Ops Systems Climate 6 Desert Boots

The market for military footwear is pretty crowded but newcomer Ops Systems are hoping to break into it with their range of ‘fit for purpose’ boots. Their blurb explains that the Climate 6 Desert Suede is designed for use in desert operational theatres by military, United Nations and Private Security Companies. Unfortunately the UK in the winter probably wasn’t the best time to fully test this but I did manage to get them out for a couple of runs and hiking through the bogs of Dartmoor.

One of the key features of this boot is the use of Coolmax & Cambrelle linings which are designed to move moisture away from your skin/socks whilst allowing air to circulate. As someone who has always steered clear of Gore-Tex lined boots on the grounds of sweatiness this is certainly something that gets my vote. Whilst I wasn’t able to really test this feature I found them to be effective in the conditions that were available, certainly my socks weren’t as wet as they often are after a run.


The design of this boot is relatively unusual with quite a high collar round the neck. Combined with a bellows tongue this is designed to keep debris out of the boot and also provide a high degree of ankle support. The sensation of having something tight round your lower leg is quite unusual although the end result seemed quite effective. I suspect it might not be to everyone’s taste though.

The approach taken to lacing is also different to that on many modern boots as they don’t have cleats preferring instead to lace directly through the suede. This reduces the speed with which they can be laced but the friction caused the lace holes has the benefit of allowing different lace tensions to be set throughout the boots. I’ve got quite wide feet so left them loose on the top of the foot but then held it quite secure above the ankle.

This is a patrol boot rather than a mountain boot so don’t expect the level of support that you’d get with the current issue Lowa Boots. On the other hand they are considerably lighter and, in my opinion, much more suited to vehicle based troops. There is also only the most minimal period of breaking in after which I found them to be very comfortable.

In terms of price, you can find these online for approximately £95 which compares favourably with competitors such as the Magnum Spider 8.1 Desert that I reviewed last year. Whilst they don’t have the same extensive feature array they do have a certain level of retro appeal that I quite like! Unfortunately the Climate 6’s aren’t available in half sizes which may be a problem.

Overall the Ops System Climate 6 is a decent desert boot which offers something different from the competition. If you’re in the market for a lighter-weight boot, with advanced climate control features, which offers a reasonable level of support then I’d definitely recommend you have a look at them.

Buy them here