I have had the new Belleville “canopy” Jungle Boots for over 10 months now and have been using them very hard. I was skeptical that they would hold up as well as my others because they cost a little more than 100 bucks and are made from imported material. On top of that, right out of the box they already felt soft and broken in. A good sign for comfort and casual wear but not so much for long term abuse.

I’m pleasantly surprised to tell you I was worried over nothing. I was wrong. The things have been great!. Up and down and up and down the steep rocky hillsides has not hurt them a bit. Of course I have a little wear on the panama soles naturally, but not a lot.

So A few caveats and things that I did. First off, the cushion insoles they came with are pretty meh. I tossed them after a few days, They are fine for casual wearing on level ground but they compressed pretty fast and I did not have much faith in them for once I was standing on the slope of a mountain.

I replaced them with some generic thick cushion work insoles from walmart that cost 9 bucks. Like all modern boots, they seem to have a wide last. So you can wear thicker socks and very thick cushion soles with these.

I also applied mink oil and conditioner to the leather and polished them. It wasn’t needed to soften the leather for break in but I did it for protection more than anything else. I am bad to spill harsh chemicals on my footwear like an idiot and nearly ruined a pair of USA made Altima jungle boots years ago. I actually did ruin their ability to take polish but was able to not ruin the leather.

If you buy these because you don’t want to spend twice the amount on a pair of McRae jungle boots ( which I would recommend if you can afford them) then buy with confidence. I would probably order a 1/2 size smaller than your sneaker size though. Maybe even a full size if you want to wear thin socks or no socks at all. I would certainly not bother ordering them in a Wide size if you normally wear a Wide. Unless you have feet like a duck.