Name: Unissued Vietnam War G.I. OD Green Jungle Boots Size: 9N
Brand: Just James Outdoors
Price: 160.50 USD
Availability: InStock

Unissued Vietnam War G.I. OD Green Jungle Boots Size: 9N

$160.50

Unissued Vietnam War G.I. OD Green Jungle Boots Size: 9N

$160.50

This is a pair of Vietnam War issue, Panama Sole, OD green jungle boots in size 9N. The are in NOS, unissued condition! There are signs of long term storage. The plastic Saran mesh inserts are likewise present. They are dated 1968 and they still have their original instruction booklet.

The iconic Vietnam War jungle boots were the extremely successful result of almost twenty years of refinement in the manufacturing of combat footwear for tropical environments. In WWII, soldiers and Marines largely slogged through the Pacific wearing standard low cut boondocker boots with leggings. These were highly unsatisfactory. They absorbed moisture and tended to rot. If the boots were waterproofed, they would retain sweat. Either one would contribute to immersion foot and jungle rot, especially when a soldier could not remove his boots or change his socks. This negative feedback loop between water absorption or sweat led to the idea that a jungle boot should not keep water out, but it should be fast drying and capable of draining on its own as a man walks.

Experimental jungle boots and shoes were tried and out of the war came the design for the "Okinawa Boot", which was a double buckle boot in the M-1943 style with a canvas upper and drain vents. These were used in the early advisory period in Vietnam but required numerous changes. The earliest iterations of the jungle boots that we know and love started in the early 1960's before settling on the 3rd pattern in 1966 incorporating the spike protective plate. The 2nd pattern was the second iteration of the iconic jungle boots and were in production from 1964 - 1965. This style of the jungle boots received widespread use until they were superseded in 1966.

The OD jungle boot was much beloved long after they were technically no longer authorized for wear. For decades, they were the quintessential infantryman's boot and a status symbol. They remain, to those who know, the best combat boot ever devised and issued.

*** A Note on the Narrow Width ***

In my experience, these can fit a regular width foot when using a pair of mid-weight or light weight socks. Jungle boots were slightly oversized to allow for the swelling of the feet in tropical conditions. They will be uncomfortably tight at first and will require breaking in, but once broken in they will mold perfectly to your feet. I wore G.I. jungle boots professionally and personally for decades. My feet measure to a 12R and I generally prefer to wear 12N boots because they are almost form fitted to my feet once broken-in.

*** Please know your size in combat boots before ordering. I am not Amazon or Zappos and I cannot afford to ship boots and return them for the sake of trying them on! ***