- Belleville Mini-Mil TR102 Minimalist Tactical Boot - Zero-Drop Barefoot Boots - Slip-Resistant Tactical Shoes for Men - Breathable Lightweight EMS & Military Footwear - Lace-Up Closure

They are as comfortable and functional as any of my street and hiking barefoot shoes I have. Which is to say, if I was interested in military style boots as everyday wear, I would have no issues wearing them every day. As it is, I wear them for 12+ hour shifts. At first, I did get the ankle bite like many people in military boots do, but that went away when I stopped tying them tight around the ankles. They haven't had any break-in period for me, but again, I have been in almost exclusively barefoot style shoes since Christmas. As for quality, I would say they are made as good as any military boot. They passed the scrutiny of my retired Marine husband. I would say they will be just as durable as any other military-style boot. I do wish the toe was rubber-wrapped, since we kneel down so much in EMS, but I will deal and just be careful so as to prevent scratching of the leather. The sole grip seems fine so far, I have been in a handful of greasy kitchens and wet floors, and they seem a bit better than my Haix and Danners were. Now that I have had them for a month or so, I can say that I really like them. For years, I was wearing Haix and Danner EMS/Wildland/Station crossover boots. I thought I loved those until I started with barefoot shoes earlier in the year. These may not have as much flexibility as true barefoots, but they have tons compared to regular boots, which is great. I will say, that like others have mentioned, sizing is a bit wonky. I am a woman and wear a women's 7.5 (men's 5.5-6)/37-38 in non-barefoot shoes, and 38 in barefoot shoes. I first got these in a 6.5 regular and they while they fit, they fit more like a regular shoe instead of barefoot. I switched to a 6.5 wide and they fit perfectly. They may actually be a little too long, but I am okay with that. Anyhoo, I am very glad I finally bought these and wish I had done it sooner!

Let me start off by saying I have EXTREMELY FLAT FEET. I have worn over 20 different types of combat boots in my career in the military and in law enforcement. I have worn Solomon, Bates, Belleville, Rocky, Nike, and many more different brands. But this boot is by far one of the most comfortable and healthy for my feet. It truly is a minimalist style boot and if you have gone your entire life wearing boots and shoes that have giant soles, you may want to take it easy with this boot. There will most likely be a a weeks where your calves may be sore or your achilles tendon may be hurting due to your calf muscles being worked much harder than they used to be, but eventually your calves and feet will become stronger and these boots will become very comfortable. I have noticed for myself, that I could be on my feet for a much longer period of time without having my feet and knees becoming sore and thats mainly due to the boot allowing your feet to naturally do their job. The toe box is also worth mentioning that it is very wide. I do not ever feet like my toes are being squished, they always feel like I have ample room to move my toes around in the front of the boot. As for the build quality, the boot is actually pretty tough and doesnt fall apart easily at all. The only issue I have had regarding wear and tear of the boot is the black coating on the leather has already started to peel off where the boot bends. The laces are very strong and do not rip or wear out. They are speed laced. Another minor issue that I have had is the leather finish is not very friendly to polish. I have noticed that after polishing these boots, the shine seems to wear off a lot faster that other boots I have shined (and I have shined many many boots). I believe this is due to the black finish on the leather (like i mentioned it cracks and peels off at the creases). In conclusion, this is a fantastic boot, and although it has its cosmetic flaws with the finish, the boot is strong and holds up even though how thin and light it is. This is the only military/law enforcement minimalist type boot I have seen on the market and it truly lives up to its expectations. I wish more companies made boots like this.

1 month update- these are my go-to boots- honestly one of my favorites. They are not Gore-tex, and it looks like the vendor fixed the title, but they are extremely water resistant. Everything I noted in the initial review still stands, but sometimes you like something despite the flaws! I would love a true Gore-tex boot, and I would love a better fit, but for what it's worth, this is one of my favorite boots for outdoor adventure. ************** I bought the TR101 and TR103 as well in order to compare them. The natural colors have vents in the instep which would make them NOT as waterproof as this boot, if that is a concern. Also the natural colors are made with a roughed up, unpolished leather which creates a rough surface on the inside of the boot. This makes them feel a LOT less comfortable than the polished leather. Now over time, I am sure that the inside would polish itself with wear. However, I am interested in a waterproof boot, and the black boot not having the vents made it a shoe-in. ;) (I talked to a few people that wear Govt Issue for work, and they said that the black polished boots always hold up longer. My guess is that the black boots also use a higher quality leather? This would explain the slightly higher ratings you see here on Amazon.) But, a representative for the company said that all three styles, the TR101, TR102, and TR103 all use the same exact boot mold. So any differences between them come down to materials used. As for fit. It does feel minimal, and it is VERY lightweight, which is a plus. It does not fit like the Merrell or NewBalance Barefoot shoes, it fits decidedly like a boot. When the laces are snugged enough to cut off circulation, there are pockets of fabric that hang loose- mostly in the ankle area. This allows the ankle to slop around a bit. If you lightly kick at something, your toe will contact the end of the boot, it doesn't fit well enough to hold the boot to the foot. Also, the leather heel calls it quits about halfway up the ankle and transitions to fabric, so I can feel the seam carving at the ankle during full articulation. Perhaps this is the heel discomfort many are talking about? Dunno. I have full grain cowboy boots that articulate better and feel better in the ankle, so there has to be a more elegant solution. Anyway, we take away one star for not being Goretex as advertised, not fitting great, but overall not bad, and as I mentioned, wicked light and the only outdoor rated barefoot boot I know of in this price range.

Best boots I ever worn. The sole on the left boot started coming apart within 8 hours of work (police). They held up though and didn’t fall apart anymore. I’ve been wearing them somewhat regular for the last 2 years. Best boot, comfort, look, weight, I’ve ever had, but quality of material is junk.

The boots were comfortable out of the box. No issues with rubbing the back of the heel like I've heard can happen. The boots are minimalist. To me they're a combination of tactical boots and wrestling shoes. Exactly what I was looking for. They seem well made. The only thing I am not crazy about is that they don't seem to have a wide toe box, like I thought they would. My toes aren't cramped or anything, but they are about 1/2 inch narrower at the top box than my very comfortable Jim Green African Rangers. Would I buy them again? Probably not. But I don't regret the purchase.

I personally love minimalistic foot wear. I have several models of VFF and love them all. KSO, Signa's and Flows. This boot is nothing like wearing VFFs however it is a great step forward from the clunky boot designs. Compared to my Desert, Jungle and Winter boots I was issued this is by far superior. The boots are very light. The fit is very snug around the heel which is initially uncomfortable but as I wore the boot it became more comfortable and actually feels like true ankle and heel support. The feel of the boot while running, walking feels less like a boot and more of a sneaker. I feel more nimble in these boots compared to my others. The toe area is roomier than standard boots which actually makes a difference when moving around intensely. When I wear these boots I have a better feel for the terrain around me. One thing I hated about my Winter boots is they pinch my toe knuckles when I take a knee, these boots do not have that issue. After wearing these boots go for a walk in normal military grade boots and you will feel a difference in how "clunky" standard boots are, also they're very breathable. As far as people complaining about the interior being unlined, just wear dress socks or underarmor socks, you still feel barefoot but protect against the unlined interior. I would've rather deployed with a pair of these... Also these boots run small!!! I wear a size 10 jungle boot. These are 10 1/2 and are much more snug even though they're a bigger size. To be honest I should've got an 11. in VFF i wear 43. That should give you some sort of idea of sizing. I followed the instructions and measured my feet. I recommend sizing up half a size after measuring your foot. Oh as far as cold weather with these boots. It's currently below freezing and I wear these with dress socks and I remove the insole. My feet are not cold. I will update this review once I've spent a couple weeks on the mountain with them.

Edit 11/11/2025 - DO NOT leave them in a garage or shed for years! I loved these so much i purchased a backup pair right after I got the 1st pair. I put them in a shed with the tubs of my other motorcycle gear and parts. Unheated/not cooled. We get over 100 degrees a lot, we get below freezing. I wore my 1st pair of these Mini Mils almost 10 years, went out to the shed to grab my back ups, new in the box. I can only assume that the temperature variances was why after 1 wearing/1 day of riding, the heels separated from the upper! I tried super glue and boot glue, no help. Threw them out... wore some other non minimalist boots about a year, my knees hurt... i knew i needed to go back to these...now I'm back on Amazon and just ordered a new pair... they really are that good. Just don't do what I did if you're buying a spare pair! The comparison to Altra shoes by one reviewer helped a lot. I've converted my running shoes/trail shoes/hiking shoes to the Altra Torins, my gym shoes to Altra One2 shoes...which are just SLIPPERS once you get used to the drop and toughen up the pads of your feet. My office shoes are Altra Instict Everydays...I have both the grey (they are brown) and the black. I wear a dress shirt and tie so the "suede" look of the Everyday's bothered me for awhile...but then I just said "to heck with it" and my feet are more important anyway. My clients don't seem to care either if my shoes are a little too casual for me wearing a dress shirt and tie. SO....that leaves me with what to wear on the Harley? I have worn Belleville boots since the 80's in the Army. For the past 3 years I have worn a great pair of Bellevilles - 13 XW - with 400 grams of Thinsulate insulation in them...with wool socks I can wear them below freezing on the bike and all day in over 100 degree heat walking around bike rallys many times. I really don't NEED to get a new pair. the problem: Once you get used to Zero Drop and light weight shoes...it's HARD to put up with those clunky 5 pound boots...even with the extra up size and wide width...as my feet spread out (as they should) with wearing the Altra's all the time...I noticed my toes feeling a little cramped in my traditional combat boot...and then yeah...lugging around an extra 5 pounds on each foot gets to wear on the brain, lol. I decided to get these - and I AGREE - SIZE UP and go WIDE. - and really ONLY get into these if you are used to the whole zero drop movement...my achilles is fully stretched out now after a year in Altra's....but I did start with just one pair of them...and only for short periods...and only a few days a week. It takes time to 'free the feet' without injury...but its worth the time investment. Out of the box - a tiny bit of rubbing on the pinky toe - went away with 15 minutes of wearing/flexing/walking. Like all my favorite boots - very little ankle support - which I like. I prefer the "jungle boot style" uppers and have worn them for 30 years + - my ankles are so strong I hike in low top shoes and attribute that to wearing jungle boot styles since I enlisted in the mid 80's. Toe box IS NOT as wide as Altra's...but they are "foot shaped" and that's important - I like these fine with ordering up to the 14 2E from my normal 132E in Bellevilles...and I WEAR 14's in all my Altras - so if that helps you some in sizing... Arches - none - as they should be with minimalist shoes - arch support is a crazy, painful memory now - and I have zero problems anymore -last year I logged over 750 miles in training and trail and road races - my first year with zero pain or pulls - free the feet - your whole body will thank you once it adapts to the way you were born! Seeing as though I will really only wear these on the Harley...I suspect they will last eons...but I think I'd order them again if I needed them.

So far this boot has been just what I've been looking for and more. Its extremely lightweight and definitely a minimalist boot. I've seen various mentions of this boot having a 5mm drop and a 2mm drop. I'm inclined to think its the 2mm drop. Or its just that comfortable. The boot does take a little breaking in as the seams can cause some irritation, especially around the inner and outer ankles, but no more than any other boot I've tried. The tongue is very large being that its apart of the liner and it does take some adjustment once on but its not difficult. I work Fire/EMS and needed to don and doff these fairly quickly. I tried several zip in laces and could not get any to come close to the lacing pattern on this boot, so I used elastic laces. Problem solved, though nothing beats zippers for speed. Can't blame them for not having zippers as that's a specific boot but a different model or a lace in would be nice. I would give five stars but after a few weeks of wear, the sole started separating from the boot a little. Nothing a little glue couldn't fix, but it was a fast flaw. Also, the leather is definitely thin and scuffs fairly easily. I understand its for weight, but don't expect to keep a parade shine on these. Overall, they are the one boot I found that fits the bill for a minimalist boot I could wear for my job. Maybe as the minimalist movement gains ground they will get improved or there will be other options out there. They aren't perfect, but they are pretty good and that's all I need.