Meindl Island Pro or Military?

Supercell

Hi all, from reading previous posts here and reviews on the web, the Island Pro comes highly recommended and one to go for.

However I'm seeing "military" versions also on the likes of ebay.

Can anyone clarify what the differences are?
Also is there a different naming system for shoe sizes for these types of shoes - the Great Outdoors only seems to sell them in sizes Uk13 - 17 ?. I'm only a UK size 8 (eu 42)!!

Evil Phil

Dunno about the difference between pro and military. GO would be able to tell you that, plus they'll order them in your size if available.

Roen

I traveled with a lad just out of the German army in Africa a few years back, my boots were identical to the ones he used during his service. The soles were the only things different. As far as he could tell they were thicker on the military version. Not sure if this is the only difference or if he was even right.

As an interesting point (for me anyway) he was in the medical wing and when the German army cut back on issuing two pairs of boots down to one pair the incidence of colds and flus shot through the roof.

Supercell

Thanks lads, I'll try on a pair in the shop at the weekend .

Roen, re the flu incidance, thats a bizzare story, its so nuts it must be true!! Maybe by wairing the same boots everyday the cold and flu bacteria could build up easier in a nice warm shoe than every other day or something ?

Roen

He blamed it on not being able to change out of wet boots everyday and having to wear the same cold damp ones day in, day out. I forgot to mention he was a medic in the mountain division.

fenris

Both the Island pro and the army pro are great boots, I have owned both.

The army pro is a high boot (thing 18 hole doc martens if you are old enough to remember!) whereas the island are your more conventional boot.

My first pair was the Island pro, lasted for years of constant use, I only changed them when the ankle and sole support started to go leading to tired feet.

The army pro is just a higher version of the island pro, so it is obviously a bit heavier and stiffer about the ankle (my preference is for greater support) to start with, the extra height of the tongue helps keep you feet dryer as it seems to take you just beyond the average height of the rising damp inducing features of the Irish mountainscape. (One of the handy things about the army pro is that it works quite well as a boot that can be worn on a motorbike and allow you to hike when you get where you are going, a nice alterneative to Altbergs!

For me the acid test is which would I buy again, and for me it is the army pro, replacing the meindl insoles with the green superfeet footbeds before I even left the shop. The chap who looked after me in the GO last time managed to make hiking boots feel like a pair of socks!

Roen

Mystery solved!