When it comes to army footwear, first of all they think of tarpaulin boots. But "people in uniform" can also wear other boots - barnyard, which differ from tarpaulin in some characteristics.
Cowhide boots are made from the skins of barnacles - a young, not yet calved cow (the key is not the fact that there is no calving, but the age of the animal) or even a calf.
Advantages of cowhide boots
Barn boots have a number of very useful qualities, and in some characteristics they even surpass tarpaulin boots.
Practically no different in appearance from tarpaulin boots, barn boots have a thicker bootleg, which retains heat much better. They serve for quite a long time - they do not tear, do not crack, retain their shape well, their back part does not wrinkle. In such boots, you can not be afraid to get your feet wet, even in swampy areas.
Cowhide boots are not without some disadvantages. These are very heavy shoes, in warm weather it will be hot in them, they have to be worn out for a long time.
Scope of use
Some of the shortcomings of barnyard boots are more than compensated for by their numerous advantages, which made the Soviet army "adopt" these shoes. The Russian army continues to use them. Indeed, such strong, warm, durable and waterproof shoes are indispensable in the conditions of training and hiking.
However, not only soldiers wore barnyard boots. Once they were used by wipers, because they also have to work in the open air in any weather.
Barrel boots are often used by fishermen, hunters, and also tourists, especially if you have to go through a swampy forest or damp lowland. It is recommended to wear such boots with warm insoles and footcloths, so you need to buy boots 1-2 sizes larger so that they fit freely enough on your feet. It is better to purchase such boots in Voentorg stores.
Currently, there are also women's barnyard boots. They look beautiful, which cannot but attract the fair sex. True, cowhide boots are very expensive, but given their durability, we can say that such expenses are justified.
For all their beauty, women's boots look quite heavy, so it is not recommended to wear them with clothes made of light fabrics.
For barn boots to last even longer, they must be regularly washed, dried, oiled and rubbed to a shine. "Hiking" shoes require special care. Before the beginning of the fishing, tourist or hunting season, you need to soak the socks of cowhide boots with castor oil.
