The Best Minimalist Boots: Belleville Tactical Research TR105 Mini-Mil Combat Boot

With the lifestyle I lead, I put my shoes through hell. 

Between my off-grid mountain home and my career in landscape construction, only the toughest boots survive more than a few months on my feet.

That said, when I’m not working I generally prefer to be barefoot, or else I opt for minimalist footwear like my Xero Genesis huarache-style sandals or Vibram Five Fingers  CVT-Hemp Walking Shoes.

I transitioned to minimalist / zero-drop footwear a few years back, but it took me a long time to find a pair of boots that met the minimalist criteria and could stand up to the challenges of manual labor. Most of the boots I encountered were intended for more casual duties, and often lacked the kind of traction and durability I need for scaling up and down the side of a mountain in my daily life.

Then came the TR105 Mini-Mil Combat Boot from Belleville Tactical Research. After a year of daily wear, I can say with some certainty that these are the best boots I’ve ever owned, whether minimal or conventional.

The TR105 Mini-Mils have all the toughness required to survive the rigors of military deployment, along with a flat heel and tough Vibram outsole with serious traction. Though not a true “zero-drop” boot, the TR105 boasts a mere 2-millimeter drop from heel to toe. Believe me: if you’re used to minimalist footwear, your feet will not notice the difference.

I’m not the type to sing the praises of consumer goods, but I just can’t stress enough how much these boots have improved my daily life. So much of the info you find when searching for the best minimalist footwear seems to be regurgitated product details and copy-pasted Amazon reviews, with little or no firsthand experience behind the words. So I’m shouting about these boots from the rooftop in the hopes that other people like me will find this review and check them out, too.

I highly recommend the TR105 Mini-Mil Combat Boots — albeit with two major points of consideration:

First, the initial breaking-in period with these boots is pretty rough. Specifically, the area where the leather meets the nylon on the back will destroy your heels for many miles before the materials become pliable enough to bend with your ankles and feet. 

This seam on the heel is incredibly durable, but it comes at the cost of real discomfort for the first few weeks of daily wear while breaking in.

I actually almost gave up on mine after about six weeks because they were causing so much pain in my heels, but there was no way I could return them for my money back at that point so I soldiered on. A couple weeks after that the heel pain tapered off quickly until it was gone for good.

In retrospect I see the break-in period as a worthwhile long-term investment. Here almost a year later I have the most comfortable and durable boots I’ve ever worn, with a fit like a glove and almost no signs of wear and tear. 

The fact that the heel is so tough to break in is actually a testament to how durable it is: this area is the first to fail in other boots I’ve tried in the past, like Lems Boulder Boots (which I actually really liked as casual footwear, but unfortunately they couldn’t keep up with the trials and tribulations of my lifestyle). After a year with my TR105s, all of the seams are still as strong as they were on day one.

Second consideration, and this is a big one: if you’re not already someone who has transitioned to minimal footwear, you can potentially seriously injure yourself if you jump in 100% with these boots. The transition to minimal shoes is exactly that: a transition, something that takes time and care and intention and patience.

When all your feet have ever known are big blocky heels and massive cushioned “arch support,” there are many muscle groups in your feet and legs —all the way up to your hips, really — that have never gotten the workout they require to function properly without all of that padding. Those muscles need time and attention to adjust to a more natural gait. 

I transitioned over a period of a year, wearing my Vibram five-fingers for a few hours and then switching back to conventional shoes for the remainder of the day. Once I felt comfortable wearing them exclusively for multiple days in a row and didn’t experience any pain or soreness, I knew I was ready to ditch conventional footwear for good. 

Your mileage may vary, but make sure you put many miles into your transition to minimal footwear before committing. 

For more information on successfully weathering the transition, I highly recommend the work of Katy Bowman, specifically Whole Body Barefoot and Move Your DNA.

Final Thoughts

Before I found the Belleville Tactical Research TR105 Mini-Mil Combat Boots, I had resigned to the fact that no pair of boots could last more than a year on my feet before falling apart. Now I’m approaching year two with this pair, and they are just as strong and solid as they were at the start.

If you need the toughest boots money can buy, and you want to avoid the realm of body-contorting conventional footwear, I highly recommend checking out the TR105 Mini-Mil. If you can survive several weeks of pain during the break-in period, you’ll be rewarded with the most durable and comfortable boots that will serve you well for years to come.

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