Combat boots have been created for the sole purpose of helping the soldiers to combat better and may not always look good. So much so that soldiers themselves do not wear it during parades or other ceremonial occasions. But in the rugged terrains where they are forced to fight different wars, a pair of suitable combat boots is among the soldier's best friends.

Combat boots may not always be comfortable to wear as they may be padded or strengthened to cushion the hostilities of the terrain. By wearing it the right way the discomfort can be minimized and lacing it properly is part of wearing it well.

Pleated nylon cord is used as lace in most combat boots instead of the more common flat laces used in ordinary shoes. The only combat boots that do not have a lacing system is tanker boots where the boots are secured with straps at the top. Since soldiers who use tanker boots have to mainly remain atop tanks, mobility requirement is limited in the case of the wearers of these boots. All other combat boots have to be laced to help the wearer in fast movement.

Combat boots may be laced through eyelets or D-rings. Eyelets are used more in lighter varieties of combat boots whereas D-rings are seen to be more common in heavier boots. Since laces have to hold the hard leather of the boots in place, the range of mobility enjoyed by the soldier will depend a lot on how well his boots are laced. The more common lacing methods are straight lacing, army lacing, and ladder lacing.

In straight lacing, whether used for combat boots or ordinary boots, on one side the lace goes straight down to emerge through the last eyelet, whereas the other end goes back and forth through all eyelets to emerge at the end before getting tied with the other. Straight lacing is a very simple form of lacing though this has got less simple variations like straight bar lacing, straight European lacing etc.

Straight lacing finds limited use in combat boots since the method does not provide much support to the feet. Its advantage is that it can be done fast and easily. It has a neat look and can be tightened easily. Army lacing is more in use in combat boots as it gives more flexibility to the feet and provides for good leather creasing for the boots.

In army lacing each half of the lace comes down first through one side, and then crosses over to the other side to go straight down one step and then again come back to the first side. It thus goes back and forth throughout and this provides for better flexing of the sides of the boots.

Ladder lacing is better than army lacing for combat boots. It gives better support to the feet and ankle, and is the most commonly used lacing style by soldiers. Here the lace goes back and forth both horizontally and vertically, creating a ladder pattern.

Besides these there are patterns like double helix lacing, crisscross lacing, saw-tooth lacing, and many others though these are used comparatively less in combat boots.

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