I am reading a lot about the RU logistical nightmare during the current war in UA. With all those additional hundreds of thousands of troops being mobilized, it seems they cant even afford to properly equip the ones already on the warfare. I have even seen soldiers that are wearing sneakers instead of combat boots.
My question is, why does it matter? Especially in a warmer months. Why cannot all soldiers just wear the “trail running” shoes or basic “hiking shoes”. How can it be that worse then proper military boots? Cannot it be even better, since it is usually lighter and more comfortable?
In: 263
Combat boots, to me anyway, are sturdier in hilly, uneven terrain. They provide extra ankle support and sure footing. Its really easy to twist an ankle or tear tendons, ligaments, or even break bones in a simple tumble over an unseen branch or rock when in serious terrain.
Hiking boots are fine for basic hiking trails, but aren’t designed like military “tactical boots” are.
And running shoes are designed for hard, flat surfaces like roads or athletic fields.
There not necessarily better, they’re just what the military chose to use. There’s a common misconception that military gear is universally superior and it certainly is not in most cases.
In addition to the support, combat boots also allow you to walk over metal and sharp objects in urban destroyed terrain without getting shanked through the sole or sides.
A couple of reasons.
Combat boots are better at keeping your ankle from twisting. Sneakers are great on a flat road, but not when you’re running through uneven terrain.
Combat boots are much better at keeping water, rain, snow, etc., out. Sometimes, a soldier has to keep his shoes on for days at a time, and trench foot is really nasty and can permanently cripple a soldier.
A sharp piece of metal (common in battlefield conditions) can pierce the bottom of a running show or slice through an unprotected ankle, so combat boots help protect from such hazards.
Boots also help against other hazards, such as snakebites, insect bites, walking through thorns or poison ivy, walking through disease-ridden swamps (or even pools of blood), etc.
Military spec does not mean better or tougher. It means designing to a specific specification. In the case of boots the spec will call for longevity support and resistance to terrain that will lacerate runners.
I don’t know about your country’s equipment, but the combat boots I was issued during my service had steel soles that supposedly could resist grenades/mines that go off on the ground. The theory was that you would dive and the explosion/shrapnel would shred your legs but give you a small chance of survival.
We were less optimistic. We joked that if we encountered a frag grenade, the steel sole was for preserving the dogtag we were taught to keep in our boots so the pile of bloodied paste could be identified for our families.
The actual practical difference is that the combat boots were much heavier due to the steel insert.
As an ex-soldier I can tell you – combat boots suck.
They are heavy. They don’t really give that extra support to your ankles people say they do. You sprain your ankles just as much.
The main reason they are used is because in a combat zone the terrain can become quite hazardous and regular shoes just don’t cut it. Try to step on shards of glass/rubble/whatever in regular shoes and you have a very high chance of hurting yourself. That’s where combat boots shine. They protect your feet really well from hazards on the ground that regular shoes just don’t.
Traditionally they are usually made of tougher materials and construction than sneakers or casual hiking shoes you might buy at the mall. Thick rigid soles. Very high ankles. Plenty of leather-like materials. They can take a beating over the course of months of consistent use in harsh environments and lots of walking, and they protect the feet very well from most general hazards. I never felt like I needed to worry about my feet (other than blisters perhaps) with my combat boots on.
You’ve gotten a lot of good answers already but to add on some personal anecdotes…
>Why cannot all soldiers just wear the “trail running” shoes or basic “hiking shoes”
These are fine for trails. Wars are not always fought on trails. They’re fought everywhere, mud, rubble, snow, and brush. Having done some work off trail in deep brush, standard running/trail running style shoes are insufficient. Also, in the Starks are right, Winter is Coming. Properly protective footwear is critical importance during a Eurasian land war in the winter. Trail runners are not great for deep snow.
> since it is usually lighter and more comfortable?
Lighter is not more durable or protective. My lightest low boot/hiking shoe is comfortable, breathable and light on the trail, but doesn’t have support as a tall boot for off trail, or the protection to stop things stabbing through it. Even with gaiters(coverings around the top) on they are insufficient for off trail brush work. Light is not always the best in adverse conditions.
That being said, some units have been known to wear different boots(like waterborne troops oddly favor convers type shoes, supposedly they fit in swim fins, and dry pretty well. While some Special forces will wear lighter boots depending on the mission, but that’s selecting their specialized boots, not just trail whatever is available) and some are authorized more liberally during combat.
A very minor consideration too that I haven’t seen brought up, and might be a bit too far into the weeds(even more so given the state of Russian forces), but some clothing appears “reflective” in night vision. It’s a very specific consideration but US forces are moving to specific[ materials to avoid this exact issue. ](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-57886fa6ba5ff0e8e226363a55ff18d9-lq)
So a few things about combat boots from your friemdly mieghborhood jarhead. Military issue boots come in several varieties. Personally while I was in the Marine Corps from 2000 – 2005 I ised 3 different type of boots on a regular basis: combat boots, jungle boots, and desert boots. There are more types but we will look at these three for now to get a badic understanding and an answer to the question.
Jungle boots are lightweight, easy beathing, and extremetly hard soled. They like all military boots contain a steel shank in the sole that will protect you from a number of nasty things that you can step on. Jungle boots are the boot that I personally found the most confortable. With a roomy toe and effectively a drain in them so that water doesn’t get stuck in the boot once it is in there. These boots also typically lace to a bit higher than the other types I will talk about and like all boots they have a good lace setup that can be pulled extremely tight even to the point of tournequiet if that somehow becomes necessary. Tread pattern on jungle boots is extremely effective when walking in wet gross conditions, like a swamp. The boot will litterally shove mud away as you step down so yhat the boot os less likely to get squelched into gross.
Desert boots are another light weight boot. Even lighter than jungle boots, desert boots do not breathe as well, but are inherently cooler. They as quite nice for their heat disipation in hellish environs that try to mummify you when you think of going outside. I never personally liked the desert boots I was issued in Kuwait, as they had poor ankle support in comparison yo what I would have liked walking across sand. However I hear later remodels did much better. Desert boots would also get soaked with sweat in long days in the 125° sun. This was something that I initially found odd as the rest of me vasically sweated out pure salt. But it did keep my feet a bit cooler than they probably would have been otherwise.
Combat boots. Heavy, waterproof, these mudstompers are goddamned weapons. Really all three have many properties that make them potentially lethal to my enemies. Combat boots are the best for that though. Tough as nails and the best protection you can wear on your feet for a combat situation. These particular boots are very poor at heat dissipation and they hold water like a bucket. But they stomp, oh, boy does ot geel good to have a pair of Danner Combat boots on and just stomp some shit. Makes you feel like a warrior. Excellent tread and traction on a wide variety of surfaces. Also, they float. Which is just an interesting side note in the event that you ever go overboard, and are a shit swimmer, you can use a pair of combat boots like little floaties.
Now for why I dont want to wear my Js in a combat situation. They are comfortable as all get out, yes, they breath and are heavy enough that I feel planted on nice pavement or a basketball court. They are absolute shit in mud. They have no traction on natural surfaces. The ankle support I need in a badketball game is a far cry from what I want on a 25 mile hump or in a comvat situation. The heel is too soft to get a solid break kick out of. They absorb too much shock if I need to kick a door down. They do not have a steel shank to protect my precious footsies from nails, spikes and toe poppers (to some extent). That is the biggedt takeaway you should have though, different footwear for different activities. You wouldn’t wear wrestling shoes to play baseball, you wouldnt try soccer cleats to play ice hockey, why would you wear basketball shoes to fight in a war?
Edit: Seriously, thank you all for the gold, and awards. I do apologize for the typos. I wrote this laying in bed and was too lazy to go downstairs to my pc. Some people have asked about the “Js” I wasn’t referring to jungle boots, I was talking about Jordan’s, the basketball shoe. Once again thank you, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.
Latest Answers