According to Jason (founder of GORUCK) the GORUCK boots have been in the making for over four years. Projects like that can be tough and feel like they never end… so seeing these available on the website is pretty exciting.
The MACV-1 (which is the name of the boot) are constructed of premium full-grain leather and 1000d Cordura uppers. They’ve included 2″ nylon webbing for additional ankle support AND to prevent debris and rain from getting in. These boots are proudly not waterproof and we’re excited to see just how much debris the 2″ nylon will keep out.
The MACV-1 product page has a ton of detail on features included in the boots but the picture that stands out the most (to us) is the one above. Most GORUCK events include some water so seeing a picture of the boots actually draining water is beautiful.
The triple stitching and adhesive system used on the boots is reassuring because these are not covered under the GORUCK SCARS warranty outside of defects in craftsmanship. This is understandable because these boots are not made in the USA so sourcing repairs could become expensive. That being said if GORUCK moves deep into the shoe and boot market they might employ someone full time at SCARS to handle such requests.
The adhesive used to keep the boots together is roughly four times tougher than the industry standard. This does mean that the boots cannot be re-soled and Jason did acknowledge that as a trade-off during the announcement.
If you pre-order the MACV-1 then you’ll receive a leather MACV-1 patch as a nice thank you from GORUCK. This is similar to when the GR3 was released for pre-order and everyone who pre-ordered that received a GR3 patch.
GORUCK chose to include an upgraded “Workhorse Insert” with their boots which is definitely something we’re excited about. Aftermarket inserts, although very popular, can be tough to correctly fit in a shoe or boot. Generally you have to buy them a little large and cut them down so that they fit right and if you cut too much (or buy one too small) you’ll get some shift. Assuming the upgraded inserts GORUCK chose to include are awesome then it will be nice to skip that whole step and just have an insert that fits.
The MACV-1 are available for pre-order at the price point of $195 and will be shipping around October, 2018. Will you be pre-ordering the boots? Have some thoughts on them? We’d love to hear your feedback by leaving a comment below!
Brian, first thanks for all the hard work on all the reviews and Podcasts you do they are truly a great resource of information…. I’ve preordered the MACV-1 based on the facts they were born from the best boot ( my humble opinion) ever made ( Vietnam era Jungleboot) and it’s just not about a great functioning boot … it’s the story behind it!!! #GORUCK , #DFQ
Damn, I just ordered a pair of Red Wing Iron Rangers last week. I may have to order these and do a comparison.
With GORUCK having a 30 day return policy on their boots that’s really not a bad idea! If the Red Wings are better then return the GORUCK and if the GORUCK are better then you’ve got two really good pairs of boots on your hands :)