British army boot sizing.

[Mike8472]

I am very confused with the British army boot sizing; why can't they just use full or half sizes???

I am after a pair of the new Pro boots, I am a wide fitting size 10.

I have tryed a pair or normal combat boots on in a surplus shop the other day which was a 10M; just so I coud try and guage the sizes. This was ok in length but very tight across the top of my foot.
They didn't have any other sizes close to this to try so I could compare.

My question is do I need a size 10L or do I go for a size 11m???? 11L????

do the different types of boot have different fittings:- ie. pro boots tend to be bigger fit, combat boots tighter fit etc?

 

[hiho]

I vary in normal shoes from a 11 to a 12

I have a pair of 11L combat boots which are tight across the top of the foot
and a pair of 12L which are spot on across the foot if a little too long..

 

[Gagnrad]

I'd understood the soldiers preferred to use non-issue boots, e.g. Danner boots, if possible. But possibly my information's out of date even if it was true.

Personally, I find flat (literally heel-less) light shoes best for most conditions and Vibram-soled boots if it's really wet or it's boggy underfoot. I believe, and have found, that the less shoe I can manage with the better. On a building site—or anywhere else where you might tread on a nail or drop a breeze block on your foot—something heavy is good. Otherwise ...

The fascination of people for heavy, inflexible footwear passes me by. You can see people in high summer on springy turf in chalk downland wearing boil-your-feet boots when, quite honestly, bare feet would probably be best. They think because they're walking they must wear walking boots.

Late Iron Age Scandinavians got right across the known world—and beyond—wearing footwear like this:

This was ok in length but very tight across the top of my foot.

Certain lacing patterns can allow the boot to flex across the top more—this one, incidentally used by several armies:

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/armylacing.htm

I'd be wary of anything too tight, though. It's better not to have the blood-flow to the foot constricted, despite Rudyard Kipling's lines about the need to lace your boots tight.

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

it can be confusing, if in doubt try on an exact sized item, don't try and guess. in american jungle boots i take a 12Regular or a 12Wide, reg needs some breaking in but once worn in they are a better fit than the wide that tends to be a bit floppy. american sizes are out of sinc with ours slightly, so a 12 in their boots or footwear should be an 11.5 in uk stuff, but i take a 12 in british boots too, which confounded the supplier when i was trying them on as they were convinced i should re-adjust for the number diff. so i reckon the length of shoe should match your everyday footwear, so if you're a 10, then go for 10, but get the widest one you can, poss if you get the 11m and it gives a lot then it might then be pants fitting.
so a 10L would be my best guess, but i'm now basing that on standard assault boots. i'm also after the new pro boot/lowa copy, and am having the same doubts as you, do i get the 12m or L? i reckon there are bigger people than me, i see them all the time, so i probably will go for the middle, and get the M and let them slacken off with use.