More Than a Pair of Boots.

The Waxi boot is an enduring icon of the Border and Bush Wars — Conflicts which dominated South Africa and present day Zimbabwe during the Cold War. Outside of Africa and certain military circles both of these wars have faded into obscurity. Don’t get the wrong idea though, they were anything but boring.

At the height of the Border and Bush wars, both South Africa and Rhodesia found themselves geographically, economically, and diplomatically isolated. They would be facing off against the best efforts of the USSR, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, and several members of the Soviet Bloc.

All of whom would be providing training, arms, logistics and advisory support to a rainbow of communist terrorists, militant groups, and Sub-Saharan nation states. The resulting violence was characterized by its fast pace and indiscriminate brutality — with frequent attacks on public infrastructure and civilian populations.

Improvise, Adapt...

This period of counter-insurgency combat in the African savanna and wildlands forced tactical and material improvisation. Scrambling to stay competitive, South Africa and Rhodesia would develop doctrines and equipment that would stay relevant for decades to come.

Like many South African designs, the Waxi Boot is essentially a standardized field improvisation. Fighting in the bush necessitated two things, long term endurance, and bursts of high mobility during close contact.

Traditional combat boots provided neither — especially when you consider the sweltering heat of Africa. With this in mind, many South African and Rhodesian soldiers opted to wear their physical training footwear instead of their issued combat boots.

The most popular choices were takkies (hockey shoes) or commercial high tops from Converse and others.

The Waxi Is Born.

This philosophy would eventually give birth to the Waxi or “Half Combat” boot. Sitting halfway between a high-top sneaker and a combat boot, the Waxi runs, jumps and flexes like a tennis shoe while delivering the protection and durability of a boot.

The "Full Combat" variant has a taller profile with an extra buckle but sharing the same design as the rest of the Waxi.

What Makes Our Waxi

Choice Footwear of the 'Recces'

The Waxi boot was the brainchild of South Africa’s elite Recce units (short for “Reconnaissance”). The cream of the SADF, Recce were experts in both long-range combat reconnaissance and counter-insurgency.

In truth though, they did far more. Recce quickly became the “go-to” fighting force for nearly everything, from airborne raids to underwater demolitions.

Limited by attrition and embargos, Recce frequently purchased their own kit on the private market. This included the first Waxi boots, which were made to order for individual soldiers.

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The Anti-Track Sole

Among these first purchases were many of the now famous “anti-tracking” boots — variants of the Waxi featuring a completely flat sole.

The anti-track Waxi replaced the Recce footwear of choice — black high top sneakers with the soles sanded flat. In the dusty conditions of the bush, the flat soles left faded prints, disguising fresh tracks as weeks old.

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Based on 24 reviews
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24 Reviews
Reviewed by P L.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Boots Made for Walking

Ordered these to do a lot of cement walking. Took someone else's advice and also picked up some extra insole cushioning for added stamina and comfort.

I'm 9.5 Wide, and while my size or preferred half-stye/color wasn't in stock at the time, I'm satisfied with the fit. Plan on taking care of the real leather as best I can so it can last as long as it can.

If it lets me update this review later, I'll add more details. I'd rather hike with them and if I get the opportunity to I'll say so.

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Reviewed by Liam v. z.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Bless the rains in style

These boots do run a little large but they are a sturdy and comfortable boot, perfect for more arid environments and warmer climates, these boots perform extremely well on hikes and runs as well as lounging and or larping around the house. I highly recommend these boots and feel they are worth the money I payed for them (tho shipping to nz Is a nightmare) -love you kommando store (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠`⁠)⁠。⁠*゚⁠+

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Reviewed by charles c.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Soft like butter

I normally wear a 11 1/2 or with Danner's sometimes a 12. I ordered 10 1/2 with the flat sole. The leather is good quality and very soft. When my pants are warn over the boot, they can pass for dress shoes. I live in southern AZ so I have things like mesquite trees that will punch through the sole. The grip can be a little tricky on wet tile floors. So far seems to work well on the desert. Unlike the old combat boots there really isn't a break in. I have some of the old school leather boots that if they creased the wrong way would tear up my ankes, this boot does not have that problem. If they last, and if I can get them resoled, I will be buying more in the future. If they fall apart, then well doom on me and no more...

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Reviewed by Arthur F.
Verified Buyer
Rated 3 out of 5
Review posted

Beautiful Boots, But Not Wide Enough

A heads-up, if you're around 2E width on the Brannock scale like I am, the Wide will not fit well even with just half a size down from their sizing recommendation, at least for my feet. There was a good amount of space in the front but both of the sides touched my feet and this was before any activity that would swell the them up. So if you're like me and have wider than normal-wide-width feet, these will not work.

On the plus side though, they looked beautiful and I'm sure they would've been a fantastic pair of summer boots. They were very light compared to the Austrian heavy boots I wear and much more flexible. The inside is unlined except in the vamp where there is some type of hard fabric lining and there is also a dedicated leather heel counter. The tongue is thin and not fully gussetted which makes it very malleable and easy to position.

As some other reviews have pointed out though, there are some small problems, one of which is a bigger issue than the other. The included insole is completely flat, thin, and not very good, but that's an easy replacement with anything of your choice. The eyelet holes are the bigger problem, they seem to snag on laces and try to tear the fabric. If you're trying them on, try out a spare pair of laces instead of the ones included in case you need to make a return, I'm glad I did. While they didn't rip my spare laces, I had to move them slowly and carefully for them to not get caught on the eyelets and some fraying still occurred.

Sad…

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KommandoStore

Hey Arthur,

Thanks for the great review! I'll publish it but at the same time, just reach out to us at help@kommandostore.com for a return- we'd be happy to help out with this. Sometimes foot widths can be a challenge with a lot of our footwear, and if you need assistance on the returns process we can get that done for you ASAP.

-James

Reviewed by Jeremy N.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

The Boot Saga is finally over

So I ordered a pair down a size from normal(13 down to 12) they were Shaq’s older brothers shoes. Then I exchanged them for 11, those were Shaq’s shoes. then I got a 10.5, perfect fit! The reason I’m giving 5 stars is the returns and exchanges, literally the best and easiest process ever, thank you for making me believe in capitalism again kommandostore!

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