NO prior military service. I started wearing Belleville boots about 12 years ago. first pair i bought were the 550ST i bought at a flea market in SWFL since then I was hooked. each pair lasted 2 years in landscaping. it was 6 years ago I bought my first pair of 500's like this pairI've been wanted a pair again ever since my first ones cracked on the sides lasted me a good 3half years at the cemetery wore them through mud, water, edging, treearborist work you name it. my feet stayed Cool on hot summer days walking on hot asphalt, stayed warm on cold days100% dryclean every dayevery Belleville fit like a glove, molds to your feet with great comfortankle stability. I am here again buying another pair working for a golf course its a lot lighter work than the cemetery so I will probably get 5 years out of these, I hope! I've never been gentle on Belleville boots.

Boots were super comfortable out of the box. I ordered an 11.5 W I usually take a 12 Wthese boots are still a bit big. They have a great grip even on ice. They seem very well built. I was concerned about a lack of insulation but we have already had a few days in the negativesmy feet were still warm. If there is any negative at all I am a bit upset that the EGA on one of the boots has disappeared after about two weeks but I would hardly count that. Overall most comfortable boots I've ever worn & that includes anything I wore when in the Marines.

Made in America by Americans using American materials that is important to me even if I have to pay more for the product. Got a pair of these after my old boots were not cutting it anymore. Out of the box I noticed a few areas of scuffed leather but these are boots not formal wear so not an issue. I laced them up & put them onthey were the most comfortable boots I've ever had on. As an old Marine I really love the EGA on the side, childish as it may seem having the EGA on the boots was the reason I picked these over similarly priced insulated boots from Danner without the insignia. I wore them to work & they just got more comfortable as the day went on. They were a little big but I'd rather have too big than too small. I put a thin insideproblem solved. The temperature was about 3? when I went outmy feet were warm as I could ask & they never got overheated. I went & stood in snow for a while & still warm & dry. I spent about 20 hours in them without a hitch, zero break in time nee

I purchased these boots at the Camp Lejeune MCX back in late 2017 and this was my third set of Belleville 500 Temperate Weather boots, first set I had where Size 9R in 2015 (I wear 10.5R running shoes) and they fit perfectly like my Steel Toe Belleville 300 DES boots (purchased in 2012), the second set was size 9R (2016) and where too small and too narrow for some reason, this current set was a Size 10R and the fit was like my first set of boots much like the ones I had in 2012 I'm guessing the sizing changed over the years so the boots now match regular shoe sizes.

The lifespan of the boots has been fantastic and I have had no complaints in terms of the waterproofing and durability. The only thing keeping the boots from being perfect has been the long break in period which was almost a whole year even with all of the running and rucking during the last year and a half I had left in my enlistment.

Even with those issues I had with these, Belleville has and will always be my first choice for service and work boots and I look forward to seeing what Belleville has to offer the US Military in the future.

I was one of the last platoons issued the black jungle boots then they started issuing these, so I bought a pair in 2003. I was AD for a year, then reserves for 5 years, but I wore these everywhere. Daily wear, hunting, etc. I am just now buying my second pair!

I chose this boot out of all the listed temperate weather boots authorized for wear by MARADMIN 117/16; Belleville 500, McRae 8286, and Danner's Marine, Rugged All Terrain (RAT) and Marine Expeditionary Boots (M.E.B).

Fit: On a Brannock Device I'm an 8 Regular, in these I'm 7.5 Regular.

PROS:
Waterproof function works, I tested by submersion.
Comfort is good, only bested by Danner's RAT and M.E.B. for temperate weather boots.
Traction is good, much better than anything with a 360 DRI ICE outsole (McRae 8286, Danner's RAT and M.E.B) (Although some of McRae's 8286's use Sierra outsole instead).
To me, they look better than the other options, all the others have a mud brown nylon liner, the 500's liner is an olive tone like their Hot Weather 590's. Also these have the overall shape and design like the standard USMC issue, uniformity is a plus to me, makes us look better as a branch.

CONS:
This one main Con is shared by all of the other options; the tongue is not gusseted/attached all the way up to the top, it stops slightly above the top of the third highest speedlace loop, meaning any higher than that point (7.5 inches high), water will enter the boot. So every temperate weather boot option is only water proof up to about 7.5-8 inches high. Ironically, the Hot Weather/Jungle boot options from Bates, McRae, and Belleville all have the tongue gusseted all the way up to the top, yet they don't even require to be water proof, and have drainage vents.
This Con is also shared by the other options; you cannot fully tighten the laces with a single pull up, you have to work your way up, the reason is that the liner has much more of a friction causing texture on Temperate Weather boots than on Hot Weather boots.

I compared and scrutinized each option thoroughly and ended up choosing these. Belleville, I thank you for providing me with a quality product, please consider my review and make these improvements for our force.

I've been using these boots for 16 years & I get 2 to 3 years out of each pair.They are the most comfortable boot to wear !