5.11 Cable Hiker Boots – Review and Field Test

John trys out some new hiking gear with this review of the 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots.

5.11 Cable Hiker Boots
5.11 Cable Hiker Boots

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- While I was in Las Vegas for SHOT Show, I met the people from 5.11. I was checking out their footwear and noticed that most of it were very tactical looking. I wasn’t in the market for a new pair of tactical boots, but I did see a good looking set of 5.11 hiking boots. They were not overtly tactical, but the boots did seem to be very functional.

5.11 Cable Hiker Boots

I talked to the representatives from 5.11, and they offered to get me a pair to try out for a review. I thought, “Why not. I was already in the market for a new pair of boots.”

By the time I got home from my trip to Vegas, I had a set of Cable Hiker Boots waiting on my doorstep. I could not wait to try them out, so I opened the box and put them on. It felt like I was walking on a cloud.

The Cable Hiker boots come in two different color designs. The first is the “storm” color. It is a gray color with red and black accents. These look pretty stylish, but I am not sure this color combination would be for me. I am not a very flashy person.

The 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots I received were in dark coyote color scheme with red laces. The boots did come with a set of earth-toned laces, but I decided to stick with the red laces because I liked the way they completed look of the boots, but I also loved the overall look with the other set of laces. The mixture of the black and dark coyote color materials complimented each other well. The red laces were the perfect accent to pull the look together.

5.11 makes the Cable Hiker boots out of mostly suede. They also used 1280 nylon for the boots which is a super durable material. Another cool thing I liked is that the heel cup of the Cable Hiker boots is Kevlar-reinforced for added strength.

5.11 Tactical Cable Hiker Boots
5.11 Tactical Cable Hiker Boots

The Cable Hiker boots share the same outsole as the very popular 5.11 Speed 3.0 Jungle boot. The outsole is also one piece which makes it extremely durable. The outsole also has forefoot lugs and fence-climbing lugs. I wanted to put these lug to the test

I didn’t have a real need to climb a fence, but for testing, I did climb a couple of fences at a local baseball field which got me some weird looks. I tested the Cable Hiker boots verse a pair of Nike hiking boots. To my surprise, the 5.11 boots with the fence-climbing lugs did make climbing fences a lot easier compared to the Nike hiking boots without the lugs. I can see how this would be useful in a duty situation.

5.11 sourced the insoles of the Cable Hiker boots from OrthoLite. OrthoLite Insoles are some of the most comfortable insoles in the footwear market. I think it was a wise decision to get the insoles from a company that specializes in super comfortable insoles. Why reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to? Other companies that use OrthoLite includes Nike, Timberland, and Adidas.

Sciessent produced the Agion low-friction lining of the 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots. The Agion lining is antimicrobial, anti-odor, and water repellent. It accomplishes this by using zeolites. Zeolite is a mineral based substance that originates from volcanic ash. After using the boots for a little over a month, I can tell you that it works. My boots smell as fresh as the first day I started wearing them.

5.11 made the tread of the Cable Hiker boots for gripping, but the tread is not overly aggressive to the point where it looks like you have offroad tire treads on your boots. I happened to be wearing the boots during an ice storm and wo of my friends were slipping on the ice. One was wearing a pair of tennis shoes, and the other was wearing another brand of hiking boots. The Cable Hikers didn’t slip at all. I was impressed by the grip, and so were they.

The most import thing for any footwear is the level comfort provided by the boots to the wearer. When I tried on the boots, they were extremely comfortable. They hugged my foot and provided plenty of ankle support. I wasn’t satisfied with a one-time comfort test. I needed to wear the Cable Hiker boots every day for a month to get any feel for the real comfort level that 5.11 built into the footwear. I took these boots hiking. I wore them while running errands. I wore them when shooting. I wore them to church. Anytime I left the house I was wearing the boots.

I was immensely pleased with the comfort of the 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots. They are probably the most comfortable footwear I have ever worn. I am just not talking about just boots. I am talking about sneakers and running shoes as well. I was shocked at how well these boots worked for me. 5.11 did a great job with the design of the Cable Hikers.

The Cable Hiker boots were also very easy to clean. I was worried about how hard the boots would be to clean since they are suede. I had other suede shoes, and I ruined them by trying to clean them, but the dirt and grime washed right off the Cable Hikers. After each cleaning, the boots looked new, and with the Agion lining, they also didn’t get that foot odor from sweaty feet.

The only real issue I did have with the 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots was with the tread. When I went to the range, I kept getting spent casing stuck in them which was pretty annoying.
The only real issue I did have with the 5.11 Cable Hiker Boots was with the tread. When I went to the range, I kept getting spent casings stuck in them which was pretty annoying.

The only real issue I did have with the boots was with the tread. When I went to the gun range, I kept getting spent casings stuck in them which was pretty annoying. Most people don’t shoot as much as I do so it is not a big deal. I think on range days I will keep a pair of sneakers with me to change into before I shoot. That may be the one trade off for the fence climbing tread and great traction.

5.11 priced the Cable Hiker boot at a reasonable price-point compared to their other boots. With 5.11 you get quality, but you also pay for that quality which causes a lot of their footwear to be priced out of the reach of some consumers. The Cable Hiker boots sales for $139.99 at the time of this writing. This price is great for 5.11 boots.

The 5.11 Cable Hiker boots are well worth every penny for the price. They do what a hiking boot is supposed to do exceptionally well. They also hold up to a beating and are very comfortable. Whether you are doing undercover work, or you are like me and doing a little bit of hiking these boot just plain work. I think 5.11 has a hit on their hands.

5.11 sales the Cable Hiker boots on their website. www.511tactical.com


About John CrumpJohn Crump

John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot-News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.

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Scotty Gunn

I have owned four pairs of 5.11 boots in the past. Every single pair had a failure. Eyelets falling off, one got a weird and loud clicking sound, another had the sole split,etc. Sure, you can send them back, if you kept the original receipt, pay the shipping,etc. The replacement will fall apart, too as they don’t correct the problem. All about selling product.
All are made in China, which explains the quality. Although I like the design and styles of their footwear, no more. Tired of wasting money.

SuperG

Imported too. For some, that is not an issue. For me, it is.

Dayle

For John – Thanks for the thorough review on the 5.11 Cable Hiker boots. Next time I am shopping for boots they will be on the top of my list. I would like to suggest that a proof read would have been in order. There are many misspelled words and several grammatical errors which were probably not caught by a “spell checker” function. I majored in english in college and I learned that the best way to proof read is to read your material out loud which then brings such mistakes to your attention. I have been reading your material… Read more »