This is a thread I have been wanting to do for a long, long time.  I will start with my thoughts and experiences based on decades of active light infantry experience and private contract work spanning from Fort Benning to Virginia, Korea to Fort Lewis, Panama to Fort Bragg, the Middle East, Europe, and Eurasia.  I am especially interested in the unique experiences from others who have a strong combat arms background where boots and LPC's were the primary means of transportation for you and the units you were in.  I would like to keep posts limited to those with relevant experience, so that the thread remains free of clutter, like we have basically been able to pull off somehow in the The Lost Art of Machinegunnery?  thread. Thanks for everyone's input there.

I will break the thread down into sections, starting with mindset / anatomy / and training, then go into the history of infantry soldiers with a focus on footwear and forced marches, then talk about the actual boot development over the years, where we are now, and where we should be going.

Ancient Roman LPC's



Mindset - Anatomy - Training

An Infantry Soldier, Combat Engineer, Forward Observer, Combat Medic, Commando, or any soldier who will spend a significant amount of time dismounted while doing their job outside of friendly lines needs to have an exceptional level of competence, endurance, and flexibility on his feet. One of the first things soldiers throughout time have learned is to take care of their feet. Armies in ancient times knew that foot care is a crucial logistical consideration that makes or breaks dismounted soldiers.

From the Legionaires' sandals, to the American aboriginals' moccasins, to the Prussian Army boots of the late 1800's, there were all types of different footwear, but the task to the infantry remained the same when transportation was involved:  Move from point A to point B by forced march at a certain pace, while carrying suitable loads for the duration and intended actions upon reaching your destination, which is often a military objective.  Archeologists can usually identify infantryman remains from ancient times based on the enlarged bone plates of the spine/sacrum and femur/tibia sections.





 

Mindest

So what does mindset have to do with your feet in a foot soldier capacity?  Answer: A lot.  First off, you need to have a heart of steel if you are going to be a dismounted soldier. You will frequently be asked to do the impossible, with ridiculous amounts of weight on your load, and in very short time constraints.  Once you arrive at your objective, you are now actually at your intended workplace, where even more insurmountable tasks often await.

Anatomy & Training

So how does your anatomy come into play?  You need to have a toughened neck, shoulders, back, waist, legs, ankles, and feet.  Forced march conditioning starts in initial entry training for those who haven't begun to prepare in their youth.  Any decent combat arms training regimen will involve forced marches with increasing distance and speed, then weight.  A generally accepted rate of march for infantry soldiers is to move 20km in 3hr in a low or no threat environment, with fighting and existence load.

Fighting Load:  Consists of items of individual clothing, equipment, weapons, and ammunition that are carried by and are essential to the effectiveness of the combat soldier and the accomplishment of the immediate mission of the unit when the soldier is on foot. Note that it included clothing, and boots are the most important aspect of that clothing.

Existence Load:  Consists of items other than those in the fighting load that are required to sustain or protect the combat soldier. These items may be necessary for increased personal and environmental protection and may be loaded onto vehicles at various stages of movement and execution of sequential missions in a prolonged campaign.

Learning how to effectively pack your gear is another artform.  You want to get the center of gravity of your load as close to your body's center of gravity, and as close to above your hips as possible, with the weight bearing down, not pulling away from your C of G.  More on this later...

Footwear

As to the actual boots, they are only one component of the clothing for your feet. Here are the components of the footwear:

* Military or professional hiking grade socks - must be quality, cushion sole, minimal or no stitch impression over the toes, no cotton

* Foot powder - Medicated foot powder applied to a soldier's feet is one of the best feelings in the world.  I like Gold Bond, but buy generic brands with the exact same formula for $1 at the dollar store, and stack them deep in my storage room. Every Infantry unit I with a squared away Platoon Sergeant had a Platoon Command Post in the barracks with a healthy stock of foot powder.

* Boot Insole - I'm a huge proponent of custom-made orthotic insoles for your individual anatomy and pronation.  As a soldier, one of the best things you can do is go get a podiatry consult for insoles, and take the time with the specialist in getting the insoles made for you. Don't accept what they crank out if they feel uncomfortable after a test-run. Make sure you get as good as it gets.  If the people at podiatry are just seat warmers, find another pedorthist or hospital where they will really take the time to get it right.  Take broken-in combat boots and your PT shoes and get as many sets as possible, even if you have to make multiple visits.



* Combat boots - The components that make excellent combat boots are a great outsole with proper tread for the terrain, excellent ankle support for compressed loading on the foot, enough outer protection from abrasion, impact, and weather for the season, inner materials that wick away moisture without chaffing the foot, inner base that is highly absorbent to impact and compression, and all this in a lightweight package.


Addressing socks, or foot wraps if the 20th Century passed you by:   I've worn a lot of military and hiking socks in my life, and am always looking for the latest and greatest.  I love socks with a nice cushion sole, and appropriate thickness for their intended season.

Right off the bat, cotton socks are a no-go, and even some cotton in the socks is a no-go.  You want Merino Wool or a blend of Merino wool with modern materials that wick away moisture, and maintain their bulk without being degraded easily with pressure.  I currently really enjoy the Darn Tough Merino Wool military socks. Merino wool has natural anti-microbial properties to it, which is huge for personal hygiene and endurance in the field.

When I joined the Army, I was actually issued some of the best military socks ever:  Old Vietnam era OD Green wool socks, 7 pairs each, in January of 1994 at the Central Issue Facility on Fort Benning, Georgia.  When I got to my first unit, I scored another 7 pairs.  There was a summer weight with thin tops, and a thicker weight for fall and winter.



When I went to Russia in 2008-2009, I was surprised to learn that they were still very fond of foot wraps.  One particular friend of mine went on and on about the Russian thinking behind them, why they were good, and how easy they were to use.  This got me thinking about what else there might be out there.




In the 1990's US Army, there were also old white wool Army winter socks that were very thick that probably dated back the 1960's and 70's. We'll get into seasonal socks and the issues they introduce when used with boots at a later point in the thread.

Next up:  Boots

"Tie em up, lace em up, put em on your feet!

A good pair of jungle boots can't be beat!"


The most comfortable boots that we could wear in the 1990's- early 2000's were the OD Green Vietnam Jungle boots. These are just a few examples, the earlier ones relatively unknown to most folks out there unless you're a collector.

What I would do as my personal SOP for jungle boots was have them gutted of the steel shank, wood shank, steel punji stick plate, and the nylon mesh insoles would get tossed. I would have them immediately resoled with a flat Vibram sole with this tread pattern:



I would also have a nice foam midsole glued and secured, in addition to a foam wedge under the heel.  Once the boots had settled from the boot shop (every post had one on or off post), I would take the boots, and soak them in as hot of water as possible in a residence for a few minutes until the leather was soaked.  I would then drip dry the boots, throw in my insoles, lace them up ideally for my feet, and take them for a 6-mile road march with 50-60lb rucksack to break them in and get them formed to my feet.

They would be dry very quickly during the march, and then I would apply generous amounts of mink oil to the leather portions of the boot.

Before OIF1, I had the same thing done to my issue desert boots, which were the Desert Storm era versions with speed laces, basically suede jungle boots without some of the older features, and with some new ones.  I had my own earlier models without the cushion around the ankle.  Those desert boots don't provide much ankle support at all, mainly because the nylon uppers are less rigid than the Vietnam OD green Jungles, and the suede leather is also not rigid.




We had some of the guys in my Platoon that also had theirs resoled, and the soles were already coming off before the ground war kicked off.  These are what we were issued before OIF1 in late 2002-early 2003.




I personally started wearing the 5.11 zipper boots after I got out and started doing work in the private sector.  The outsoles on the 5.11's are much nicer than issue boots, but are best left for wearing with lighter loads I would say. They are great for range work, and limited duration dismounted tasks conducted from vehicles, but not my first choice for humping it through the boonies with a rucksack.

Brilliant beginning!!

OST.

I rarely had proper fitting footwear when I in.  It cause me a great deal of suffering.

TIAMFT
(this is a mother-*&$%'in tag)

bump for the beginning of a blockbuster thread.

in!

I am not a light soldier, and may never be, but it is something that interests me. Tag

I still do forced road marches weekly though.

Awesome start!

One of my Russian instructors would demonstrate those foot wraps.  They had to do it FAST or get their asses beat bloody.  The army for young transcripts was a living hell.

cool

Awesome post.  When I was in it took me a while to find boots that were worth the price.  I was lucky and grabbed an extra pair before Iraq and never had any foot issues.

Um Tag! I miss my jungle boots !

This guy paid the ultimate price...

I have a lot to learn here.

dont you mean conscripts btw?



 

tag-a-licious.

Darn Tough socks are the best socks on the planet.

Thank you for starting this thread and sharing your information.

In.

Also, wool socks are best socks.  For me at least.

I'm interested to hear about boots in Northern Europe from Coalition Partners, Eastern Europeans, and the like.

In my experiences there, a totally different boot seems more appropriate for most of the year.  You can get away with lightweight summer boots in the short summer season, but for winter, you really need another boot with good insulation, especially if you're static.

The Finns use all leather boots, as well as large rubber boots with thick wool liner inserts for extreme cold. Both boots have grooves for the Finnish Army skis:






I've had good success with commercial hunting boots, combined with my insoles and good socks, but we were staying very active.  This uniform is a recently made Russian Spetsnaz copy of the new Finnish M05 winter digital pattern seen above. The Russians specialize in false flag operations so they can justify invading once "enemy" nations have massacred a village or two, or launched an assault on Russian interests on her border like they did in Georgia in 2008 so they could send in "peace keepers".



These boots actually worked out really well for me.  I tested and proved the lightweight boot/winter sock concept for myself when I was in Korea.  The idea is that a boot that is more malleable will be able to have the electrons more freely moving, as opposed to rigid winter boots that shed heat and are hard to get moving again.

With the right layers of warm socks, a lightweight boot is quite viable in extreme cold, but you do have to have a way to stay warm once you go static.

Tag to learn something.

 

My only thing to add is that look at athletes who where "5 finger toe" shoes (me included). The idea that minimalist is an advantage when it means you strengthen your ankles and feet, while performing as optimal as a full shoe or boot. In combat however there is a need for more ruggedness.

Walking techniques

What really helps me avoid injury is walking with my toes pointed outwards, heels contact the ground first, then I roll the foot forward, as to avoid multiple impacts and rather have a rolling motion.

This is why I don't like boots with a separate heel.

You also need to work out your running technique with gear on, both fighting load and existence load. Keeping your knees bent helps with this a lot, while picking your feet up higher than normal, and not slacking off as the bounds get longer.

Individual Movement Techniques need to be practiced with your full battle rattle on, not PT's and a few items, and practiced on long duration runs, movements, etc.

One very effective way of training with full kit is to do a Land Nav Course, but at a double time pace for the entire course.  In competitions, you won't place if you don't do that, and there are some studs out there.

Hell of a thread.

I can't speak to the application of it like OP can. I am not and never was a soldier. Other AFROTC in college, I don't have military experience. I hardly think AFROTC counts. I am however a boot salesman. I do sell other footwear such as some casuals in the like, but what I really know is boots. Especially backpacking boots.

I'll start by referencing the thread earlier about the Army working on a new jungle boot.. It is pretty obvious (if that article is reporting accurately) that the boot program is not being run as well as it could. I'll tackle those issues one by one. I think a lot can be learned from that.

1. "The Army now requires that a universal "last" or mold be used by all of its boot vendors"
This is a huge issue.When we think of shoe size, we are looking at maybe two measurements. There is length which is the back of the heel to the end of the longest toe, irrespective of whether your first or second toe is bigger. And then width, which is measured at the front of your first metatarsal (the bump behind your big toe) to the anterior of your fifth metatarsal.

So that is an amazingly small amount of information about a complicated 3d mechanical structure. You can have width at any area of your feet, you can have an arch length that doesn't match your foot length, you can have a high instep and low arch. One last doesn't even begin to cover it all. And you make one last as universal as possible, they will need to make a wide front to back, high volume, soft upper that you can cinch down. We all know how good one size fits all is in performance applications.

Now I'm not saying everyone needs custom boots, but different manufacturers and models have different fit characteristics for a reason. In my experience, the higher quality the boot is, the less likely a given model is going to fit you. But when you do find the right one, angels will sing.

2. "One of the biggest design upgrades is "direct-attach outsoles," Mortlock said, explaining that these soles that are glued, not stitched, to the bottoms of boots, make some pairs of Army Combat Boots up to 1 pound lighter. The direct-attach outsoles are also less apt to separate after long, rough usage."

There are two materials that are common in boots today. EVA and polyurethane. EVA is that same foam you find in a running shoe, although boot EVA is denser. It is cheap, soft, light, and easy to manufacture with. It is a fantastic material for shock absorption. However, cushion has negatives.

Over the day, that cushion compresses. It looses it's shape and flattens out in a shoe. It can take 24+ hours for it to return to the original shape. And of course, over time it stops returning to that shape. The net effect is that you lose proper support. Take a look at the gray bit on this shoe for an example of EVA.

PU on the other hand is a heavier material, denser, more expensive, and harder to work with. But the important difference is that it does NOT change shape over time nearly as dramatically as EVA. It preserves the support in a shoe. It is also often vulcanized or sewn to the upper. Generally that is a more durable attachment than glue and EVA. They got that plain wrong. See the gray bit here for an example of PU, smooth rather than the textured EVA.

Of course we also know that weight makes a huge difference in performance. 1 pound on your foot is worth about 5 on your back in terms of energy expenditure. That's a significant amount of calories over ten days with your gear plus a mortar base plate. Thankfully it is possible to combine PU with some amount of EVA for shock absorption. This might shed some weight, but not a full pound. The new army boot must use a large amount of EVA.

3. "Master Sgt. Benjamin Owens, a 20-year Army veteran who was interviewed along with Mortlock, said that even though many Soldiers opt to buy their own footwear, in his opinion, the best boots are standard issue."

Opinions are like assholes MSG. I don't think I could possibly care less what works for him. To a large degree in foot wear, perception is reality. What works for one person might cripple another. From what I can tell, the Army has a big problem with gruff guys saying "It was good enough for me, it should be good enough for you".

Trying on boots with an experienced fitter is vital to comfort. I tell my customers that are rushing buying backpacking boots that it's not like buying tennis shoes. It's a technical process more akin to fitting a high performance ski boot. I've spent hours with some customers trying to get the right fit. Be ready to invest that kind of time when trying on boots. Just like LRRPF says with insoles, if the boot salesman is just a warm body, try elsewhere or ask if someone in the department is really good at boot fitting.

I think that's all for now. I'll try to cover more later. Maybe use some pictures to make things a bit less tedious. Please get involved in the thread. SOme of my worst customers are the ones who won't tell you what's on their mind.

A good wealth of knowledge.  

I've never been in light units, just straight mech and stryker.  Though, I've done more humping in stryker units since the vehicles tend to freeze in -30 weather.

One thing I would like to add is concerning the descents. I always put my forefoot down first when heading down hill. If your foot holds the weight, great. If it doesn't, your heel immediately makes contact, adding more bite.

One of the few things I look for in a tread is a heel brake. That being the sharp angle on the heel of the outsole just behind your arch.

Not really. I was never convinced by the barefoot concept. Too easy for things to go wrong. There may be boots with a lower offset (difference in height between the bottom of your heel and your toes), but I'm not aware of any with significant ankle support.

Not at all arguing but offering a different option.  My infantry experience was limited to three years in Germany ('86-'89).  Beyond the grunt thing my cold weather experience is primarily from cycling long distances (up to 100+ miles) in temps as cold as 0 through Pennsylvania winters while riding over 10,000 miles a year.

My best cold weather foot results have come from quality insulated footwear with thin (summer weight) socks.  Thick socks seemed to constrict the blood flow in and airflow around my feet causing them to chill easily regardless of activity level.  A properly insulated shell (boot) with a thin sock worked great to allow me to stay warm and avoid foot issues from sock constriction like chafing between the toes from jammed together toes.

The little bit extra room around my feet let my feet get lots of blood flow, not become stifling & wet and the warm boot allowed my feet to stay warm by not bleeding heat out during static periods.  Spare dry socks are (of course) mandatory regardless of the choice.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

good response on the lower offset.

 







 

I like Smart Wool a little better, but I only have a few pairs, as they're $20/pair.  I'm issued Darn Toughs, and they're close enough that it's not worth the price difference.

 

Excellent Post.

Foot care is key.  A foot soldier who can't walk ain't much of a soldier at all.

I learned tons of down and dirty foot care providing medical support for Ranger School.  Proper socks, daily foot checks, good socks, just the right amount of powder, changing socks, moleskin (gotta keep the benzoin spray handy 'cause the glue on moleskin is barely good enough to keep it on while you put on your sock) , spare socks, carving and shaping callouses with all manner of implements from scalpels to ka-bars to rocks (yes, rocks), dry socks, ingrown toe nails and blood blisters under nails, socks, blister care from most basic  up to and including tincture of benzoin hotshots to glue the skin back to the meat and the pure unadulterated pleasure of a clean pair of proper socks.  I like socks.

I await your next installment with bated breath.

can't imagine the Russians taking too kindly to cross dressing soldiers.

Jungles always treated me right.

I forgot to add. Some of the hardest marching soldiers I knew swore that wearing women's nylons under their boot socks was the absolute best way of avoiding blisters.  Thy had a point. I never had to treat any of them for blisters.

Tag.

I actually love my $40 Jungle Boots. I'll admit though, I've always wore cotton socks, and I probably don't choose the best insoles. The cotton socks are probably when the back of my heel and top of my foot will blister a little after a full day of hiking and climbing shit.

Same here. I was not a foot soldier, but the boots I was issued had no insole to speak of, zero arch support, and weren't a proper fit at all. None of the boots available in the PX were of a size small enough for me. My feet and ankles still give me problems today because of it. Proper footwear can make or break a soldier.

This is absolutely brilliant..!!

Great thread. I'll never be anything resembling infantry but I have already learned some useful stuff.

In the extreme cold you need a little larger boots than normally to fit in several layers of insulation (wool socks, liner inserts and thick thermal insoles). These layers are then ideally changed several times a day for dry ones while letting the used and sweaty ones dry (the smell is horrible, but soldiers tend to smell anyway). Long rubber wellies also help in keeping the snow outside of the boot. There are few drawbacks though. One is that if the boot gets really wet, it takes forever to dry. The sheer size of the winter wellies makes them somewhat cumbersome but you are not that nimble in deep snow anyway so it's really not that bad.

Ost

Old school jungle boots rock!

Seeing those OD wool socks and jungle boots brought back a LOT of memories.

At Ft. Polk our CC was a former 75th Ranger officer who dammed near walked our Mech asses slam into the ground.
Bloody feet were the norm until we toughened up and by the time I ETS'ed 25-mile road marches with full rucks were
the norm (he got us ruck frames, too). You and your battle buddy would share a dufflebag which went into the truck
and we learned right smartly what was necessary and what was not. I just remembered that being road guard on Main
Post was a stone cold bitch...having to run forward to the intersections under all that weight, kee-rist. And, I remember
how much water I toted around.....four quarts minimum. My two-quart I scrounged was referred to by my squad as the
"party pak."

Folks wore either the old 'cruit boots, the then-new speedlace boots or jungle boots and those GI OD wool socks.
They worked well in that hell hole. Once our feet toughened up there were very few instances of blisters and other
injuries. Many extra socks and foot powder were the key.

Good thread with much information. Thanks, OP.

Oh........and fuck the godammed PRC-25, that heavy-ass sumbitch.

We issue different boots depending on the duty and time of year. We issue different boots for Jäger and Recon units, since they carry greater loads.

The boots are leather, and we always use double layers of socks, even in the Summer. The winter boots are compatible with the bindings of the standard issue skis.

I usually recommend my soldiers to add fitted insoles to the standard boots.

tag.  nice thread!

tag for later

Any Civil War reenactors out there?  There were some pretty shoddy contractors who made the broghans.  Some were only glued together and fell apart on the first march.