MACV-1 Rucking Boots
Ready When You Are.
The inspiration for MACV-1™ was the most beloved boot in Army Special Forces history, the Vietnam-era Jungle Boot, worn by MACV-SOG and other Special Forces combat units. In the military, the push is always to sharpen the tip of the spear, and MACV-1 was designed with that same principle in mind. Modernized to today’s all-terrain requirements of traveling, training, rucking - and assaulting, MACV-1 is ready when you are.
Lightweight
Lightweight like a running sneaker, tough like an assaulter’s boot. That was our mission and we were religiously committed to it. At under 14oz (28 oz/pair for 6"), MACV-1™ is lighter than any footwear of its kind, ever.
Supportive
All the support you need for your feet so they’re not smoked after being on your feet all day, whatever you’re doing. Support is foundational to MACV-1™ and makes them versatile — great for combat, traveling, and for people who demand a lot of their feet.
Proven
Special Forces grade materials, triple-stitched stress points, a durable EVA midsole and all-terrain outsole that thrives in all kinds of terrain. In Special Forces, adaptability is everything. You want your boots to be as light as possible and you want them to never fail.
Our team was small, and comfortable breaking all the rules. Rich is a MACV-SOG Vietnam era Special Forces guy who went on to serve in every major conflict and mission of his generation, Paul invented the Pump and a few thousand other things, and Jason is a post 9/11 Special Forces guy who founded GORUCK with a desire to bridge the military and civilian worlds.
Four years of failure, four years of sweating every detail and the details to the details, four years of testing in some of the most difficult terrain on the planet, four years of never quitting until the job was done.
The Best Story in the History of Footwear
Old-School Special Forces
Richard Rice, 5th Special Forces Group, US Army 1966-94, GORUCK Senior Advisor
Post 9/11 Modern Day Special Forces
Jason McCarthy, 10th Special Forces Group, 2006-08, GORUCK Founder
Inventor of the Reebok Pump
Paul Litchfield, 30 Year Shoe Dog, Senior Director of GORUCK Footwear
"This process mirrored a Special Forces mission. Lots of planning,lots of testing, and a relentless pursuit of excellence against allodds. We succeeded in creating the best, most adaptable ruckingboot for Special Forces guys because our team had a mastery ofthe fundamentals, and we weren't afraid to break the rules whenwe had to. Most importantly, we stayed true to our roots and to ourselves. The result is simple. My MACV-1's are better than any boots I wore in my 30 year Army career spanning jungle, desert, mountainous, and urban warfare. And when the mission's over, you can drink in em, too."
–Richard Rice
5th Special Forces Group
US Army 1966-94
Senior Advisor, GORUCK
"We had a lot of freedom on this project, the kind of freedom younever have at a big shoe company with ten tons of bureaucracy built into every decision. We had the freedom to spend four years on one boot, the freedom to product test in some of the world's harshest environments, the freedom to never talk about reducing our standards to hit acertain price point, the freedom to not work with people who form their opinions in spreadsheets. All we had to do was focus on the fundamentals of footwear and Special Forces requirements and keep refining the boots untilthere was nothing left to remove. Every project should take four years if it leads to an outcome like MACV-1. This is the best team I've ever worked on, and with the adventures we had. I wish it would have taken even longer."
–Paul Litchfield
30 Year Shoe Dog
Senior Director, GORUCK Footwear
"When I wear my MACV-1's, I think of all the memories that went into making them. Waving an American flag in northern Vietnam with Rich, wrestling Paul at 3am in the back of a cab in Saigon, standing solemnly outside of the 'Hanoi Hilton' when a local family came up and asked us - with smiles on their faces - if we were from America. Smiles. At us Americans. In front of the Hanoi Hilton. MACV1's are more than a boot to me. Thev're the storv of how our team took Rich's 30 year career that began in the jungles of Vietnam, and brought it to life, today."
–Jason McCarthy
10th Special Forces Group, 2006-08
Founder, GORUCK
45 Years Later
Back in Vietnam
"I always wanted to wave the American flag in north Vietnam. I didn't think it would take me 50 years, but we did it for everyone who fought, and for everyone who didn't come back."
Watch Rich's return to Vietnam in a 10-part documentary series through history.
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group was a highly classified unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War. Its mission was “to execute an intensified program of harassment, diversion, political pressure, capture of prisoners, physical destruction, acquisition of intelligence, generation of propaganda, and diversion of resources."
At the Factory
Saigon, Vietnam
Our footwear manufacturer builds ~4 million pairs of shoes a month. We've partnered with a global leader in quality, performance footwear with best in class automation. This combination was not available to create performance boots in the United States of America.
