Paratrooper boot lacing

[uaoao]

Airborne Forces, most notably in Portugal and South American countries have a distinctive way of lacing boots. Not only for traditions but to increase ankle support during a parachute jump. Only paratroopers wear them with surplus green paracord instead of the usual black string. On parade, they are usually worn with white paracord.

 

[ozzy1977]

That's a new one on me. don't know if our Paras do this.

 

[tiger stacker]

Zipped boots hmmmm
fancy lace work though must be fun at 3-5 shift for stag.

 

[Macaroon]

The first one looks like the old-style ladder lacing; used it for a while many moons ago but never found much advantage to it. Impossible to get your boots off quickly, or at all with cold fingers/wet laces. Can't really see the point of anything as complicated as the second one, looks as though you'd easily suffer from lace bite?

I suppose there must be/have been a reason for these methods, it'd be interesting if anybody knew what they were............................

Zipped boots? Wouldn't suit me, sir!

 

[MikeLA]

Ours did not use this style

 

[sandbender]

"...Airborne Forces, most notably in Portugal and South American countries have a distinctive way of lacing boots. Not only for traditions but to increase ankle support during a parachute jump. Only paratroopers wear them with surplus green paracord instead of the usual black string. On parade, they are usually worn with white paracord..."

Interesting, probably a bit harder to get on and off I'd imagine. Wearing white laces on your boots around these parts marks you out as a neo-nazi.

 

[santaman2000]

The first one looks like the old-style ladder lacing; used it for a while many moons ago but never found much advantage to it. Impossible to get your boots off quickly, or at all with cold fingers/wet laces. Can't really see the point of anything as complicated as the second one, looks as though you'd easily suffer from lace bite?

I suppose there must be/have been a reason for these methods, it'd be interesting if anybody knew what they were............................

Zipped boots? Wouldn't suit me, sir!

Looks. Nothing more to be honest.

 

[santaman2000]

Interesting, probably a bit harder to get on and off I'd imagine. Wearing white laces on your boots around these parts marks you out as a neo-nazi.

White laces are common here as well for parade functions or Honor guards. They go with the white gloves, white belts, etc. (occasionally even a white beret)

 

[Big Stu 12]

White laces are seen as being a racist comment in the UK as well..

 

[santaman2000]

White laces are seen as being a racist comment in the UK as well..

Is there a reason? As per Sandbenders's likening them to the Nazis, we generally think of brown shirts or black leather accessories as being associated with Nazi uniforms.

 

[Big Stu 12]

Is there a reason? As per Sandbenders's likening them to the Nazis, we generally think of brow shirts or black leather accessories as being associated with Nazi uniforms.

it was used by Skinheads to show white power... they also used Red Laces to show that they had spilt blood in their cause....

 

[uaoao]

The first one looks like the old-style ladder lacing; used it for a while many moons ago but never found much advantage to it. Impossible to get your boots off quickly, or at all with cold fingers/wet laces. Can't really see the point of anything as complicated as the second one, looks as though you'd easily suffer from lace bite?

I suppose there must be/have been a reason for these methods, it'd be interesting if anybody knew what they were............................

Zipped boots? Wouldn't suit me, sir!

This was also done on ww2 jump boots as well as us special forces, navy seals etc in vietnam and the gulf war. The paracord was said to be more comfortable and quicker to undo.
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/85738-boot-lacing-styles/

Morrocan Commandos do thiers in a similar way to the first patten for HALO jumping, simpler but can only be done if the eyelets allow 2 in.:

 

[MertzMan]

Remind me not to buy white laces then!

 

[Lister]

so buying a pair of white trainers that come with white laces makes me a nazi......nice.

 

[Toddy]

I suspect they mean on black 'bovver' boots, Lister.

I too heard of them as meaning adherant of white supremacy.

I went googling though, and shan't post a link because of the language, etc., but I liked the intro on bootdog dot com's lacing page

Those 'para' lacings on the OP's post would do my head in. I couldn't be bothered to do all that fussing around trying to get them comfortable. That looks like worse than corset lacing. No wonder he bought zip up boots

I admit that I still use the old method where there's one lace end does the whole lace up, while the other lies underneath and goes from one bottom lace hole up to the top opposite one.
Easy, secure, fuss free, quick to adjust, and simple to get off if necessary.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[sandbender]

so buying a pair of white trainers that come with white laces makes me a nazi......nice.

No, only when worn with dm's or high leg military style boots.

"...I admit that I still use the old method where there's one lace end does the whole lace up, while the other lies underneath and goes from one bottom lace hole up to the top opposite one..."

Thats the method I use (and my laces are black).

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

I admit that I still use the old method where there's one lace end does the whole lace up, while the other lies underneath and goes from one bottom lace hole up to the top opposite one.
Easy, secure, fuss free, quick to adjust, and simple to get off if necessary.

That's the method I was taught to use, and did for some years but don't bother now. If I remember the reasoning behind it was so that a medic or someone could slice through the laces and remove your boot more easily if necessary.

 

[sandbender]

That's the method I was taught to use, and did for some years but don't bother now. If I remember the reasoning behind it was so that a medic or someone could slice through the laces and remove your boot more easily if necessary.

I was told it was so Ghurka's would recognise you as being british when they were creeping about at night on the jungle floor, if they lightly touched your laces and they were laced differently you were for the chop. So my dad said anyway.

 

[ozzy1977]

Whats wrong with velcro, so much easier

 

[woof]

I was told it was so Ghurka's would recognise you as being british when they were creeping about at night on the jungle floor, if they lightly touched your laces and they were laced differently you were for the chop. So my dad said anyway.

My dad fought in Italy(1973 0ver a sun lounger...)& he told me the very same thing. The German troops wore a laced mountain boot, & he said tha the way i was lacing my boots would of got my throat cut in the alps. Don't know if its true or not, but i've never laced my boots that way since.

Did'nt know that about coloured laces, sounds like leftwing propaganda to me !, i'm off now to put purple laces in my ballet shoes, read in to that what you will !.

Rob