XTRATUF Ankle deck boot

HMS takes a look at the XTRATUF Ankle Deck Boot – As many of you will know, I suffer from troublesome feet, after having sustained complex injuries as a consequence of a car crash seven years ago. I therefore regard myself as something of an ‘expert’ when it comes to determining the pros and cons of footwear!

The quest for comfort

But I appreciate I’m not alone in my quest for comfy foot attire, because even if it isn’t due to injury, many folk these days suffer from a whole range of issues that mean their feet are often uncomfortable, fatigued or just downright painful. Little wonder why, in recent years especially, there has been a significant migration on the part of consumers towards those brands that specialise in providing comfortable, supportive footwear.

Even so, despite the foregoing, manufacturers of fashion-orientated boating footwear, in the main, seem to be dragging their heels – if you pardon the pun. Few companies are prioritising comfort and orthotic benefits over style, and as a result, one really has to search quite hard to find sailing shoes, deck trainers or sailing boots that offer the same types of benefits found in the growing number of products designed for everyday use ashore.

So, besides its potential suitability in relation to its target market, how does the new Ankle Deck Boot Sport from XTRATUF stand up to the ‘HMS test’? The fact is, I’ve tried a whole series of deck boots of one sort or another and for the most part found them to be flat-soled, hard underfoot and generally darned uncomfortable!
Promising attributes

But I have to confess, XTRATUF’s Ankle Deck Boot is the closest thing to a comfortable sailing boot I’ve tried thus far – though let me qualify this by saying that, for even greater comfort, I’ve also added gel orthotic insoles into my XTRATUFs to give me the additional support and shock mitigation I personally seek. You could reply by saying: ‘Well, surely you can do that with any boot.’ Not so, in my experience. Because a lot of deck boats just don’t have the space within their internal design to take a gel insole. No such issues with this XTRATUF product, though, as there’s plenty of room within, which means that even after the insertion of an insole, your feet aren’t left feeling cramped or stifled of air. Furthermore, the Ankle Deck Boot Sport, which also comes in half-sizes, is naturally well cushioned thanks to its handcrafted, natural rubber construction. That said, I would still like to see it having more of a heel integrated into its design for heightened support and improved balance.

Construction

Built from a new high-performance foam called ‘Prolite’, which is both durable and slip-resistant, the Ankle Deck Boot Sport is apparently 30% lighter than other comparable products. Consisting of a one-piece outsole, the boot is sold with the intention of providing the comfort of a trainer along with the benefits of long cushion life and a sole possessing a high degree of energy return. It scores well in these areas and also achieves a commendable degree of traction on wet surfaces by means of its chevron grip undersole. A simple feature I particularly like is the fact that the ankle tabs allow one to pull the boots on all the more easily.

Verdict

All in all, this is a very likeable product – but beware, because at present, the Ankle Deck Boot is only sold as a man’s boot. This is a great shame, I feel, as the product is equally suited to female consumers, who, after all, share all the same needs when it comes to finding suitable boating footwear.