New brown boots on trial?

[Jorkapp]

Hi everyone,

In my adventures on the west coast, I've come across a few people wearing what look like desert boots, but are more of a brown colour than a tan colour. Some shreds of information I've acquired around here says that they are new boots on selective trial, which can be worn at all times (in garrison, in the field).

Anyone have any details on these? They look really nice.

 

[McG]

Who did you see wearing it?  I think I've seen the brown boot idea somewhere before .... ?

I do like the US Army idea of going (back to) the Brown Service Boot.  If the CF where to go to a lightweight Service Boot that was Brown as opposed to CADPAT (the stupidest thing I've ever seen), we could do alot to eliminate the "Boot Glut" that all soldiers suffer from (ie: 18 pairs of issued boots).  A troop should basically have 5 pairs of boots:

2 x Lightweight Temperate boot (Something in brown akin to a Jungle Boot)
2 x Cold Weather Boot (Gortex Boot, similar to what we have now, but probably brown as well for high-altitude ops)
1 x Mukluk (for Arctic Ops)

On the subject of brown boots, I love the brown/olive shade of the new Marine boots, but I'm not a big fan of the non-polish rough-out leather.   The boots will generally only last a year before they start to dry rot and crack because they haven't been polished.   A boot needs to come out that still has a 'flat' type texture/finish (no-shininess) but is still able to be treated with a oil or cream (danner type boot dressing, neatsfoot oil, etc.) that keeps the leather moisturized and nourished so it remains durable.   

and after much time has passed ...

As for boots (it is part of the uniform) a standard, dark brown boot would have been nice; better than issuing 4-6 pairs of boots to guys.

I don't think a no-gloss brown or olive boot would be that bad either.

 

[eurowing]

Brown Pigskin Boots.  Several of my troops are wearing them as of today. I raised an eyebrow, but all I know is they are issued as a trial.  The question why is yet to come, but they look even more comfy than my temperate-wear metric sized boots. 

Edit = Before anyone asks, these are not the tan desert boot!

 

[McG]

Maybe the Air Force has decided it does not like the Army's boots.  I still think it a brown or green boot would be a good way to replace all the black boots.  Unlike green, a darker brown could be suited to both arid & temperate regions.

I checked out a US Army site about their new uniform.  One of the comments in the FAQ area was that a black, polishable boot will no longer be issued.  Instead, desert type tan boots with the rough out leather will be issued.  Another comment was on the fact that black was found to be easily picked up by the eye in most conditions, hence it not being a color in the new uniform.  Perhaps the same reason for the change in boots?

Black alone is not so much the problem.  Shinny is a problem & contrast is a problem.  If the colour of the boot is a sharp contrast to the colours of the uniform, it will be more visible (consider the well distributed picture of a US soldier hidden on a couch except for his boots).  This is what leads us to a CADPAT boot being looked at in certain places.  However, a solid colour boot that is not in hard contrast to the a uniform colour should achieve the goal of camouflage.

 

[luck881]

I love that picture!

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Who makes them?  Are they cut like the WWB?

 

[geo]

Pigskin ???

Mmmm... that's going to be a popular piece of kit in Muslim countries
I remember a couple of years ago where airlines were testing leather seats on their aircraft flying from NewDelhi to LA.... cowhide.... great accessory in Budhist company.

 

[Redeye]

I wonder if pigskin leather would be considered "haram" in Muslim countries.  I can't see it being so as it doesn't involve pigs after all.

As for leather, I don't think it's a problem for Hindus, they do raise cattle after all for milk, and I don't know of any prohibition on it but I'm intrigued enough that I will have to ask one of my coworkers who is of that persuasion.  Buddhism would have no real qualms about leather that I would know of, save for the fact that many Buddhists are vegetarian/vegan, but they don't really have a religious obligation to be so.

 

[geo]

Budhists.... they DID have a problem with COWhide
The airline revised it's policy and cancelled the leather seats.

 

[Armymedic]

Pigskin ???

Mmmm... that's going to be a popular piece of kit in Muslim countries

I take it American-style Football isn't a popular sport in Islamic countries?

 

[dimsum]

So the GPB, in brown?

 

[Good2Golf]

Haven't seen them...are they like a coyote brown?

 

[medaid]

I would like to know what it looks like first i.e. Picture. I think a brown or coyote or tan boot would look fine with both uniforms. Would like to see more like I said.

 

[Ecco]

So the GPB, in brown?

Not really.  Air Force (CEMS) boots are all CSA grade 1 safety boot.  The GPB is not.  The CSA rating involves many things the Land Forces are not interested in, like (heavy) steel toes, (heavy) sole puncture protection, etc...  They are good protective boots, but not good walking or fighting boots.  Some Land Forces users who require safety boots (log types, engineers, etc) might get the AF safety boot eventually.  Convergence is a good thing when it makes sense.

CADPAT brown is the only color that is common to both TW and AR uniform. 

 

[wannabe SF member]

I wonder if pigskin leather would be considered "haram" in Muslim countries.  I can't see it being so as it doesn't involve pigs after all.

No it wouldn't. The sin is to eat the meat or drink the blood of the pork for it is ocnsidered to be impure.
Nobody cares if a pair of boots are made os pigskin except maybe hardliners but then who cares!?
They're the ones we fight against. ;D

 

[McG]

CADPAT brown is the only color that is common to both TW and AR uniform. 

This colour would make more sense for the Temperate Combat Boot then.  I don't like the idea of a CADPAT boot, and at least with a solid colour there is a better chance of finding alternate commercial market boots that will pass the RSM test.

 

[armyvern]

No it wouldn't. The sin is to eat the meat or drink the blood of the pork for it is ocnsidered to be impure.
Nobody cares if a pair of boots are made os pigskin except maybe hardliners but then who cares!?
They're the ones we fight against. ;D

Tangent.

Uhhmmmm well, to clarify: We don't fight against Muslims per se. We fight against terrorists, extremists, and the Taliban. They happen to be Muslims, but not all Muslims happen to be them.

 

[Matt_Fisher]

No it wouldn't. The sin is to eat the meat or drink the blood of the pork for it is ocnsidered to be impure.
Nobody cares if a pair of boots are made os pigskin except maybe hardliners but then who cares!?
They're the ones we fight against. ;D

Rather than us offer conjecture on the subject, I'd be a bit more comfortable with a council of Canadian muslim scholars to issue a fatwa on whether a boot made from pig flesh would be acceptable for muslim CF members to wear.

 

[wannabe SF member]

Tangent.

Uhhmmmm well, to clarify: We don't fight against Muslims per se. We fight against terrorists, extremists, and the Taliban. They happen to be Muslims, but not all Muslims happen to be them.

I meant hardliners, not Muslims, I have nothing against Muslims, I'm Muslim .

Rather than us offer conjecture on the subject, I'd be a bit more comfortable with a council of Canadian Muslim scholars to issue a fatwa on whether a boot made from pig flesh would be acceptable for muslim CF members to wear.

It wouldn't work well, there is no centralized administration for the religion, the so no one really could agree. Also, with Sunnis, Fatwa is considered to be an opinion and no one is obligated to follow it therefore Muslims would probably refer to their imams rather than to council. The answer would change from person to person but as I said before hardliners would likely be against it while more liberal authorities might deem it acceptable.

 

[geo]

T'was my point Incongruous...
You could make the boot in Cowhide and avoid some of the problems...