Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/861022
The history of Salomon Forces brand, the special-purpose line of Salomon footwear intended for the military and law enforcement, began in 2015. However, the first offer was just a set of "tactical-like" trekking boots. The first mod- el of Forces, designed from scratch, is Salomon Forces Jungle Ultra, shown for the first time during SHOT Show 2016. It was intended for hot and humid climate. Its was greatly influenced by the increasing interest of US armed forces, especially USSOCOM, in the Pacific region (so- called Pacific Pivot) – eventually it appeared that the US military did not have equipment that would be suitable for operations in jungles (the reason were the military opera- tions in the Middle East and Far East). Design At first glance, Jungle Ultras look like a great modern- ization of the standard issue Jungle Boots and they use the same concept – a soft upper and a stiff bottom. The applied materials, nubuck leather and thin nylon, are very lightweight and highly resistant, invulnerable to long-term exposure to wet environment (nubuck leather is properly impregnated). They dry fast and almost do not require any maintenance. The completely matte surface, even when it is wet, is also an important feature. Apart from using the design of the legacy Jungle Boots, Salomon Forces Jungle Ultra also feature elements that appeared in other similar tropical combat boots, but they were designed totally from scratch, using the experience gained from production of trekking and trail footwear and removing all the shortcomings of the predecessors. The upper of Jungle Ultra is made of two materials – hy- drophobic nubuck leather, which provides firmness and good stability of the foot, and of thin nylon. Internal lin- ing is textile. The lower part of the boot has four drainage holes, two on each side, that channel water out. They are secured with a fine mesh, which protects from sand and www.fragoutmag.com