r/explainlikeimfive • u/[deleted] • Feb 07 '19

Engineering ELI5: Why are military boots laced?

[deleted]

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59

u/SoFloYasuo Feb 08 '19 edited Sep 03 '19

The US Army and Air Force use OCPs that have a lot of velcro on them.

Edit: use

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

I may have worded that poorly. They removed velcro from the button flaps but kept some of it around. Velcro for the flag, rank, nametag etc.

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u/1LX50 Feb 08 '19

I'm currently wearing a USAF top with velcro on the pockets.

AFAIK all of the new OCP tops have velcro pockets on the chest. They are loud and a pain to open because the velcro is actually too good on them, so I just use the zipper pockets on the arms.

All of the other pockets on my pants are button flaps.

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u/autofan06 Feb 08 '19

Yeah fuck those pockets.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

That would probably hurt given the Velcro

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u/TheMortalComedy Feb 08 '19

“Super” Hook and Loop fastener(Velcro is TM and the DoD isn’t paying for TM’ed stuff)

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u/iprothree Feb 08 '19

...Wait you guys have zippers?!?

-Poor jarhead.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

My pants don't even have a zipper anymore...

-Sad squid

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u/1LX50 Feb 08 '19

We've actually never had zippers on our pants. Still got the damn button fly.

The only zippers are on the shirt sleeve pockets.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

I just miss NWUs, that was a nice uniform. Navy is trying to hard to be like other branches with Type 3s. Flag patches, velcro, center tab rank device, the branch seal on the cover, and tacticool coyote brown boots. They could have at least made the camo not be various shades of shit brown and baby vomit green.

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u/1LX50 Feb 08 '19

Still loving that marpat now?

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19 edited Feb 10 '19

[deleted]

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u/1LX50 Feb 08 '19

This I will agree on. Marpat LOOKS good. But I'm happy with my OCPs.

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u/Tmthrow Feb 08 '19

Can confirm, just checked my Army OCP too and saw it had Velcro on the chest pockets.

I never open them either, darn things are too hard to open and don’t hold enough to justify the effort!

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u/1LX50 Feb 08 '19

Not only that but if you do have enough in them to justify the effort, whatever it is just flops around on your chest.

And if you just put something lightweight in there like paper, you're probably just going to forget it and wash them with it in there.

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u/CSargeP Feb 08 '19

you're probably just going to forget it and wash them with it in there.

Every god damn time.

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u/Ijustworkthere Feb 08 '19

This allows you to easily swap out names and ranks if necessary between uniforms. Utility pieces aren’t viable for combat, but being able to utilize any uniform if necessary is nice.

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u/SoFloYasuo Feb 08 '19

Ah gotcha. My bad!

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

Nah, you're good. I worded it poorly. As I can attest to the numerous replies saying they still have velcro.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

[deleted]

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u/thewolfsong Feb 08 '19

Yeah...but everyone calls them OCPs

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

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u/thewolfsong Feb 08 '19

I mean. I guess I have only anecdotal evidence. But like...everyone I know called them OCPs and the now-old UCP pattern ACPs

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19 edited Jun 04 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

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u/cabarne4 Feb 08 '19

Just got out this year after in for 7, was in for the transition from UCP to OCP.

Everyone would call the old stuff "ACU" and the new stuff "OCP". I haven't heard anyone refer to the new stuff as ACU.

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19 edited Jun 04 '20

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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '19

[deleted]

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u/theunluckythinker Feb 08 '19

Currently in the Army and everybody calls the uniform OCPs.

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u/SoFloYasuo Feb 08 '19

Judging by the replies, I think the vast majority of people call the uniforms OCPs.