are, especially if you are on your feet for extended periods of time. Other factors such as ankle support and traction are important too. Boots that have a padded collar and strong outsoles are some of the features that can help with this. It’s important to keep in mind that some shoes may also require a break-in period before they become comfortable. There are also some waterproof boots out there that can provide you with comfort the second you put them on depending on what you prefer!

This is why when it comes to shopping for boots, waterproof protection is a key factor, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors or work in an industry where exposure to water or moisture is common. However, just focusing on the waterproof aspect of the shoe is not enough if you want to invest in a high-quality boot that is both versatile and tactical.

That’s why it’s so important to choose the right combination of lightweight flexible material and all the additional features needed to enhance performance and maximize comfort. If you are interested in finding the perfect pair of boots that checks off all of the boxes, in addition to being waterproof – browse our selection of lightweight waterproof work boots today!

ALTAI™ Retailer Spotlight: Community Country Store Annex, Kalona Iowa

altaidev on April 4, 2019

Today we turn the spotlight on a very special retailer in Kalona, Iowa. Community Country Store Annex will take you back to a quieter time as you shop the area’s highest quality Amish goods.

Horse and buggy are a frequent sight in the parking lot and you can expect good, old fashioned customer service with no rush or hustle and bustle. If you’re in the area and in need of a new pair of boots, make sure to stop by and get the full experience.

Check here to find an ALTAI™ retailer in your area and give our tactical boots a try in person!

ALTAI™ Pro Tip: How To Keep Your Work Boots Working

altaidev on September 19, 2018

You work hard and so do your feet. Day in and day out, your work boots are one of the most important gear you wear and need them to reliably deliver every time. Your job depends on it. So here are 3 simple steps to take to help keep your work boots working longer.

Keep Your Boots Clean

A clean boot is far less susceptible to unwanted fungus or bacteria building up. If you have an especially dirty job, it is recommended to clean your work boots off every night. Since our boots are waterproof, a quick hose-off are a low-effort way to clean off the day’s grime. For tougher debris, a soft bristled brush will easy clear away the grime and, thanks to our SuperFabric® uppers, your boot won’t get scuffed or scratched in the process.

Dry Your Boots

A dry boot is also key to avoiding fungus or bacteria. While many boots are waterproof, breathability can be a challenge for many traditional boots made of leather. Again, SuperFabric® delivers maximum breathability, while remaining waterproof; the best of both worlds. ALTAI™ boots will quickly dry overnight and be ready for work again the next day.

Cleaning the Inside of Your Boots

Baking soda is one easy home-remedy for cleaning the interior of your work boot. We cover other ways to disinfect and clean the inside of your boots in our ALTAI™ Pro Tip article here.

ALTAI™ Pro Tip: Cleaning the Insides of Your Boots

altaidev on August 2, 2018

If you have a pair of our boots, you understand the benefits of having ONE pair that does it all. From work to play, like a trusty friend, your boots are with you through it all.

You already know how easy it is to clean the exterior of our boots (just a hose and a soft bristled brush, if needed) but here are some tips to keep the interior of your boots clean and lasting longer than ever.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has powerful odor removing qualities. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda into your boots and let them sit overnight. This is often preferred over “masking” the scent as baking soda actually absorbs odors and neutralizes them. Shake out baking soda before wearing again.

Kitty Litter

Kitty litter has natural deodorizing capabilities. For lingering odors that one night of baking soda can’t eliminate, try knotting kitty litter into a thin fabric (perhaps a sock) and stuff into your boots each night.

Air It Out

Place your boots overnight in a warm dry place. Loosen the laces enough so you can allow as much air flow into the interior of the boot as possible. Placing your boots in the sun can be a safe, easy way to air out your boots and helps prevent bacteria that can cause odor.

Disinfecting Spray

Whether it’s pharmaceutical grade or a homemade version (rubbing alcohol and/or vinegar mixture), a disinfecting spray will help kill odor causing bacteria over the long term.

ALTAI™ Testimonial: Our boots vs. the rainy Pacific Northwest

altaidev on December 5, 2017

In the Pacific Northwest, lies the only area (outside of Hawaii and Alaska) in our country that exceeds over 100 inches of rain a year, on average. Outdoor jobs like construction or carpentry, and even outdoor recreational activities, demand the best performing gear, nearly year-round. So we decided to put our ALTAI™ MFM100 boots to the test with construction/carpentry professional, Andrew M. of Oregon. Here is his account of how our boots performed and more reason you don’t have to take our word for it: our boots will get the job DONE. (Note: the ‘MF’ in all of our model names indicates a Multi-Functional boot. The same high performance features of the MFM100 appear in all our boot models.)

Andrew M. – Construction/Carpentry professional, Recreational hiker

I’ve worked in the construction trades for over a decade. Over those years I’ve struggled to find footwear that is both comfortable and capable of performing across a variety of tasks; everything from heavy demolition or pouring a new concrete footing to painting, from an extension ladder or finish carpentry. The boots needed for heavy work are uncomfortable when not needed and shoes that are more ideal for lighter work don’t provide the durability or protection for heavier work. Since the nature of my work changes throughout the day not having one pair of shoes that suits all tasks is a problem.

ALTAI™ boots have solved this problem. They had a comfortable and natural fit out of the box needing little breaking in. Unlike other work boots I’ve had ALTAI™ boots are in fact so comfortable I have enjoyed using them as hiking boots. On the job they have withstood abuse, providing the protection and durability required of a work boot.

What has stood out the most about ALTAI™ boots is their ability to shed moisture, whether from heavy rains or errant sprays from a hose, keeping my feet dry. This alone is not necessarily unique, but ALTAI™ boots resist water while ALSO remaining light and breathable.

By providing the endurance and protection of a work boot but not sacrificing in comfort ALTAI™ boots have been an ideal choice of footwear for construction work.

Shop the ALTAI™ MFM100 and see for yourself.

ALTAI™ Advice: Keep Your Hard-Working Feet Healthy and Happy

altaidev on August 31, 2017

It goes without saying, but it is important to always remember that the first step to having healthy, hard-working feet is having the right, comfortable fit from your footwear. For more information, including sizing and fit, you can learn more about the ALTAI™ experience here.

If you stand at a station or a small work area, be sure to adjust heights of surfaces, depending on your needs. Bring things easier within your reach and prioritize by how frequently a piece of equipment, for example, is used in a day. Make sure when you are standing, you have enough comfortable room for proper posture and be sure to give your knees and legs plenty of space when seated.

Staying fit will also improve prevention of injury, especially long-term damage. Calf stretches are an easy way to keep limber and ensure use of full range motion. Calf ‘drops’ [http://www.active.com/running/articles/8-exercises-to-prevent-foot-injuries] are a simple, effective way to strengthen and condition leg muscles key to these kinds of working conditions. In general, if your job demands your feet to perform, maintaining through conditioning will keep you performing at your best.

And lastly, don’t ever neglect signs of injury; see a doctor for more detailed information. Your feet at your most basic, necessary vehicle so take good care of them so they can return the favor.

ALTAI™ Advice: How Hard Work Will Improve Your Life

altaidev on August 29, 2017

Whether you have an office-bound job or a physically demanding one, if you’ve experienced the rush after a successful hands-on project, you understand the powerful mental benefits of working with your hands.

Mental health experts have pointed out the all-around benefits of physical work, from improved sleep to increased learning abilities. Endorphins require the body to move and endorphins are that “feel good” chemical released when physical work is engaged. This process reduces stress and becomes a beneficial, repeated cycle of sharpening the mind through physical activity which, in turn, increases overall productivity.

With that reduction in stress comes a good night’s sleep. Being physically tired, not just mentally, is what allows the body to maximize the benefits of deep, necessary sleep. People who dedicate an average of 5 hours of physical work a day tend to sleep well through the night and feel rested the following day.

In addition to lowering obesity, hands-on work also encourages better learning abilities. Take learning a bike, for example. Reading about how to ride a bike or watching a video online can provide a little insight to the imagination, but actually grabbing a bicycle and getting on it are the only real ways to ever learn the skill. With a rewarding activity like riding a bicycle, the drive to learn new things is enhanced.

So in the spirit of today’s blog post: get out there, roll up your sleeves, and get down in that dirt! Scale those rocky trails to a new viewpoint in your local national park. Get your gardening gear on and tackle that monstrous project, head-on. All the benefits point to having a healthier, happier body and mind.

The History of Footwear for Labor

altaidev on August 22, 2017

If you’ve ever worked a tough job, 10 or more hours on your feet, hauling, grinding, or patrolling away, you can appreciate what difference your favorite pair of work boots make. It’s quite the wonder, then, to take a look back at where footwear for laborers started and its evolution through the ages.

Around the 16th century, sabots were the common “protective” footwear for steel workers and the like, all the way up through the Industrial Revolution. The word sabotage originated from the known act of workers’ throwing a sabot into factory machinery, in order to shut down production.

However, as you can imagine, wooden sabots were protective only to a degree and mobility was gravely compromised. Leather boots came out on the rise but without any real protective qualities, protective toe components became the compromise to satisfy performance capability and safety.

Seeing how far work footwear has come over the years, we are proud to be part of the newest generation of footwear innovators. From space-age material SuperFabric® to world-reknown Vibram® soles, we will continue to outfit the hardest working people with the hardest working boots.

ALTAI™ Toughest Jobs Spotlight: Tree Fallers

altaidev on June 13, 2017

Some of the toughest occupations in the world are not the ones you always expect. Tree fallers, wildlife officers, paramedics, the list goes on… and so do the folks in these types of jobs. Today we spotlight tree fallers and the occupations that demand 110% from its workers and how we strive to improve every single step.

Tree Fallers – Chainsaws, sharp axes, broken branches, rock, and typically, some of the most untamed forests make tree falling an extremely rugged job; not for the faint of heart. While leather is a common material used to fend off these kinds of nasty, sharp objects, we all know how easily leather erodes under long-term, daily abuse. All it takes is one decent scuff and that’s the beginning of the decline of your work boots.

SuperFabric® materials change the game when it comes to long-lasting, durable work boots. With this futuristic level of abrasion and slash resistance, we were able to engineer a better boot, meant to thrive in these kinds of harsh environments.

Are you a tree faller or work in a similar rugged environment? We dare you to take the next step and experience the ALTAI™ Difference.

Hard-Working Boots Just Got Smarter: The ALTAI™ Difference

altaidev on June 8, 2017

Your old work boots. You’ve put them through the ringer, day in and day out. But if your job is anything short of a desk job, you know how quickly that relationship ends. The typical work boot lasts anywhere from 7-8 months; we decided to push those limits and, once again, future material SuperFabric® was key in extending the durability of a reliable work boot.

Used in a variety of applications, SuperFabric® is the solution for many industrial-grade wear and tear problems. Many Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) companies incorporate the guard plated textile for some of the highest safety standards. Our boot engineers thought, “Hey, hard-working feet deserve that kind of durability out of one pair of boots, too.”

After 500 miles of training through rain, snow, hot weather, these pair have really shown their Born To Outperform™ roots. Many of our customers still have their original pair of MF Tactical boots from our early days! We’re proud to be give you exactly what we aimed to: a super-rugged, work boot that works as hard as you do and can also throw down in any tough situation.