Advice for those choosing boots for soldiers. Experience from the ATO

«Обычно я уныкаю давать советы, хотя обожаю и уважаю это дело.» (I usually shy away from giving advice, although I love and respect this field.)

Попробую изменить себе и поделиться опытом, который я приобрёл по части обуви за прошедший армейский год. Надеюсь эта моя малюсинькая ремарка поможет кому-то сделать правильный выбор и комфортно пережить свой армейский год.» (I will try to change my ways and share the experience I gained regarding footwear during my past year in the army. I hope this tiny remark of mine will help someone make the right choice and comfortably survive their year of military service.)

So, in my subjective opinion, good quality footwear suitable for year-round wear consists of: 
- a pair of standard army combat boots issued to a conscript upon arrival at the unit;
- 3-4 pairs of good trekking socks. 
Let me explain.
The boots in the photo are exactly the ones the state issued me in August of last year. It is this footwear that everyone spits on and complains about, trying to replace it with something more substantial and branded at the first opportunity.

I assert that this is a biased and inappropriate attitude towards reality.

Once in March, three soldiers went on a reconnaissance. It was damp and cold. The snow had already melted, and all the small rivers encountered along the way were swollen. All the meadows we crossed squelched. We walked through the reeds, sinking into the mud up to our ankles. One soldier was wearing original Bundeswehr combat boots. Another had branded American boots with a membrane. The third was wearing unassuming Ukrainian ones (see photo). By dusk, we returned to camp. Only the one in the photo had dry feet.

I am standing in water. I can stand like this for fifteen minutes (actually, I can’t, I lack the patience), and my feet will still remain dry.

These are standard combat boots with one improvement made to them - I separately bought and inserted felt insoles. That’s it. That is the entire tuning. The whole secret lies in the right socks.

You cannot save money on socks. Upon receiving my draft notice, I immediately bought a pair of thin trekking socks at a trustworthy sporting goods store (Sportmaster does not count as such a store). I already had thick ones. I have been hiking in Crimea in them for about eight years. The pair cost 250 UAH at the exchange rate of 12 at the time. Then, in December, another pair was added in a magic backpack with humanitarian aid (I still receive these magic backpacks from the girls :P), and another pair was gifted to me for my birthday. In total, four pairs for the whole year. If you take care of them: change them regularly (even two or three times a day), wash them, then after a year they will barely be worn out in the most abrasive areas.

It would take a long time to explain in detail how trekking socks differ from ordinary or even woolen ones, but briefly, they are high, and trekking socks have a reinforced heel and toe. The material uses specially oriented fibres that allow excess moisture generated while walking to be wick away.

By spending money on good socks for yourself or your soldier, you will protect yourself/him from blisters and hot spots while he breaks in the stiff Ukrainian combat boots, his feet will stay dry longer, and even in the cold, they will remain warm. You will save 5,000+ UAH on buying branded boots with Gore-Tex. Or you can buy them later, once you have figured out exactly what footwear you need and whether you need it at all.

By the way, if you are buying footwear for the army for winter, it must be combat boots, not trekking boots. Do not be swayed by salespeople’s persuasion. Boots are still for hiking, not for daily multi-kilometre muddy-snowy slush. My membrane boots performed poorly. Moreover, it is problematic to place them to dry by a heater without the risk of damaging the membrane.

To sum up: gift your beloved soldier good trekking socks and admire his healthy, beautiful legs, which he will definitely cover the TV screen with when he returns home after his discharge, and you will collapse together on the sofa to watch your favourite movie», - writes Stepan Klimov.