ALTAMA OTB SHOE

The glass like surface of the water reflecting the darkness of the star pocked moonless sky is broken by a solitary black hemishpere.  It is followed shortly by a swim mask and the regulator of a Draeger bubbleless respirator.  Soon seven more heads appear.  Within seconds of surfacing 8 SEALs move stealthily out of the water, across the sandy beach, and into the concealment of the dense foliage of the jungle.

Why OTB?

These guys don’t have time to sit on a towel and brush off their feet before putting on their combat boots.  Thus the need for footwear that can be as versatile as its wearer.  Altama’s OTB Maritime Assault Shoe fits that bill.  OTB stands for “Over The Beach” or operations similar to the one described above.

While I have never set a demolition charge nor have I “extracted” a high value target, I have been over plenty of beaches.  In fact while living in Southeast Alaska there were some months it was a weekly if not daily occurrence.  General best practice for footwear in that region is the ubiquitous Xtra Tuff a.k.a the “Sitka sneaker”.  These rubber boots provide excellent traction on wet hard surfaces as well as in the mud.  The fact that they are rubberized neoprene allows for a snug and flexible fit which makes them far better to walk in than other rubber boots. Finally, they are also usally tall enough to allow the wearer to wade the short distance to and from shore when beaching or launching a skiff. The problem comes in when they are not tall enough.  If water comes over the top you are destined for a soggy squishy rest of your adventure as they do not dry out quickly.  Additionally, they do not breath well on hot days (yes,  that does happen even in Alaska) so if you have a tendency towards sweaty feet you will wind up with damp socks even if you don’t take water over the top.

Enter the Altama OTB Marine Assult Shoe.  OTB shoes in general take the opposite approach to water management as rubber boots.  Instead of trying to keep water out, OTB shoes let it right in and make sure there is a way for it to get out again.  The Altamas are no different.  They are made from materials that absorb very little water have a solid rubber insole and drain holes low and forward on the shoe.  The concept is “When getting your feet wet is inevitable make it so everything can dry out as quickly as possible.”  Altama does a great job with this.

Testing:

I performed an immersion test to see how well the OTB shoes managed the water compared to a trail running shoe.  Both shoes were weighed dry then soaked.  The water was dumped from the shoe then the shoes were weighed wet to measure how much water each retained.  I used an Adidas trail running shoe as a comparison the Altama OTB Mid in size 10.5 weighed 15.5 oz dry and 19.5 oz soaked.  In comparison the Adidas trailrunner weighed in 11.9 dry and 18.4 soaked.  Yes, the Adidas were lighter when soaked, but I am not as concerned with that as how much water each shoe retained.  The trailrunners held almost twice as much water which means wet feet for longer. After 1 hour in the sun the Altamas weighed 17.3 oz and the Adidas 15.1 oz.  Also worth noting is where that extra water was being retained.  In the case of the trailrunners it was mostly hiding in the insole, which makes for a soggy squishy rest of the day.  Since the Altama’s have a solid rubber insole the majority of their water was held in the cuff and the tongue, both areas that will dry more rapidly. 

Features:

One thing that really impressed me with the Maritime Assult Shoe was the grip on the outsole.  When walking on the wet slimy wooden boardwalks in SE Alaska it becomes very obvious which shoes will grip and which ones won’t.  It can be like ice.  Wet aluminim, fiberglass or plastic boat hulls can be just about as treacherous.  The combination of the tread pattern, siping, and rubber composition made the Altamas as surefooted as anything I have worn.  The difference in grip between a hard Vibram outsole and those of the Maritime Assault Shoe is like yaktrax vs not on ice.  The downside of this softer tacky rubber is it will wear out a little faster when putting in the miles on the blacktop, which is very easy to do in shoes as comfortable as these.  One suggestion though, if you are planning on wearing these as everyday shoes and not in the water you may consider replacing the rubber insoles with a set that breathes a little better. 

Style and final thoughts:

While I haven’t really worn Chuck Taylor's since I was 12 I do like the looks of the Altama OTB shoe.  They come in low, mid, and exta-high and in a wide variety of colors and camo patterns.  I like the fact I can wear them into town without getting any weird looks, something you can’t say about neoprene paddling booties. 

The Altama OTB Maritime Assult Shoe has been my go to boating shoe for the past 4 years.  The outsoles are grippy, they drain and dry quickly and they are comfy to walk in. From beaches to sidewalks and boats to hiking trails they have served me well.  If your activities call for transitioning from the water to a long walk give these shoes serious a look