The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center, in support of Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment issued a Sources Sought Notice last week seeking informtion on ventilating insoles for combat boots. The goal of this effort is to identify offerors with capabilities to provide/design/develop boot insoles for use by the combat Soldier in various different terrain and conditions, to include tropical jungle environments.
Specifically, the insoles must:
1) Be constructed of materials that do not absorb water;
2) Be designed to allow water and sweat to drain away from the foot while walking;
3) Be highly breathable, to allow for air to circulate under the foot when worn;
4) Be durable enough to last for six months of combat use in jungle environments where high humidity and repeated submersion in water are expected;
5) Must not cause pressure points, discomfort, or irritation during walking/running on uneven, rugged terrain throughout the useful life of the item;
6) Be rigid enough to resist moving or bunching under the foot;
7) Be able to not interfere with normal walking/running or reduce Soldier performance in movement through varied terrain;
8) Be resistant to degradation due to fungus and bacteria;
9) Be able to provide shock attenuation;
10) Do not require a break-in period; and
11) Must meet all requirements of Berry compliant manufacturing.
Well no kidding. It only took them a year after they released an RFI for jungle boots that it finally dawns on them that they might need ventilating insoles. PEO Soldier has at its disposal the entire technical and historical holdings of the Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center but it seems as if no one wants to find out how a requirement was satisfied in the past. It’s been done before. Hit the books to find out how.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Saran Insole issued with the Boot, Hot Weather, it looked just like what you see above. It was designed to keep your foot up off of the floor of the boot and allow some air to circulate in hopes of staving off trench foot.
