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one caveat on the Neet's Foot Oil immersion boot treatment.
1. I used it years, even decades ago, before high-speed boots were even invented. Remember that the last time that I humped a ruck was 1992. Take any guidance that I publish accordingly. At this point, it is, as the saying goes, history.
2. I used it when the Army, and SF, had policies in effect that required the use of issued equipment only.
It represented a relatively low-tech solution to a problem that existed at that time. It very well may be obsolete now. Better solutions may be available, or policies which make it less desirable may be in place.
On socks:
1. Sock selection was based on environmental considerations, and boot fit was critical.
2. If I was operating in a hot, humid, jungle environment, I often skipped wearing socks altogether. My jungle boots were fitted accordingly. I TRAINED that way. My feet were toughened. I used tincture of benzoin as needed to toughen soft spots and blisters, and I drove the fuck on. As was aptly pointed out, boots are a luxury. You could fight wearing sandals, or even barefoot. Others do.
3. If I was operating in a cooler, forested environment, I typically wore Army issue leather boots, and usually, just polypro sock liners. I rarely wore issue wool socks. They tended to bunch up too much, and they tended to make my feet sweat too much. I learned the hard way that wet feet often became macerated, weak feet. Keeping feet dry kept them warm. When I lagered up, I would pull on a pair of Gore-tex booties. I did not move in them. I wore them when I was in the patrol base. If there was a possibility that I would have to move in a hurry, I sucked it up and had cold feet.
4. I got to a point where I rarely used issue wool socks at all. Using polypro sock liners made it possible to carry a LOT of socks, and that made it possible to change socks often, and to keep the feet dry. I did use commercial inserts. I no longer remember what they were made of....but they were expensive...I remember being unimpressed by Sorbothane...it seemed like inserts made from Sorbothane (sp?) made my feet hurt MORE...but I do remember that the inserts that I used had a "friction-less surface," and when combined with the polypro inserts, I rarely had a problem with blisters.
Of course, in those days, my feet were like rocks, anyway. I was accustomed to spending hours on my feet, and to walking for miles upon miles up and down rugged terrain with my house on my back.
As was also mentioned in this thread: there are no short-cuts for doing the hard work. You have to do the mileage, you have to toughen the mind and the body, and the rest of it, they are just tools that help a little bit here and there.
But a little bit gained here, and a little bit gained there...all that shit adds up. As you gain in field craft, you get to a point where you can be truly comfortable in the bush.
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