At DVD 2026 I was given a pair of the prototype YDS NOVA Pro Mid-height Lightweight Boots to test when visiting the Goliath Footwear stand, writes Bob Morrison.
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Almost exactly two months ago I gave my first impressions of this extended mid-height version of the already popular YDS NOVA Shoe, which Goliath’s parent company’s ever-smiling sales team had given me a preview of at the Eurosatory defence & security expo in Paris. At that time I said my feelings were that this boot model could well be a winner in 2027 for the Turkish police and military footwear and personal equipment manufacturer and now I have initially tried out a pair for a few days my views have been confirmed.
For nigh on thirty years I have been penning combat and patrol footwear reviews, first as Editor of COMBAT & SURVIVAL Magazine and then for JOINT-FORCES and over the years I have been given a number of pre-production samples by several manufacturers, including the very first ALTBERG Desert Boots which I took to the Sahara when competing in a Toyota Desert Raid and the first experimental Pilgrim Combat Boots complete with the ‘not so low visibility’ AKU branding of the time. However these NOVA Boots are the first footwear samples I have been given on trial which are true hand-cobbled prototypes that don’t even have size & maker labels to identify them and at time of penning this article a product sheet has not even been printed. At handover it was stressed that there might well be minor styling and material tweaks before this new boot is signed off for production but senior management believe the model is pretty close to final design and specification.
These YDS NOVA Pro Mid-height Lightweight Boots, which were conceived as light duties garrison or patrol footwear for soldiers and blue light responders who do not need to carry heavy loads over extended periods, certainly look the part. Consequently, as soon as I returned from Millbrook Proving Ground to our Devon base I slipped them on to break them in prior to departing on my current excursion to the shores of the Caspian Sea. It was my plan to carry them solely as lightweight ‘just in case’ back-ups to my favoured LOWA Innox boots, but I quickly realised these NOVA Pro boots are so comfortable that they don’t actually need breaking in and indeed they already feel like a pair of favourite slippers after just a week or so of occasional wear so I might just wear them on alternative days out here in Azerbaijan.
Yes, these boots definitely give the impression of being a winner but I intend to give them a bit of a beasting before I bring readers a full review. By then this new model should not be too far away from general availability.
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