Boot cleaning / polishing / care of

[mariomike]

Edit: silly question but what's an LOTB?

The Land Operations Temperate Boots (LOTB)
https://army.ca/forums/threads/120621.175
18 pages.

 

[A Very Cold Fire]

Oh those actually look pretty cool  ;D, thanks for the response!

 

[mariomike]

Oh those actually look pretty cool  ;D, thanks for the response!

You are welcome. Good luck.   

 

[LightFighter]

Oh, we have to polish normal boots? I thought we would just have a pair of parade boots to polish? It says to come ready with a polish kit, do you think I should keep black or go with brown? Or buy a tin of brown polish on the side?

You won’t be issued parade boots(or a dress uniform) for awhile still. Reservists do not get that right away.

Until you are issued your kit, and see what boots you get I wouldn’t buy any polish, etc.

 

[A Very Cold Fire]

Man now I'm worried, but what do I do about the polish kit they asked for?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Man now I'm worried, but what do I do about the polish kit they asked for?

I'd go to the Canex and get yourself two tins of Kiwi (the Holy Polish of Antioch, All Hail Kiwi!) - on large and one small - and an 'on' and 'off' brush, as well as a couple of yellow polish cloths.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Buy an applicator brush, a shine/boot brush and cheap toothbrush.  Find a cheap boot polish kit or shaving kit to keep it all in.  I have my brushes inside a small plastic bag to keep them from messing up the inside my boot kit, and I keep a small towel in there too.

Even if you get issued black boots, you should also be issued a can of the boot paste now used for combat-type boots; polish isn't used on them as it degraded the breathability on them (something like that).  I haven't bought polish for operational boots in years. 

If you do want to get polish just to feel better about it...Kiwi black boot polish should round out your needs on a Reserve BMQ if there is no boot paste.

 

[A Very Cold Fire]

Thanks for the help everyone! Unfortunately I was about all of 5 minutes too late to cancel my order from Amazon so looks like I'm stuck with this kit, but I guess even if I don't get the right colour I at least got two brushes and a bag for 13 bucks. Thanks again!

 

[PuckChaser]

Amazon has a great return policy, just wait for the item and file for a return. Free shipping.

 

[A Very Cold Fire]

Meh maybe but I guess it is a good deal, got the entire set for 13 bucks so I might just keep it to use on my normal shoes

 

[LittleBlackDevil]

Back when I was in the PRes 1999-2002, we were expected to polish our combat boots when in garrison. I have many memories of polishing the heck out of combat boots during my BIOC Phase training, and making sure my boots were the shiniest at the armouries when I was a platoon commander.

I'm in the process of getting back in. My son who is in Cadets did with his FTU/Combat boots what I did back in the day and was told not to do this. I spoke with one of the officers and they said combat boots are not to be polished.

I'm wondering if there's an actual policy out there forbidding the polishing of combat boots? Or is it just something that's "not done" due to a cultural shift

It's so deeply engrained in my that when I get back into uniform I'm inclined to polish my combats (obviously only when in garrison) but am wondering if this is really frowned upon now? Would I just make myself look like an idiot?

 

[PuckChaser]

Cultural shift. Combat boots are cleaned and blackened, not polished.

If you've got brown boots (which most people are switching to), clean works.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I use this stuff on my LPO black boots, available at Supply (no cost to the mbr):  https://www.herooutdoors.com/canadian-forces-issue-emu-boot-paste/

It says 'wet weather boots only' but I use it on my LPO temperate cbt boots (Magnums) as well, works fine.  Like polish, don't use it anything other than the leather.