Belleville is poised to launch the new Tactical Research brand. Belleville is the oldest and largest supplier of military specification boots in the US having supplied boots since WWI. They were also instrumental in bringing the Infantry Combat Boot to the market almost 15 years ago. That boot, with slight improvements over the years as evolved into the Belleville 390 and is on the feet of hundreds of thousands of America’s Warriors. Priding themselves on their Made in the USA lineup of boots, they began to consider what the nest step was. Certain manufacturing techniques are currently unavailable in the US and the costs associated with domestic manufacture are relatively high. In order to provide lower price for individual sales and to introduce new construction techniques Belleville launched the Tactical Research line. They spent the last year refining designs and working with America’s most elite military units to develop a unique product line. Belleville also wanted to ensure that the quality of the product would remain strong and have worked diligently to enforce strict quality assurance standards.
The first boot to be released is the Kiowa. It is a high top with an assault boot feel. While the top doesn’t look very high it is actually high enough (8″) to meet AR 670-1 standards. Interestingly, when Belleville took the boot to the most recent Sergeant Major Academy conference at Fort Bliss, Texas, the attendees overwhelmingly showed interest in the Kiowa over other issue styles. I think that is about as close as an endorsement as you are going to get. The uppers are a combination of suede and Cordura atop a low overlasted sole. The final piece to this unfolding story is the TR-1 High Performance Insole. There will be a full article on this product next week but it is important to say that Belleville didn’t skimp on the insole.
Initially the Kiowa will be available in Sage, Tan, and Black but keep your eyes peeled for a surprise soon. While I know that most of our readers have a “Belleville Size”, order the new Tactical research line true to your normal boot size. The Kiowa will be available for orders beginning Monday, 15 June from www.bellevilleshoe.com
