The new Danner Rivot meets AR 670-1 requirements, has a polyurethane footbed with open cell construction, uses a TERRA FORCE® X platform and a Vibram® Rivot TFX® outsole.  What does all of that mean to you and I?  Not much unless it comes together to show the boot is comfortable and will hold up for all day wear. 

I’ve had the Danner Rivot on my feet for a total of 32 hours, so lets not kid anyone and pretend this is a full review, because its obviously not.  What 32 hours of wear gives us is a nice first impression, and lets me know if I think an item is worth going into long term review status.  I pulled these from the box and noted the boots looked good, and while that is obviously subjective, I have no interest in wearing boots for a long term review that make me look like a freak, so these met the first needed element.  My next concern was with fit.  I wear a size 11, though in some shoes and boots it can be a 10.5.  Since these are an 11, I figured they would be a bit on the loose side which is fine as I’m always wearing heavier socks (typically the Thorlos Combat Boot Sock).  I was stunned to find these weren’t loose at all, and I started to wonder if these were going to be too small for the review.  I tightened the laces down and found there was enough room in the toe box, and there were no pressure points of any kind.  These fit more like a glove than my last pair of desert boots (which I still loved).  After a few hours it was clear these boots were going to work out fine, and size was not an issue.  Lastly, I grabbed the boots and yanked and pulled on everything I could.  I was unable to get any ripping, popping noises, separation or unusual movement from the pieces. 

What this all means is that the Danner Rivot are off to a great start, and we will be doing a long term review which won’t be complete until we’ve got a few hundred hours, and some hard use on them.  I’ll mention that up to this point, I’ve used them in wet and dry weather, on concrete, steel and trails as well as running an O course in them.  So far, so good, they are comfortable and have good traction, much more so than the desert boots I was issued in and after Desert Storm.

Click the picture for more images and for the products specs as listed by Danner.