Danner, a company that does one thing really, really, well. In my never-ending quest to try every kind of boot on the planet I picked up a pair of Danner Striker™ II GTX Uniform Boots. This pair of Striker IIs are an 8″, waterproof, side-zippered, imported, leather and nylon boot. After having some water resistance issues with my 5.11 Speed boots I was looking for something a little closer to a traditional combat boot, with waterproof-ness for fall and spring wear.

Danner Striker™ II GTX front

What I Bought

Danner markets their Striker™ II GTX Uniform Boots as “tough and flexible … lightweight-yet-sturdy” and do they ever deliver! Weighing in at only 48 oz these 8″ boots are very supportive. They feature a Gortex liner that makes them waterproof and are built on a very comfortable foot bed. The Striker™ II GTX Uniform Boots are non-metallic construction, which saves weight and reduces hassle at metal detectors. These boots run around $200 per pair and are made in China.

Danner Striker™ II GTX heel

Features

• Polished leather toe
• 100% waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX liner
• Full-grain leather and 1000 Denier nylon upper
• TERRA FORCE™ X Lite platform
• Danner TFX Lite outsole – oil and slip resistant
• Nylon shank
• 8″ height
• 48 oz

What I Thought

I am extremely pleased with Danner’s Striker II GTX Uniform Boots. My first and only gripe with these boots is I need to lace them a certain way to be comfortable. I usually use criss-cross lacing on my boots. It’s not a comfortable way to lace the Striker IIs, criss-cross laces causes too many pressure points on the top of my foot. The pattern that works best for me is bow tie lacing, this is a little harder to tighten, but it makes the Striker II extremely comfortable. The Striker IIs required some break in to achieve all day comfort. This is normal for leather shoes, combat boots, and most shoes, it not a gripe as such but something to be aware of. Part of the issue was finding a good lacing pattern, which vastly and immediately improved comfort. The break in period for these boots was about two weeks. Starting with a few hours of light wear, moving to moderate walking, and the last week full day wear every other day.

The side zipper is a super convenient feature. There is a piece of material behind the zipper that works like a bellows and goes up about 6 inches inside the zipper. This helps keep the boots waterproof despite the zipper. The Striker IIs feature a Gortex liner that makes them waterproof. The Gortex works exactly as it should and short of fording a river, the Striker IIs keep my feet dry and comfy.

Danner Striker™ II GTX welts

One feature that really drew me to these Danners is the semi sewn welts. The outsole is still glued on like some less expensive boots. The Striker IIs feature a sewn welt, but its not continuous, there are sections that are not stitched.

Pros

• Light weight
• Waterproof
• Sewn welts
• Zipper

Neutral

• Break in period

Cons

• Needs specific lacing pattern

I have been very happy with the Danner The Striker IIs. The zipper is a great feature to get the boots on and off quickly. Marketed as lightweight, supportive, and waterproof, these boots deliver! I’ll need more time to see if the sewn welts hold up they way I expect them to. The breaking in period is a little longer then I expected. My only complaint is that I had to find a pattern for lacing that I don’t normally use.