That pair of jungle boots you own was tough enough to carry our soldiers through the swamps of Vietnam. They’re tough enough for whatever you can throw at them stateside.
That said, like any piece of gear, jungle boots will quit prematurely if you abuse them. Here are 5 things you should never do with them.
Avoid these, and your boots should last longer.
Table of Contents
Wear Them on Salted, Snowy Surfaces
First, jungle boots are designed for hot, wet conditions, not cold, wet conditions. In fact they are not well-designed for any cold conditions, period.
But really, beyond this, road salt will destroy your boots. It’s not good for the rubber soles, but it’s disastrous for the uppers, nylon, leather or otherwise. It will dry them out and crack them.
Also, road salt will cause your boot’s eyelets to rust. So avoid wearing them in that stuff if you can.
Wear Them in the City
Jungle boots are made with aggressive lug soles so that they can provide solid traction in wet, muddy conditions. They are not designed for use on smooth, level, paved surfaces.
Boots with wedge soles are designed for that. If you wear a lug-soled boot on paved surfaces, all you will do is wear down the lugs prematurely.
You won’t quite ruin your boots, but you will be decreasing their service lifespan.
Let Them Stay Wet
Jungle boots are going to get wet. Honestly, if they don’t ever get wet, you aren’t wearing them where you should be.
The issue is not this, but failure to dry them out properly. Letting them stay wet will cause the uppers and laces to rot, not to mention they will smell terrible.
Take our meager advice and make sure you dry your boots out relatively quickly once they get wet.
With one caveat:
Dry Them Out Too Fast
It might be tempting to stick your boots in front of the fire or furnace or radiator. Don’t do this.
Drying them out too quickly will stress the uppers and can cause damage to the material. You want to dry your boots out but not so fast that you damage them.
Rather than speed-drying, either get an electric boot dryer (which uses warm, not hot, air) or stuff them with newspapers and change every few hours until all the moisture is sucked out.
Neglect the Leather Uppers
If your jungle boots have leather uppers, the quickest way to send them to the trash bin is never to condition them.
Leather needs to be periodically cleaned and conditioned so that the leather stays supple and does not crack.
Make sure you do this every once in a while or your boots won’t last as long as you’d probably like.
Need a New Pair of Jungle Boots?
If you landed here because you need a new pair of jungle boots, Fatigues Army Navy has you covered.
Just don’t make the same mistake again; make sure you care for the new pair properly!
For more information about Camo Cargo Shorts and Tiger Stripe Camo Please visit: Fatigues Army Navy & Surplus Gear Co..
