For soldiers, a pair of suitable military boots is one of the most important pieces of equipment. Military boots can not only ensure their long-distance marching but also effectively prevent the occurrence of trench foot diseases. In the past, the first class of recruits in the Chinese army was enlisted. The class is where the veteran teaches him how to play straw sandals, while the Russian army teaches how to play the footwear. American soldiers are relatively much better in this regard. Due to the sufficient supply of materials, the military boots worn by American soldiers are not only of better quality, unlike the Italian soldiers who wore cardboard boots in World War I, but also carried many pairs of socks. It can be replaced at any time during rest to keep the feet dry.
Military boots, as the name suggests, are shoes and boots worn by military units during marching and combat. A pair of excellent military boots must not only be durable and comfortable enough to meet the various needs of soldiers in a harsh combat environment, but also be mighty and beautiful, and be able to reflect military prestige and enhance morale. Each country has different standards, so military boots have their own advantages and disadvantages. Today, let’s talk about the characteristics of Chinese and American military boots.
The Fabric of Military Boots
People have faces and trees have skins, and military boots are the same. Good leather and accessories are the elements of military boots to give users a good first impression. Leather (light leather), we all know that the leather is divided into the first layer of skin, two layers of skin, cowhide of the original skin is very thick (3-4mm). The first layer of leather is the first layer of leather as the name suggests. It has the characteristics of good toughness, softness, and ductility. The general thickness is about 2mm, and the feel is silky and smooth, and with elasticity. The surface of the second layer of skin is generally treated, and its comprehensive performance is slightly worse than that of the first layer of skin, but the price of raw materials is lower than that of the first layer of skin. We see in the market that high-grade brand shoes are made of the use of the first layer of skin. But with the continuous development of modern processing technology, the personal intuition of two layers of skin has also been a lot of progress.
Shoe Type
First of all, the shoe type of the Chinese military version of the military boots has continued the shape of the big-toed shoes and has not been changed for many years. After all, it is a product that has been finalized by the country. It will not be easily modified without major changes, whether it is paratrooper boots. , Flight boots, marine boots, military boots, etc. are all the same. There are big differences in the brand-name products. Each brand has its own shoe type and style, and boots of different styles and purposes have very different styles.
Sole
The most common sole of Chinese military boots is the so-called seven-star outsole, which is similar to the American version of foreign military boots (Vietnam version). Up to now, the newer washboard sole (the name I gave it) reflects The characteristics of generous and thick. Because of the different military types and required uses, the military boots of the US military have Turtle bottom, Panama bottom, Ripple bottom (also called organ bottom), gravel bottom, etc. The stitching process of the sole and the upper is also very different. The Chinese military boots mostly use the outer stitching process of the leather strip, and the obvious stitching line can be seen on the outside, and then the bottom outsole is glued. The US military version uses a richer process. Turtle soles and Panama’s bottoms use grinding and pressing processes. After the sole glue is melted in the mold at high temperature, the upper is placed on the shoe last and directly pressed into the sole. , After curing, grind off the excess part of the sole. The most intuitive feature of this process is that there are obvious sanding marks on the edge of the sole; the rippling sole and the gravel sole use the sandwich sole process, as the name implies, the upper is first Stitched on a bottom layer (inner seam, stitches on the inside, not visible on the outside), then the adhesive polyurethane shock-absorbing layer, and finally the rippling or gravel bottom that is in contact with the ground. Regarding the pattern of the sole, the purpose of our military boots using the seven-star outsole is to have the greatest possible adaptability. The Panamanian sole in the foreign military boots is mainly designed for the desert. When it is not worn, only the edge touches the ground, and the center of the shoe sole is suspended. , Because the sand is soft, it will have good adhesion after stepping in, but the hard ground has anti-slip and abrasion resistance (this is reflected in the 2004 US military equipment survey in Iraq), which is relatively poor, almost It is said that it is not suitable for use as the sole of jungle boots; the turtleback sole, which feels a bit like the pattern of off-road car tires, should have good slip resistance, but there are very few that can be seen on the market now; Ripple bottom, look at one The corrugated road feels more like a washing washboard. It has a large longitudinal resistance and a slightly worse lateral direction. It is suitable for walking and has moderate slip resistance when exposed to water. The gravel bottom is specially designed by Vibram. It has a large adaptable surface and a messy pattern on the surface. , It should have a good performance in practical applications, and this pattern of soles is widely used in outdoor shoes, special police boots, special combat boots, etc., enough to see its strength.
Accessories
At present, many military boots have used a lot of textile fabrics. The US military boots mostly use Cordura+Goer-TEX coatings above 900D. However, this design is relatively costly and complex. If waterproofing is required, the stitching must be compounded. Waterproof layer. The Chinese foundry products also use 900D Cordura, which also has a certain degree of water resistance, because this kind of fabric needs to be coated before cutting, otherwise it will be easy to fray, but the performance is not as good as Goer-TEX. In fact, any coating can be used. It is time-sensitive, and after a long period of washing and use, it will become invalid due to aging and other reasons. In addition, I would like to mention another point about the steel toe and the steel plate of the sole. The main purpose of military boots is to fight on the march. Unless it is a special service, such as ground service, they are often in complex places and need to move things, so their work shoes have Very good anti-smashing and puncture resistance. Other troops do not have high requirements for these capabilities, such as special forces. The addition of steel plates to military boots only adds to the weight, while walking and sports increase the burden. Moreover, when we wear it, we generally don’t leave or go to construction sites. Even if we add steel plates and steel toe caps, we can’t show our superiority. Last year, a friend who likes outdoor sports told me about MA1 flying boots (with steel toe caps). , Puncture-proof steel plate), it is too tired to wear out, not suitable for long-distance walking, I said that other pilots are sitting on an airplane, not walking and climbing like you.
In addition, many friends often ask “Is this military boot made of leather?” when inquiring about military boots. In fact, as long as the toe part is not stitched and stitched, it is made of pure cowhide. (Sheepskin is soft and comfortable, but it is wear-resistant. Performance and durability are far better than cowhide), because only pure leather has good ductility, and the curved toe can be pulled out on the shoe last. If it is artificial leather or recycled leather (the scraps of the original leather are crushed and added Made after chemical reagents, most tourist shoes use this kind of leather) will break during the stretching process and cannot be formed at all. Even pure cowhide will have a certain percentage of broken waste during the stretching process, which is also the cost of military boots. One of the reasons for the relatively high. In other words, dermis and pure leather (original leather) are two concepts. Regenerated leather also contains the chemical components of animal skin, but it does not necessarily have the physical properties of original leather. The above is a rough view of military boots.
