Gather round boys and girls. Let me tell you a little story about my Bates Tactical Work Boots. Just kidding. I have owned my tactical "lite" boots for a couple of years now. I use them for treking in the woods on primitive camping trips and what not. They have been submerged in mud and scorched in my camp fire. Overall, they have held up pretty nicely. They are lite weight and very comfortable. Almost as comfortable as my Nike's (but not quite). The side zipper is convenient for taking on and off in the field when getting in and out of a sleeping bag. I like to be able to get up and gear up quickly, so this is great for me. I did recently have to "shoe goo" the toes because, like a moron, I held them too close to the fire for too long on my last winter time outing and melted the adhesive on the front of the boots. I would have given them 5 stars except I would like to see the Bates people sew in the toes of the boots. This business of glueing shoes together that everyone seems to be doing now is driving me nuts. Lets use a little thread fella's! It will make them last even longer. All joking aside, you won't find a better pair of boots for under a hundred bucks. I will soon be buying my second pair.