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autoset

Skydiving with Military boots VS Hangwags

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Before I started jumping, I used to wear the over-the-ankle type boots a lot. Right before I started jumping, I found out about snag points, and also needed new boots. I couldn't find any over-the-ankle boots locally that didn't have at least one pair of lace hooks at the top. I ended up getting some Red Wing 8668 "boots", but they are really more like a slightly taller tennis shoe. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the top three pairs of metal things that the laces go through are full loops, not hooks. I've worn them for 50+ jumps so far and they seem to do OK.

Eule
PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

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Well from personal experience the military does still use the “PAB” but not very often. The thing most people don’t realize is when the military jumps, its under a round canopy that goes down and not forward. And hitting the ground at 18-20 feet per sec with 100lbs of extra gear is a lot different from landing a square, even if it’s a botched landing.

True the PLF is still the best option for crappy landing at lower speeds. If you aren’t swooping at 50 mph it’s always better to prepare for a PLF. Someone already said this but if you are experiencing a lot of hard landing then you should look more at your canopy control then beefing up your gear. I had to do this myself early on.

If you want ankle support then the best is the lace up ones you can get from the drug store. High top boots and stiff “PAB” type support do help but then you are adding weight and possible snag points. I think the range of motion is a factor as well.

As far as having a raised heel, well again it depends on your landings. I’ve worn shoes that have a lot of tread that would grip the ground just as well as the lip from the heel.

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The weakest point of your body is your ankle. It does not really matter what you take on. I know a man who jumps with bare feet in warm time. He had no injuries of any kind. You should wear some closed shoes as a student, comfortable(warm enough) and without snag points. Ankle support is not really significant. Canopy control and landing position/PLF is much more important.

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I was referring to the Corcoran I jump boots which appears to be the same boot shown in the link you gave. I never liked them much so they were pretty much new when I started BASE jumping. Seeing as I already owned them and they were "Jump Boots" I figured I'd use them.

I was issued combat, jungle, and mountaineering boots which I still have. Those boots all have hooks for the upper part of the laces which I don't want on boots used for jumping. Also with the exception of the mountaineering boots they seemed to me to offer much less support than the Corcoran I jump boots.

The point I was trying to make was that there are much better jump boots available than the Corcoran I jump boots. In my opinion the extra cost for the Hanwag is well worth it.

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...something else no one has mentioned, 'real' jump boots shouldn't have the big lug 'vibram' type soles, they ideally should have a smoother type bottom that won't dig in and grab the turf.

The old standard 'paraboots' had an almost slick bottom sole to them...'back in the day' the guys wearing jungle combat boot with the lug soles were getting considerably more knee & ankle injuries because the boot would do exactly what it was designed to do...give lots of traction!

Not a good thing to have the foot stop and the body keep going. B|











~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Quote

The old standard 'paraboots' had an almost slick bottom sole to them...'back in the day' the guys wearing jungle combat boot with the lug soles were getting considerably more knee & ankle injuries because the boot would do exactly what it was designed to do...give lots of traction!


Very well said!

If you have footware with lots of tracktion you might have problems to remove your booties midair.

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