When I was in the Middle East all our rations were kept in the open under the desert sun. The dates on the cans indicated that the stuff was made in 1940, yet 16/7 years later we were still eating it. The chocolate had turned white from age, but every thing was still eatable, well most of us are still here. Now I wonder what sort of shelf life the government would put on all this food if it was in a supermarket. Still they didn't believe in spoiling you in those days.

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

When I was in the Middle East all our rations were kept in the open under the desert sun. The dates on the cans indicated that the stuff was made in 1940, yet 16/7 years later we were still eating it. The chocolate had turned white from age, but every thing was still eatable, well most of us are still here. Now I wonder what sort of shelf life the government would put on all this food if it was in a supermarket. Still they didn't believe in spoiling you in those days.

Off topic I know. When I was at RAF Odiham in Hampshire I was tasked with a 3 tonner to dispose of hundreds of cases of emergency 12 man pack compo rations. I asked the Catering Officer why not give the rations to old peoples homes or hospitals. "More then my life's worth." he replied. I managed to squirrel one 12 man ration pack away, when I opened it, there was nothing wrong with it at all. I wish I had nicked a few more cases. The lot ended up on the local council dump, what a terrible waste.

For your first baby steps on humping/yomping/tabbing or whatever one may call it you can use almost any boot that will support your ankles in a good way.
When you start adding weight it gets alittle more critical.
Some nations SF have a rule that you must undergo selection and training with the regular boots you are supplied with by your Army.
Find out if that is the case in your nation and if so find out what model and brand they are.
Boots are rather individual and for long roadmarches you should avoid the softer soles as they will get worn down quicker then the slightly harder ones.
The other thing is you pack.
Find out what pack you will be carrying and go to town with that.
More important, lern to pack it (weightwise)the way can carry it over time.
At times this won´t help you, at times you will have time to adjust the lionpart of the weight to the part of your back that can take the punishment the best..

And oh yeah, always wear your shiteating grin.



DO NOT during your selection or training process mix in with a quitter. It is contagious.
Help the weaker men in your patrol as much as possible without destroying your own chances of making the time or pass the grade unless it is a patrol evolution.
Then shy no means to get the rest of the patrol there.
Accomplish the mission!
Whatever it is, whenever it is.
Never ever start having the "quitting dialouge" with yourself or you are a gonner.
It´s quite easy to spot when you are rested and fed.. In most cases it starts with.. "Why am I doing this...Why is this important...Why should I endure this... Why...."

If you start asking THAT question you will sooner or later rationalize not meeting the time/the standard/the skillevel requiered.

Focus on the 25 meter target (short term goal). What will I have to do to get there and press on.

Remember they will not kill you during training unless you screw the pooch in a bad way...

Good luck reaching your goals..

KJ sends..

One little trick is to replace the laces on your boots with paracord. They never snap and can in survival situations be used for many things. Try to get the military MIL-C-5040H Type III paracord. In use, the main difference will be strength. Consumer cord will snap at 250-300 lbs. Mil-spec cord will snap at the advertised 550 lbs. Most people will never notice this, because most paracord doesn’t typically take on that kind of weight. But someday you might be in a pinch, and need to rely on the actual performance limits of your paracord.

Whay ever happened to the old leather boot laces they seemed to last for ever

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

Whay ever happened to the old leather boot laces they seemed to last for ever

I always carried a couple spare pairs in my webbing, but never needed them.

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

Whay ever happened to the old leather boot laces they seemed to last for ever

Had them in my old Ammo Boots, but used para cord in my work boots, like 42 RM said, for exactly the same reason.
Always used to carry para cord, such useful stuff.
Boot wise, the issue Combat Highs fell appart so quickly we all got our own. Some guys splashed out on Danner Boots, others on a Norwegian brand, but the most popular were German Para boots.
The surplus stoors were full of them, the Germa Paras must have been wearing trainers!

Personally I prefer boots from Altberg.

Originally Posted by Trooper1854

Had them in my old Ammo Boots, but used para cord in my work boots, like 42 RM said, for exactly the same reason.
Always used to carry para cord, such useful stuff.
Boot wise, the issue Combat Highs fell appart so quickly we all got our own. Some guys splashed out on Danner Boots, others on a Norwegian brand, but the most popular were German Para boots.
The surplus stoors were full of them, the Germa Paras must have been wearing trainers!

Are AMMO boots still issued? I remember all too often falling on my backside when given the command "HALT," especially on paving slabs. I must admit they sounded good when the blokes managed to stay in step.

That remind's me, another blast form the past. Who remembers Bootsie and Snudge?

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

Are AMMO boots still issued? I remember all too often falling on my backside when given the command "HALT," especially on paving slabs. I must admit they sounded good when the blokes managed to stay in step.

If you want them you have to buy them, and they are not cheap!
I remember coming out of a church after a parade, the floor was wooden and we tore it up, only to go skidding across the paving outside!