The West Point “boot letter” is somewhat of an excitement for accepted candidates. The boot letter follows right after your West Point acceptance plaque, so if you have that in your hands it means you are swept in the middle of a transition period between civilian and West Point cadet. Also, the West Point boots will probably be your first purchase towards the Academy.

More On The Boot Letter

Haven’t received the boot letter yet? After you acknowledge your acceptance to West Point with the Admissions office by returning a small card, log onto your USMA candidate account and print the boot letter.

The boot letter is essentially a permission form that allows you to purchase Army issue boots: 2 pairs of hot weather combat boots and 1 pair of low quarters. West Point lets you to buy these boots months in advance from R-Day because you need to break them in. Save yourself the upcoming pain and agony by breaking in those boots before you arrive at West Point.

About Army Boot Sizes

Don’t expect to match up your sneaker size with your combat boots and low quarters. Generally, you will find yourself jumping down 2 shoe sizes for the Army boots. That’s why the preferred way of buying these boots is to try them on at a physical store. However, you can find much better deals if you buy the boots online or from catalogs. So you need to know the right places to shop for your West Point boots.

Belleville 390 Hot Weather Boots

The Belleville 390 is the most popular boot among West Point cadets. The Belleville 390 is known to be:

• Very comfortable. Some cadets claim they substitute the 390’s for their sneakers.
• Durable and will last a life-time without any serious damage.
• Lightweight.
• And most importantly, easy to break in.

Some other cool features on the Belleville 390 are:

• Approved as part of the ACU
• Leather is water resistant
• Practical polyurethane removable insert
• Thick CORDURA nylon fabric

Click Here to Buy US Army Approved Belleville 390’s

Commercial vs Issue Boots

One important thing to note while buying boots for West Point is that you have to make sure they are Army issue boots. Army boot manufacturers like Belleville, Altama, and Corcoran make both commercial and issue versions of each of their boots. The easiest and most effective way to discriminate whether a boot is commercial or issue is to look for brand logos. If a brand logo is visible on the outside of the boot, it is obviously a commercial version and you do not want to take those to West Point.

Click Here for a List of Army Issue Boots

Your Boot Buying Options for West Point

1. Don’t purchase anything. Show up at West Point with just your body. West Point will issue you the 3 pairs of boots upon arrival. Free? No, everything will be charged to your cadet bank account and your pay will be deducted from there.
2. Buy 1 pair of combat boots and 1 pair of low quarters. Break both of them in, and let West Point issue you the remaining pair of combat boots on R-Day. Pro: Less baggage if you are traveling from far away. Con: Still need to break in that one bitch of a boot.
3. Buy 2 pairs of combat boots and 1 pair of low quarters, break them all in, and arrive at West Point prepared and ready to roll. Watch the unprepared cadets go through hell as they attempt to break in their brand-new boots while being hazed on R-Day.

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