Black boots will be returning to the fleet this fiscal year, according to a Marine Corps press release.

The new Marine Corps intense cold weather boot is a black, full-grain leather boot designed to keep a Marine’s feet warm while operating temperatures between negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Marine Corps Systems Command.

“In order to effectively conduct your mission in a cold weather environment, you need to be warm,” Todd Towles, project officer of cold weather gear with the program manager for infantry combat equipment at Marine Corps Systems Command, said in the press release. “This boot helps to accomplish this goal.”

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The boot is designed to fill the gap between the standard issue temperate weather Marine Corps combat boot, designed to be used in temperatures ranging from 20–60 degrees Fahrenheit, and the extreme cold weather vapor barrier boot, designed to be used in temperatures ranging from negative 65 degrees Fahrenheit to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Systems Command.

Marines who used in the extreme cold weather vapor barrier boot in cold temperatures that were above the range it was designed for had complained that their feet became excessively sweaty, driving the decision to develop this new boot, according to Systems Command.

“The Intense Cold Weather Boot is not going to have the same insulation capabilities that the Extreme Cold Weather Boot provides, so the foot shouldn’t sweat as much,” Towles said in the press release.

The black boots should last at least 18 months if cared for correctly, Towles said in the release.

Marines conducting cold weather operations should start seeing the boot in the second quarter of fiscal year 2021, according to Systems Command.

“I believe these boots will further support Marines in cold weather environments and help them achieve mission success,” Towles said.

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