The Boots
South African Waxi boots are an icon and enduring product of the Border War, built for combat in the bush and the tropics. Ours are manufactured largely by hand from the same company (and same family) who has supplied them to the Rhodesian military and the SADF for decades. They are durable, lightweight, and strong in all the right places — with a full Goodyear welt and double stitching on all load-bearing seams. Made to breathe, break in fast, and stay comfortable on long hikes, the Waxi are among the most versatile boots ever issued because they were designed by the soldiers using them in the field. Our boots are also made for customization, offering two sole types. With the lug sole, the Waxi can have the resilience of a combat boot, the flexibility of a tennis shoe, and the traction of a high-top sneaker. With the anti-track sole, you can distribute weight more evenly, relax your calves, and embrace the Recce legend by leaving few prints behind.
The Recce
The Waxi boot was pioneered by the Recce (short for “Reconnaissance”), the special forces of the SADF — experts in both infiltration and counter-insurgency. Facing several conflicts with their equipment limited by attrition, embargos, and little outside support, the Recce became specialists in field modification. They had to make everything they had as functional as possible, including some of the most important equipment any soldier can have — boots. When scouting deep into hostile territory and hiding themselves right under the enemy’s nose, the Recce relied heavily on smuggled civilian footwear and handmade combat boots adapted for guerilla warfare. When crafting these boots, they designed them for long treks through harsh terrain by including an extra-wide toe box. This increased the airflow and accommodated swelling from long marches. The Recce also prepared for hot conditions, using thin, pliable leather. This made it possible to relieve heat by sweating through the boots when wearing them with thick wool socks.
Skilled trackers themselves, the Recce knew how to throw enemies off their scent by sanding the soles of their boots until they were flat. This allowed them to leave faded prints — easily disguising fresh tracks as weeks old. This field-modified “anti-track sole” soon became standardized and is still issued today to both military and anti-poaching forces alike. Lightweight, cool, and hard-wearing, the Waxi has served with the Recce for five decades now, through four wars and two rebellions. It has helped them prevent communist revolution, oppose terrorism, and undergo a variety of modern peace-keeping missions for the United Nations.
Outsoles
All our pre-order Waxi boots are handmade to order. We offer two sole types.
Widely used in the Border War to conceal troop movements, it has no tread.
This results in footprints which appear washed-out, older,
or too light to be visible, confusing would-be trackers.
Insoles
Each Waxi boot comes with a permanently inserted “half insole.” While unfamiliar to many Western wearers, this half insole is very comfortable once you adjust to it. While you can add your own inserts for fitment or comfort, we don’t recommend removing the half insole before doing so. For best results, we advise cutting the insert in half to match the cliff edge of the half insole and better fit the form of the sole overall. 
Specs
- Cowhide leather
- Sturdy Goodyear welted rubber soles
- 12 metal eyelets
- Half-gusseted tongue
- Iconic Angle belt
- Double stitching
- Flexible, built-in airflow, for heat dissipation and breathability
The Boots
South African Waxi boots are an icon and enduring product of the Border War, built for combat in the bush and the tropics. Ours are manufactured largely by hand from the same company (and same family) who has supplied them to the Rhodesian military and the SADF for decades. They are durable, lightweight, and strong in all the right places — with a full Goodyear welt and double stitching on all load-bearing seams. Made to breathe, break in fast, and stay comfortable on long hikes, the Waxi are among the most versatile boots ever issued because they were designed by the soldiers using them in the field. Our boots are also made for customization, offering two sole types. With the lug sole, the Waxi can have the resilience of a combat boot, the flexibility of a tennis shoe, and the traction of a high-top sneaker. With the anti-track sole, you can distribute weight more evenly, relax your calves, and embrace the Recce legend by leaving few prints behind.
The Recce
The Waxi boot was pioneered by the Recce (short for “Reconnaissance”), the special forces of the SADF — experts in both infiltration and counter-insurgency. Facing several conflicts with their equipment limited by attrition, embargos, and little outside support, the Recce became specialists in field modification. They had to make everything they had as functional as possible, including some of the most important equipment any soldier can have — boots. When scouting deep into hostile territory and hiding themselves right under the enemy’s nose, the Recce relied heavily on smuggled civilian footwear and handmade combat boots adapted for guerilla warfare. When crafting these boots, they designed them for long treks through harsh terrain by including an extra-wide toe box. This increased the airflow and accommodated swelling from long marches. The Recce also prepared for hot conditions, using thin, pliable leather. This made it possible to relieve heat by sweating through the boots when wearing them with thick wool socks.
Skilled trackers themselves, the Recce knew how to throw enemies off their scent by sanding the soles of their boots until they were flat. This allowed them to leave faded prints — easily disguising fresh tracks as weeks old. This field-modified “anti-track sole” soon became standardized and is still issued today to both military and anti-poaching forces alike. Lightweight, cool, and hard-wearing, the Waxi has served with the Recce for five decades now, through four wars and two rebellions. It has helped them prevent communist revolution, oppose terrorism, and undergo a variety of modern peace-keeping missions for the United Nations.
Outsoles
All our pre-order Waxi boots are handmade to order. We offer two sole types.
Widely used in the Border War to conceal troop movements, it has no tread.
This results in footprints which appear washed-out, older,
or too light to be visible, confusing would-be trackers.
Insoles
Each Waxi boot comes with a permanently inserted “half insole.” While unfamiliar to many Western wearers, this half insole is very comfortable once you adjust to it. While you can add your own inserts for fitment or comfort, we don’t recommend removing the half insole before doing so. For best results, we advise cutting the insert in half to match the cliff edge of the half insole and better fit the form of the sole overall.
Specs
- Cowhide leather
- Sturdy Goodyear welted rubber soles
- 12 metal eyelets
- Half-gusseted tongue
- Iconic Angle belt
- Double stitching
- Flexible, built-in airflow, for heat dissipation and breathability