Boot Questions

[barryc]

The lacing of boots does have a point, the approved method, where the laces are in parallel lines up the boot, rather than crossing over each other, enables the boot to be removed from an injured foot/leg by simply running a clasp knife blade down the laces. It is less of a one pass job if the laces are criss crossed. Everything for a reason, although you may not believe that some of the things they demand in basic does have a reason.


Barry

[kwew]

do officers get the same boot wearing in period because they wouldnt give you them after the AIB because they still have that selection board thingy so when do you get them?

if you have to wait till you actually start YO training then your feet will suffer, a bit harsh!!!

[Smilie-man'81]

where can i get surgical spirit from

I got mine from a pharmasist, as for using it you wash and dry your feet then wipe them over with the spirit everynight. This should harded the skin up.

[matt1389]

Sorry , i know my punctuation was a bit bad.
How long should you soak your feet in surgical spirit for? I've heard mixed things on this forum.

[RobT]

Help me here guys...

O.K I'm not a RM or RMTrainee but when i was told "how to" lace up boots (by a Lcpl who was saving somone a job and didnt do it properly) i had no idea how apart from he said tie a knot in one end of the lace and then lace up in parralell lines. I tried this and ended up with a very long and annoying single f@#k lace whcih kept comming undone!

I went out for a brisk walk and the end bit of lace came undone and the boots slackened causing me to get very scared because they rubbed on the back of my acheeliese (spelling) tendant..ouch. I re-laced them in the way I would do it and made sure i had both ends of the lace left and the boots are now nice and tight and dont hurt.

Thing is i'm sure they are wrong but they feel alot better compared to the way the lance jack showed me.

I talked to my UOTC friend and he said the technique the Lcpl told me to do was to make sure your boots fit properly and that it wasnt the way its normaly done.

So should i turn up with wrongly laced boots or walk down in trainers and ask how to do it properly?

I've got the boot blues..

cheers robbo

[RobT]

Cheers matey. I'll just turn up and get a beasting then if they dont like it and then blame it on the half-arsed Lance Corpral

Rob

[Contractor]

Interesting tale our Cpl told us when teaching us to lace our boots in training as to why the Army tied thir boots up in a 'standardised' manner.

Apparently in the deep dark jungle. Gurkhas out on patrol used to check the way boots were laced as it was impossible to see at night and if the boots were not laced as per standard British Army instructions - say hello to a khukuri knife. Don't know if it's true but it certainly focussed our attention. Bless, what a frightened lamb I was back then.

[RobT]

Interesting tale our Cpl told us when teaching us to lace our boots in training as to why the Army tied thir boots up in a 'standardised' manner.

Apparently in the deep dark jungle. Gurkhas out on patrol used to check the way boots were laced as it was impossible to see at night and if the boots were not laced as per standard British Army instructions - say hello to a khukuri knife. Don't know if it's true but it certainly focussed our attention. Bless, what a frightened lamb I was back then.

I got told that too Contractor. Thing is i'd rather have a nepalese knife up my arse than crap boots causing me agony everytime i move!

[Pilgrim Norway]

As I saw my boots only this very day - I looked at 'em ....

I can't believe that I'm doing this - but here goes -

Start with the bottom pair of eyelets.
Insert the lace into the eyelets – yes, both ends….
On the left boot the lace going into the right eyelet is led up and out through the left upper eyelet.
(from the inside ,of course). Job finished for that lace….
For the right boot it would be the lace going into the left eyelet that
would go up and out of the right upper eyelet - on the 'inside'...

The lace entered into the left eyelet is sent over on the inside and out of the first (bottom) hole on right.
Then over and in to the second hole on the left – then inside to come out second hole on right –
Over and in to next hole on left – back inside and out of the next hole on right –
This lace moves, in other words, in a sort of spiral – up the boot.

This should give straight lacing at the front of the boot – the ‘crossing’ being hidden behind the closed boot face.
The tongue of the boot will protect against chafing from the crossing lace…

Before finishing off the lacing in a knot – the whole effect can be eased by ‘measuring’ and finding the natural
Centre for tying knots – ( equal lengths of lace at both top eyelets )

This method is still best for enabling the cutting off of the boot in case
of emergency. Ask me what you do with the long underwear with the escape hatch at the rear and I'll try to relive that one for you too.....

[Contractor]

If all else fails

[RobT]

Thanks everyone, Rob

[Pilgrim Norway]

Contractor

Oh yes ..... I liked your solution ..... from our cousins ?

I was looking forward to explaining the knot tying bit - if one's mother is not around that is ...

[Contractor]

Surprisingly from an Outdoor Centre here in the UK, but I guess they originated across the pond.

Some guys used to wear them with zips in NI when driving Pigs and Saracens, they said it "assisted their driving skills", NI being NI there was a good bit of latitude as to that sort of thing.

Don't know of anybody actually having the bottle to go on Working Parade wearing a pair with zips in though