Your selection date is around the corner. Along with an extensive list of endurance races and ruck marches. They’re all challenging and will test your feet, stamina, endurance and mental toughness. Taking that test and passing feels incredible.

Are you on the fence about stepping up your level of fitness – or heading to selection? I urge you to consider the feeling of accomplishment from passing range. Moreover, just the feeling of crossing the finish line of a tough race.

You’re competing with yourself, and when you choose your gear, it’s important you feel good about it. Everyone has their preference and the equipment I’ll review here isn’t comprehensive. But it’s equipment I use and have used in the past with success. There is enough stuff out there to fill a series of articles.

When it comes to selection, there are a few types of boots you want to take. Like cars, you’ll need different tires for different terrain. The Nike SFB’s will be right for most movements – but might not be ideal for every leg of movement during the land navigation course. When you take a knee and then plop on your ass after you’ve found your first point during the land navigation portion of selection – socks and boots can be a part of your planning. If I knew I would have to go underwater, perhaps under the infamous “scuba road,” I’m not going to wear the intrepid Nike’s. I’d switch a to a lesser boot, like throw-always, and wear new boots to keep my feet dry during the rest of the

movement. Even though you might wade through such deep water it’s inevitable for it to seep into your shoes – it’s worth not making a light pair of boots that move fast to heavy and wet annoyances.

Boot reviews:

Nike SFB’s:

I love these and swear by them. There are a lot of great boots out there. The boot market has caught up with early innovators like the Nike SFB. They do not require much of a break-in period and are ready to go out of the box. I’ve put a lot of miles on two pairs, and after maybe 150 miles I saw a slight tear in the sole of the Nike SFB’s. They were still protective for my ankles and knees and felt great.

The tennis shoe feel allows your feet to roll over the ground well. Maintaining a jogging pace is easy. It a natural feel to run in the SFB’s. But, it’s not like running in regular shoes – don’t expect a full range of ankle motion when ruck running, which you don’t want.

If nothing else, they’re great garrison boots because they feel like tennis shoes. If you’ve been punishing yourself with the classic army boots – your feet will feel privileged every day wearing the Nike SFB’s.

Garmont T8 NFS Combat Boot

Another boot I’ve yet to hear a bad review of. The folks over at Military Athlete, now Mountain Tactical Institute have rave reviews on this boot. Several friends of mine have taken these on the long walk for Delta selection, and Special Forces Selection. Also important to note, many have taken this boot to Afghanistan, which is the ultimate test of durability. I’m not going to lie, though. I didn’t love it – compared to the Nike SFB’s. Not for ruck running over distance training.

If you’d like gear reviewed, please add a note to the comments section of this article.

Featured image courtesy of GoRUCK.