A boot for all seasons

[cec]

A boot for all seasons



Single set of footwear, wearable at each temperature extreme, is making its way through prototype testing
By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 8, 2007 6:45:20 EST

The Army wants to thin out its boot inventory for one that keeps soldiers’ feet comfy in desert heat, arctic cold and every temperature in between.
Army boot experts recently selected a prototype that could replace four types of boots the service issues now. The prototype was selected after a two-year effort to work with private companies to create the Modular Boot System.
After several soldier tests with competitors’ boots, the Army selected one prototype, made by Bellville Shoe Manufacturing Co., for further refinement and testing.
Soldiers could start lacing up the Modular Boot System by 2009, said Fred Coppola, deputy product manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment.
But before that happens, the Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga., will have to approve the prototype for further testing.
The prototype consists of a fire-resistant, desert-style hot-weather boot, plus inserts and an over-boot soldiers can use in cold temperatures.
“The intent of it is to go that whole temperature range between minus 20 degrees and 130 degrees” Fahrenheit with one boot and reduce the number of boots in the service’s inventory, said Lt. Col. John Lemondes, product manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment.
Currently, soldiers are issued the desert-style Hot Weather Boot for temps higher than 70 degrees and the waterproof Temperate Weather Boot for use down to 32 degrees.
If adopted, the Modular Boot System would replace these and two other special-issue boots the Army stocks for colder weather — the Intermediate Cold/Wet Boot for wear down to zero degrees and the Cold Weather Boot for wear down to minus 20 degrees.
But creating a system that lets the soldier change a hot-weather boot into one for frigid temperatures and then back again has not been easy, said Mike Holthe, footwear engineer for Product Manager Clothing and Individual Equipment.
Removable inserts for added warmth and waterproofing can only be so thick, he said.
“There is only so much we can do inside the boot without affecting fit and comfort,” he said.
And traditional over-boots tend to be bulky and can slow a soldier down.
“It was a big challenge ... it was something that no one has tried before,” Holthe said.
The prototype has two waterproof inserts — one without insulation for wear in temps above the freezing mark and an insulated insert for temps down to zero degrees, he said.
The waterproof Cordura nylon over-boot is intended to be worn to temps down to minus 20.
The unique design completely covers the top of the boot but still uses the hot-weather boot’s existing sole, Holthe said.
A strap that runs between the ball of the foot and the heel attaches the over-boot to the existing boot. The over-boot closes with a Velcro strip in the back.
The Army also tested a prototype with a two-piece over-boot, made by Wellco Enterprises Inc., it consisted of a fully-treaded shoe that slipped over the hot-weather boot and a snap-on portion that covered the top of the foot and shin.
About 1,000 soldiers participated in two separate field tests of both prototypes at Fort Greely, Alaska; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort McCoy, Wis.; and Fort Lewis, Wash., to get a wide range of weather conditions, Holthe said.
“We wanted to find multiple locations, not only to test the systems in that environment, but to also force the individuals to use the different components for the different temperature ranges ... instead of just going to one environment where it was the same temperature all day, every day,” he said.
Soldiers liked the idea of having one pair of boots with accessories, Holthe said.
“They loved the fact that it was their chance,” he said. “We told them, ‘If you have ever worn a piece of gear and wanted to complain about it, this is your chance.’”
New boot technology

It’s too early to say how the Modular Boot System would be fielded, but clothing officials said they see the program as “something that would benefit the entire Army,” Holthe said.
The plan is to conduct an operational test on the system in spring 2008, provided that the Infantry Center agrees with the recommendation to move forward with continued testing.
“The Infantry Center still has the final say,” Coppola said, and if the center approves, the system could go into production by late 2008.
Clothing officials said the program has already been a success, even if the Army decides not to adopt the system.
The program has identified new advancements such as a new slip-resistant sole technology that will be incorporated into the current issue boots.
In addition, the over-boot concept could be modified and issued to soldiers to use with the current Hot Weather and Temperate Weather boots.
“Whether the Modular Boot System goes out there or not, there is still a major benefit here because the components could still be used ... with minor adaptation,” Copolla said.



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