In a previous article, we mentioned that Kodiak Group Holdings of Cambridge, ON were awarded 2 contracts, and L.P. Royer Inc. were awarded one contract to develop what is called the ‘Land Operations Temperate Boot’ which is intended to replace the in-service combat boots used by the Canadian Army; Mk III Combat Boot, General Purpose Boot, and Temperate Combat Boot.
Well, according to Canada’s Department of National Defence, through ‘Ottawa Citizen’, those serving in the Canadian Army will be allowed to retain their current boots, with a catch: it will be limited to a local chain of command decision if soldiers will be permitted to wear their old boots when the new boots are issued.
It’s also worth mentioning that Soldiers will be issued two pairs of boots, either two pairs of one style, or one of both styles:
“The Kodiak Group Holdings boot is a lace-up while the L.P. Royer has a zipper as well as laces,” She [Chelsey McLellan, a spokeswoman for DND’s Materiel Group] noted. “Both styles will be a shade of brown as this has proven better in camouflage testing than a black colour. The suede-nubuck leather and textile upper materials are more comfortable and breathable than full grain leather previously used on in-service Land Forces footwear.”
Wogs should have no say in kit and boots intended for combat arms
Once again another strategic level fuck up by the procurement wizards at DLR pandering to political interests over enhancing soldier lethality and survivability.
I was in on the trials of the boots. Tried all three. Theyre all bupkis. How is it so hard to just have an approved list and give troops a boot allowance twoce a year.
Coyote Rocky S2V’s for this Canuck E5.
Couldn’t agree more re coyote rockys.
I have asked this before, and always been told the same thing. Federal funds have to stay in Canada, or be used to buy from a Canadian supplier- unless there is no other option. An approved boot list (which I agree, would be MUCH better) and a boot allowance, would not guarantee that funds would be spent on Canadian produced goods.
Unfortunately it will stay this way until there are no longer Canadian companies willing to produce combat boots. Only SOF can get exceptions, and (so I’m told by those who know, I’m not in SOF)- it is getting harder even for them.
And people with flippers with feet like me will be even more hooped because there are less companies doing brown boots. Good to see that something that has taken way longer then the US Camo trials is finally coming to some sort of an end. We didn’t end up with paint by numbers boots at least.
There are plenty of companies making brown boots. In fact, the US and Brits have gone to brown/tan.
My concern is that they will be issued and we’ll be back to the “issued boots only” bullshit. That and the fact that the boot trials were only 45 days long- so the boots haven’t even been tested for durability at the two month mark.
Wow 45 days long they threw out all the stops for this test. How in the hell can any important data be collected in such a short amount of time.