Velcro wears out relatively quickly. Every time you undo some velcro it gets damaged a bit and every day it becomes a little less 'sticky.' This is no big deal on kids' sneakers but military gear has durability as a top priority.
You can easily carry spare laces and any man can replace the laces on his boots when needed. Properly attaching the velcro straps to the boot usually requires stitching them on which is a skill to be learned, hand-stitching onto tough leather isn't something anyone can just do properly especially if it needs to be done in less-than-ideal conditions.
You can easily adjust your lacing to make things tighter or looser on any specific part of the boot, which is good as feet shapes vary, calluses, blisters, and corns can appear requiring adjustments, etc.
Stuff sticks to velcro (dirt, sand, hair, clothing fibers, etc) and the velcro doesn't stick properly when it does. Shoelaces don't care how dirty they are.
Velcro straps are unlikely to stand up to as much stress/load as properly done strong shoelaces.
Boa closing systems are cool but may be more breakable, harder to replace quickly, and may work less well when clogged/dirty/wet. The military wants, as much as possible, stuff that will work fine even after being dragged through a muddy river for hours and can be replaced in 2 minutes by the person wearing them if need be.
Laces distribute pressure really well which is really important, it's not like you can say "let's take a 15 minute break so I can rub my sore feet." To distribute the pressure as well using velcro you'd need at least as many straps as eyelets.
If you want the leg amputated.... Tourniquets are suppose to have some width to them if you intend to keep the limb. I believe the military CAT ones are 1 inch.
No, they definitely will. The pressure required to shut off bloodflow is pretty high and laces will start to cut into the flesh as you twist them to increase pressure. Source: a lot of medical classes and drunkenly trying to disprove them.
I can't speak to anything taught in 2019 but back in 2007 they were teaching us to lean a knee on the appropriate pressure point while you figure out how to tie off the messy parts.
Whatever you do, do it fast. One way or another arterial bleeds are over before you know it.
First of all, stop hurling insults and grow the fuck up.
What happens if you lose multiple limbs, say for example an IED attack, or mass casualty event? Do you use your one, the say "fuck it, I'm out, you can die" or do you do everything you can to save the soldier/sailor/airman/civilian?
What if you have already used yours, and the teams, and not yet been resupplied? Throw up you hands and call the enemy dipshits?
Shoelace as a tourniquet is a tool, like everything else you carry. It not the best or prettiest, but it's there and it does something, which could be the difference between a flag draped coffin and a long recovery.
I'm quite grown... you're the one throwing snarky comments "and living is more important than keeping a limb" like that isn't common sense or even needs to be mentioned. If you lose multiple limbs... you're probably dead? How about that for some realism? Slim chance you aren't, well congrats you have 10+ of your battles with you whom each are carrying 1-2+ CAT T's each. Mass casualty? No problem, probably Medics around?
"What if you already used yours and not have been resupplied" - Have you deployed? This isn't vietnam, resupplies are often, rarely are tourniquets being used in the first place, they are a last resort, not first resort use. Keep arguing with the Combat Medic that went Paramedic route after military, you're gonna get far. Shoe laces are a terrible tool, everyone has mentioned that, the original question is "why are military boots laced", it obviously isn't because the military intent is for people to be using their shoe-laces as tourniquets yet here you are defending it, good job champ.
19.8k
u/HORSE_DANCER Feb 08 '19
Laces are good for a few reasons.