New, lighter Marine boots are set to be tested as the Corps looks for ways to improve recruit performance.
Marine Boots
Marine Corps Systems Command said in a release that the test will pit two boots against the standard Marine Corps Combat Boot, which has been in the Corps’ inventory since 2001 and is a seabag-issue item. The first boot is the Danner Reckoning Hot Weather Boot, which has been available to Marines as optional wear since 2017.
“The feedback we’ve received from Marines on the Reckoning boots, is positive,” said Todd Towles, project officer for the Clothing and Equipment Team at Marine Corps Systems Command. “The boots are lightweight, durable, and there’s virtually no break-in period.”
The second boot to undergo testing will be the Rocky Tropical boot. This option, according to MARCORSYSCOM, held up well when 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines out of Hawaii tested it in jungle environments last year.
Right now the plan is for the service to issue 700 Reckoning boots and 700 Rocky Tropical boots to both male and female recruits. A male company will get half of the Danner and half of the Rocky boots. The rest will go to a female company.
The Corps says it’ll assess whether or not the new Marine boots result in a “decrease in lower extremity injuries” among recruits.
Testing will be conducted over a three-month period this summer at a recruit training cycle at Parris Island, S.C.
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