Where can use military boots?

High Boots for Motorbike Riding

Cruiser is a type of motorbike made for long journeys, rallies, and parties. If you have such a motorbike, you know that you may have to ride and walk a lot, and your footwear should be comfortable for all occasions.

Various models of shoes and boots for motorbiking are offered nowadays, still majority of them are suitable only for short trip in a weekend’s evening. In spite of their impressive appearance, they are unsuitable for long-term wear and long journeys.

However, if you need in all respects comfortable shoes, buy Soviet chrome of yuft boots. Historically, these Russian military boots were designed to ensure maximum comfort in a variety of conditions, with continuous wear. These characteristics made them popular among bikers and riders. Despite the boots are several decades old, they still are great for traveling and hiking.

It should be noted that nowadays many companies around the world produce high boots for bikers. Unfortunately, in many cases these are only visual copies of Soviet boots without paying attention to production process hints, and this influences both their quality and comfort. The real high-quality chrome or yuft boots were produced only in theSoviet Union. They followed the traditions of tailoring and leather processing, in accordance with the requirements for these types of boots, making them very functional and comfortable.

Soviet high boots for bikers can be divided into two groups: chrome boots and yuft boots.

Chrome boots are more elegant in appearance, their leather is softer and they are more comfortable inside. The leather can be polished to a mirror shine.

Yuft or Russia leather boots are made of thick leather and are very strong, can withstand harsh conditions and protect feet from injury. These boots are heavier and seem more massive.

Most riders purchase yuft boots with rubber sole which seems more reliable. But if you are not going to walk through swamps or climb on the rocks, there is no need for a rubber sole, and leather sole of chrome boots will serve for a long time. All Soviet boots are designed for long-time wearing under the most demanding conditions.

The quality of these boots leaves behind all modern analogues, still the price is very reasonable for such quality, and majority of people can afford them.

 

High Boots for Everyday Use

Soviet boots are perfect for everyday use, and we have loyal customers who buy military boots exactly for this reason. For example, our client Bernard and his twin brother from France have bought chrome, yuft, and soldiers’ boots for walking long distances. Bernard and his brother are 70 years old, and daily walking help them keep themselves fit. Our client Paul from Netherlands has bought a number of Soviet kirza and yuft boots for walking. Our client Juha who is fond of yuft boots, has bought winter models of Soviet boots, expensive fur Air Forces, and yuft boots with felt boot-tops, to use in harsh Finnish heaths.

Soviet chrome high boots with sizes till 41 (UK8.5) are popular in Mongolia, a huge number of boots was taken there after the war. Mongolians use them for everyday walking and for travel on a horseback.

If you live outside the city and especially in a heath or desert, these boots are essential, they are wearproof and suitable for off-road and marshes. The only trick is to use foot wraps in place of socks, as they do it in the army, in order to protect feet from corns. Footwrap is a piece of warm and durable fabric for wrapping the leg that is used instead of a sock. If you do not have foot wraps, put on several pairs of socks.

 

Foot Wrap Tricks

A foot wrap should be wrapped around the leg very tightly in order not to unwrap while running or walking. Wrapping should start from the toes, and wrapped only “out”, and not “inside”. If everything is done correctly, the foot is wrapped in two layers of fabric that retains heat better, and even if leg gets into water for a short moment, only the outer layer becomes wet. Footwraps are of two types: summer and winter ones. Summer foot wraps are made of woolen cloth or cotton, winter – of baize or fabric made of 50% cotton and 50% wool.

 

How to define the quality of boots?

Real Soviet boots are of the highest quality and made exclusively according to GOST (State Standard of the Soviet Union).

• Qualitative boots should be entirely made of leather, both layers – external and underlay or internal level. Two leather layers, fortified with decorative stitching, form a fairly stiff boot-top. If your boots fall from your feet or soft boot-top wrinkles, the boots are not qualitative. During wearing, boots wrinkle a little in the ankle, but the boot-top remains completely smooth.
• There is a great variety of leather for high boot production. Leather can be matte or glossy, soft or hard, light or dark, calf or of some exotic animal. It is better to buy boots made of traditional calf leather, because exotic leather may require additional care and may be not suitable for some weather conditions. Expensive high boots made of exotic leather can be bought for special occasions, if you already have several pairs of traditional calf boots.
• A sole can say a lot about the quality of a boot. If a boot has a leather sole, very often a thin rubber or polyurethane layer is put on the leather layer. It protects boots from moisture and abrasion.
• Qualitative Soviet boots have a thick sole of micropore or a leather sole with brass nails that are used to mount the top of the sole to the boot. Earlier models, produced about 50's, were mounted with wooden nails.
• Most of modern boots have multi-layer inner soles which consist of foam cushions and leather layers. Manufacturers assure that this design provides comfort, lower leg fatigue, moisture outflow, elasticity of steps, and other nonsense. This is just a sales pitch which works due to many reasons, starting from cheaper production and ending with the psychology of modern customer, who is accustomed to running shoes. Of course many people want boots to be as soft as running shoes.

It is important to note that formerly boots were made with leather inner sole and in fact, these boots are highly valuable, especially because they can be repaired and a sole can be easily replaced, so one can walk in them for decades. Soldier's boots never have zippers. If the size of boots is correct, you can put them on and off with minimal effort. Soviet boots have a very large range of sizes, including different wideness of boot-tops.

• When trying boots on, do not expect that you manage to wear them to shape. Boots should ‘sit’ on the leg, because they will not change their size. So you should choose the ones that sit on your leg perfectly.
• Majority of Soviet boots are made of cowhide or calf leather, with different patterns. Calf leather can be of different thickness, smooth or rough, soft or hard, manufactured in different ways, so it ideally suits for boots production. It is possible to find boots for any climate conditions and environment, with leather or cotton lining, with natural insulation of felt or fur, or without it.
• It should also be remembered that after a day of walking, boots should rest for a couple days. So if you want your boots to serve you longer, buy a few pairs and change them every day.
• It often happens that the prices of boots are not equivalent to their quality and style. Some stores sell inexpensive boots from other countries’ producers at a much higher price. In any case, when buying boots, make sure you know the manufacturer and the quality is on a good level.

 

High Boots for Army

At all times Russian footwear was one of the best for war purposes and many wars confirm this.

Army: Low Boots or High Boots?

First of all, if a soldier wears army boots, he needs socks. It is impossible to wear boots with footwraps. On the other hand, high boots can be worn both with socks and footwraps. ‘Where’s the problem?’ you may ask. Imagine that it is war time. If soldiers wear boots, they need socks of different sizes to suit each one. Socks fray faster than footwraps, and one needs to change socks immediately, if they become wet. Wet socks and feet can cause not only corns, but also can be the cause of catching cold. Now imagine how difficult is it to organize socks supply process in war time for all the army.

Footwraps, on the other hand, do not have size; they can be made in a couple of minutes, just take a piece of any cloth. If footwraps become wet, one needs only to take them off and to wrap from another end, so the feet will be warm and dry again, while the wet side will dry on the ankle. Thus, using footwraps, a soldier depends on suppliers much less. Also for suppliers it is easier to find the necessary amount of cloth for footwraps than necessary amount of socks.

Another advantage of high boots is that a high boot can protect the leg almost to the knee from burns, injuries, and any other damage. High boots also protect against moisture: try walking on wet grass early in the morning in simple boots and you feel that your pants are wet to the knees. So high boots protect against such problems as wet pants, moreover, you will be able even to force a deep puddle or a shallow stream.

It takes much less time to put on high boots than army boots. Very useful is also lack of strings which tend to tear. 

In Russia, in the period of Peter the First rule and till the end of the 18th century soldiers and officers wore shoes, but high boots were available only for cavalry. High boots were very prestigious, but also very expensive, because amount of leather necessary for one pair of high boots was enough to product five shoes. Nevertheless, in the beginning of the 19th century, soldiers started to use high boots as well, and system did not change till nowadays, except for a little period during the World War I, when there was a lack of material for footwear.

If a soldier has to wade through mud at a landfill, overcome different obstacle zones, jump on tank armor, and repeat all this week after week, high boots are the best choice.

Of course, U.S. boots seem more elegant than Soviet high boots. Still do not judge about the boots only by watching a couple of smash-hits with Schwarzenegger or Stallone.
U.S. soldiers know that the price for wearing boots can be too high. In “A Soldier’s Story”, the memoirs of US General O. Bradley, from December, 1944 to January, 1045 US soldiers fought in Europe in army boots. At this time besides combat losses, about 12,000 soldiers had to return to the back land because of feet rheumatism.

On the other hand, there are cases when army boots are preferable, mostly in situations when ankle fixation is necessary, for example when parajumping or cross-country running.

In conclusion, when choosing army boots or high boots, one need to think about the region where the footwear will be used, time of the year and particular characteristics of a mission. It is the same as choosing a weapon, use right one at right time and right place.

 

Footwear for Hiking

It is very important to choose right footwear for a hiking trip. In the city we always have the possibility to go home and change our shoes, but there is no such option in a trip, and unsuitable footwear may turn your journey into a continuous hell. In order to minimize inconveniences: corns, sprains, and strains, use our recommendations of footwear selection and care during the trip.

 

Good footwear for a trip is a pair of worn in boots with ribbed sole. The boots should be 1 – 2 sizes larger than your usual size, so that you can put thick wool or terry socks on, and an additional felt insock, if needed.

Never go hiking in new boots. One easy tip how to wear in your boots: put on thick socks, then new boots, and heat them with your hair-dryer. Then walk a bit, and after your boots cool down, they will fit perfectly. You can also use any spray for shoe stretch that is available at your place.

 

Russian high boots are also a very good choice for a trip. They are strong and light, dry quickly, and their rubber sole will not slide. They are high enough to walk through shallow mountain rivers. Also they are easy to put on when the temperature outside is under 0°C.

How to Choose Boots for Fishing?

These are requirements for your fishing footwear:

1. It is comfortable and does not cause any discomfort during a long period of walking.
2. It is waterproof.
3. It does not allow feet get cold
4. It does not cause feet perspiration.

If any of these rules is not about your boots, you will not get any pleasure from your fishing trip. When choosing a pair of boots, think about all places you use to travel for fishing, it will help you to find the footwear that will suit the majority of situations.

 

How to Choose Boots for Hunting?

It is quite difficult to find good quality footwear for hunting, especially winter. A hunter should not feel any discomfort of wet legs or corns. He has to feel only excitement and concentrate on the process of hunting the animal. Footwear for hunting is the most important among the entire hunter’s outfit. It should meet not only several specific requirements, but also weather conditions and climate of the region. Footwear for hunting should be light and strong, waterproof and do not cause perspiration. It must protect and fix the ankle and do not cause corns.

Five tips of right hunting footwear:

• Solid sole, which must be both flexible and rigid not feel any inequality of surface, stones and twigs. The sole should be non-slip as well.
• Boot-top should be thick and quite high – not less than 25 cm (9.8 inches) – to avoid injuries. Boot toe should be hard, pay special attention to this.
• Winter footwear for hunting can be lace-up boots or high boots, experienced hunters use both, taking into account weather conditions.
• Mandatory requirement is waterproofing. If you use rubber boots, do not forget about warm insocks and thick woolen socks. “Champing” in your boots is not only uncomfortable, but also makes noise and can frighten the animal away.
• Do not use boots with Velcro – water can seep through them.

 

Footwear for Mushroom Pickers

 

Mushroom picking usually demands a lot of walking, so the footwear should be maximally comfortable. Other important characteristic is waterproofing because even in a very dry and hot weather you may have to move through a wet ravine or a spring, or marshy land.

Avoid too narrow shoes or any totally new footwear, because you will get corns and spoil your leisure time.

The best choice for mushrooming is a pair of well-matching rubber high boots with not too high or too low boot-top. We recommend taking another pair of socks with you in order to change them if feet get wet.

 

 

Footwear for Paintball and Airsoft

Proper footwear for strikeball or paintball is an important question for participants. Its choice depends on the playground. For example, in some paintball grounds which are well-groomed and are situated in a dry pine forest, people have played even in flip-flops. But usually the most functional footwear for this purpose is army boots or mountaineering boots. They will save the feet from dirt, dampness, and possible injuries.

If there is no such “paintball boots” in your wardrobe, do not worry – you can use running shoes, sneakers, work boots. In the rainy weather – rubber boots, in winter - Soviet soldiers’ boots or felt boots. Perfect paintball boots should be tough, but do not rub or press. They should have a good ankle fixation to save from injuries, and be waterproof as the conditions may be extreme like puddles or springs right in the best position. Suitable footwear is very important for the victory. For the best result, take a spare pair of boots and socks with you. You will definitely appreciate them after a sharp battle! 

Footwear for Treasure Hunting and Metal Searching

Every man read a book about brave treasure hunters who went over the sea and the mountains, with a map with a red X mark showing the place of the treasure. As a rule, it was boxes, bowls, or any other containers, full of gold coins and jewelry.

Treasure hunting is a search for treasure or valuables. In his or her childhood, almost everyone dreamed of finding treasures. Nowadays, when modern equipment is available, treasure hunting is a common hobby. Some people are lucky, some are not, but everybody has a chance! Treasure hunting is a very gambling game, and sometimes prizes are quite impressive. Anyway you always get a lot of fun during the process!

Treasure hunting is a very exciting and profitable process, but you need to choose right clothes and footwear.

To avoid false reaction of metal detector, we recommend putting off watches, rings and bracelets, as well as clothes with metal buttons and rivets on the sleeves, as well as footwear with metal details.

Clothes should not be too free, in order not to cling to protruding nails, twigs, roof pieces, log wells and so forth. Footwear should be light and waterproof, a good choice is rubber boots, army boots or any Soviet high boots.

Mind the weather when choosing what to wear on. Think about warmer clothes in autumn or winter. Despite the process is active, the weather conditions can be quite bad, with rains and strong cold wind, and such conditions can last for a long time. Headwear or a hood is necessary. Some people use cammies, but nowadays it is considered that these clothes draw local people attention too much.