Four years after development began, the first-generation SFB was released in March 2009. Initial reaction was positive but subdued. Due to its genre-first feature set, the initial SFB model didn’t comply with the Army’s AR-670-1 uniform regulations, which were last updated in 2005. This meant that any soldier reporting for duty in Nike combat boots was considered ill-dressed, and therefore unfit to serve.

That's not to say the boots weren’t up to snuff – in fact, initial reviews were generally favorable. It just meant that the SFB would have to prove itself against traditional, heavy-weight combat boots. And prove it did: despite the regulations, Nike SFB’s became popular with service personnel across other branches of service, even becoming the choice of Army soldiers deployed overseas. Finally, after years of strong sales and widespread adaptation, Nike released an AR-670-1 compliant SFB in September 2014 to rave reviews.

In many ways, the SFB resembles a cross between a performance running shoe and a standard-issue military boot. To quote Nike Innovation Manager Tobie Hatfield: “Throughout the evolution of [the SFB], it… became very clear that America’s elite military operators and first responders share similarities with the world’s top tier athletes.” Both require uncompromising performance, reliable gear, and no expense spared in development. Their lives quite literally depend on it.

Impressions:

Nike’s Special Field Boot is the only sneaker I own that I’m profiled for wearing. There’s no hi-viz Swoosh, the Natural Motion sole is a “trained observer” thing, and oh yeah, it is genetically a combat boot. Not some fetishized “Ramones”-style black leather zip “combat boot” – but the sort of boot you’d wear because your 9-5 includes kicking doors and pointing firearms.