It's funny reading that tag in the picture. "After a few days your feet will become used to this feeling." Yeah - my ass. I never got used to them. Trained with them at Bridgeport and then Norway for Battle Griffin for 3 months. I couldn't wait to leave and hate the cold. I can't even imagine what Chosin must have been like.

I wore both the black and whites in the Coast Guard during boardings of Japanese and Korean fishing ships. We had to enter the frozen holds with the crew so we could measure metric tonnage of fish. They were great except for climbing up a rope and plank ladder. I wore the same socks in them a I did my boondockers and never had cold feet. Some of both models had a bleed off valve for when you were at high altitude.

Anyone else here ever been to Mickey Mouse Corner and know the story of how it got its name?

quote:

utilizes outdated technology and manufacturing processes which are no longer available within the U.S

I'm going to assume this means there is too much hand labor required in their construction making them too expensive to produce in the US. Otherwise what shoe/boot manufacturing process isn't available here?

If "not available here" means there isn't a current plant, are they saying one can't be built? I'm sure many military contracts involve new construction of a manufacturing plant. I'm pretty sure we have the technology to make something as high tech as shoes.

Agent229, we had them too for north patrols off Nova Scotia, but the BMC got all the boarding teams LeHigh boots after someone fell overboard because of the Mickey Mouse boots on a boarding ladder.

I just gave my pair away as we moved to Tx and it ain’t gonna blizzard here.

Growing up in Fairbanks, we used them all the time. Cheap as hell and they worked. When I started working on the north slope I switched to Baffin boots with composite toe. Dad wears his black bunny boots from october to may still, they are not as big as the white ones and dont do as well in the extreme temps, but well enough for everyday stuff.

We were issued them at Drum, unless I was in a static position I could not where them as I sweat buckets. The FT Lewis knock offs they issued worked for me down to -40 as long as I was moving.

I would be curious what LRSU at Drum and AK use.....

Anyway, glad to see they are trying to move out of the '60s

Sorry, but they are outdated crap. There are so many better boot designs now, that are lighter, more comfortable, and most importantly, more breathable, so your feet aren't soaking wet. The MM boots should have been retired long ago. I actually threw mine in the trash a long time ago, and they were not worn out.

^^^^^^^^


That would have been a nice Karma !

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
Anyone else here ever been to Mickey Mouse Corner and know the story of how it got its name?

So, nobody here has been to Mickey Mouse Corner?
Give you a hint. It is in a foreign country.

^^ So go ahead and tell us the story.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
^^ So go ahead and tell us the story.

Yeah! Inquiring minds want to know!

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
^^ So go ahead and tell us the story.

Yeah! Inquiring minds want to know!

OK,OK ! Tough to admit I am one of the oldest farts on the board. I was in Korea 1968-1969. There is a small village in the countryside and its main intersection is known as Mickey Mouse corner. As the story goes, one cold Winter day, an Army supply truck was passing through with a fresh load of Mickey Mouse boots for the troops up North. It took the turn too fast and overturned, spilling all the boots into the intersection.
The efficiency of the larcenous Korean youth was such, that within minutes, there were no boots to be recovered. To this day, It is a landmark for US forces in Korea, when giving directions, "then when you get to Mickey Mouse corner, take a left".

I wore the white version a couple of times when the air temperature was –70° with a breeze, making the windchill –100°. I’m interested in the footwear experts’ description of current replacements using modern materials and methods that will keep my feet warm at a balmy 40 below while not moving for several hours, but won’t make them sweat while walking. Oh, yeah: they also need to be as light and trim and svelte as my New Balance running shoes. (Made in the USA would be a plus.)

I probably don’t actually need such boots, but I’m curious what brand and model to look for if I change my mind; are they available on Amazon?

The link has a photo of commercial (not military VB) bunny boots with crampons attached.

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-a...old-bunny-boots-did/

Wanted: A boot that will keep you warm the way old bunny boots did

Author: John Schandelmeier
Alaska Outdoors clock Updated: 1 day ago

Cold out there, isn’t it? Anchorage has been in the minus mode for the past few days. Minus 5 doesn’t seem too tough, considering Eagle has been minus-50. Tok was flirting with those kind of temperatures also.

A friend and I made a night run on the Denali Highway to Maclaren River from Paxson and back at 40 below. Those temperatures seem cold, but can be dealt with given proper gear.

On the other hand, Summit Station on the Greenland ice sheet set a record low of minus-87. We don’t have the boots for that.

I remember the first time I felt 60 below. Maclaren River, January 1971. You could pour an upside-down icicle. Hot water tossed in the air would not come down. My feet stayed warm in bunny boots.

No more. Oh yeah, you can still do the same water tricks. But no longer will bunny boots keep feet warm at 60 below. You can get “new” bunnies today with some searching, but they are unused, not “new.” The last Bata bunny boots — actually V.B. boots or vapor barrier boots — were produced in 1992. Most were made long before that — V.B. boots are a product of the Korean War.

The bunny boots made today are cheap knock-offs of what was once a superior boot that worked well under all conditions. The newer ones are good to possibly 20 below — if you are moving.

The unworn boots you can get by paying big bucks are not worth the money because the rubber is compromised by decades spent in storage. The liners, three layers of felts sandwiched between rubber, have absorbed enough moisture to prevent them from achieving optimum effectiveness. Those who don’t believe me should fork over $200 for a pair and spend three or four hours standing around outside in the cold.

So if V.B. boots are no longer an answer, what boot does work? Cabela’s made a Trans-Alaska Pack boot that was fair down to 30 below. They discontinued it, but they continue to manufacture a Saskatchawan boot that is similar. Northern Outfitters made a boot that was as good as bunny boots, though not waterproof. But Northern Outfitters went out of business. No more boots.

I have been looking and trying boots. There are a number that claim they are good to minus-100. Wonder where they were tested? Who tried them? Where did they get that temperature?

A call to a boot manufacturer should get an answer. Nope. They can’t tell you. Closest I got was a guy who explained that they tested them in a freezer for 15 minutes. Being in the fish business, I spend a lot of time around freezers and I’m fairly certain there are few freezers other than blast freezers that hold lower than minus-20.

Some of the better mountaineering boots might work for those who live in the cold — except the cost for a quality mountain boot is around a thousand bucks, give or take. External liners, such as Neos or Forty Belows, might do the trick. The issue with neoprene overboots is toughness. They are not built to hold up on a snowmobile or a dog team.

A semi-acceptable alternative are chemical foot warmers, though I am a bit uncomfortable feeling that I have to depend on them. Mukluks could be an acceptable answer, though they would have to be custom-made. Steger mukluks, common on the market, run far too small to carry enough insulation to deal with any real cold.

Unless someone has a better answer, I believe those who need true cold-weather footwear are going to have to put together their own system. I’m leaning toward a mukluk-type overshoe with a couple of liners from different manufacturers

I believe that any decent winter boot needs at least a double insole. A felt liner should block cold out and keep heat in. A foam liner, preferably open cell, should be next to the foot.

Good socks are also a must have. There are a number of them on the market.

Whatever you choose, thickness correlates to warmth. Look around. If you find a good boot, let me know. I’d love to give it a try.


John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives near Paxson with his family. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and a two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.

=======================================

One of the comments has this link to a boot source:

https://www.coolantarctica.com.../antarctic-boots.php

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

quote:

utilizes outdated technology and manufacturing processes which are no longer available within the U.S

I'm going to assume this means there is too much hand labor required in their construction making them too expensive to produce in the US. Otherwise what shoe/boot manufacturing process isn't available here?

If "not available here" means there isn't a current plant, are they saying one can't be built? I'm sure many military contracts involve new construction of a manufacturing plant. I'm pretty sure we have the technology to make something as high tech as shoes.

Could be they're made with some process/chemical that the EPA has issues with.

Thanks for that commentary. I had forgotten about this thread, but what he says definitely resonates. When I was stationed in Alaska, I became convinced that the white VB boots couldn’t be beat for low mobility cold weather wear. As I mentioned above, at – 70° genuine air temp my feet didn’t even notice the cold. Years later, though, I bought a “surplus” pair and the first time I wore them while lying in a snowy field in the 20s or so awaiting the geese to fly in, my feet got COLD!.* I still have them someplace, and perhaps I should see if leaving the valves open in hot, dry weather (maybe next summer) would eliminate any moisture that they collected in the surplus store.

* And yes, I am familiar with “If your feet are cold, put on a hat,” but I don’t believe that was the problem considering how I was dressed otherwise.

I have a pair that I used snow machining in and around Willow, AK in January and February at -40. I live in GA now, and will NOT get rid of them.

You never know...

The Marine Corps has been trying to find a replacement for the Mickey Mouse boot for awhile now, during the Cold War, they were responsible for the northern European flank, principally Norway. Not sure if they've tried to work with the Norwegians or, a collaboration of the Scandinavian & Baltic NATO members...you know, the countries that live in those climates. This is what the Canadians use

Winter boots by their nature are specialized, trying to find an all-purpose boot is a recipe for a design that doesn't do well at anything.
Danner Acadia's down to -60F... Would be interesting to see if they're designed to work with the universal ski binding the military is using.
New in 2020: Marines to field new cold-weather boot for the first time since the 1960s

quote:

Marines in cold climes could be sporting the first new intense cold-weather boot fielded since the 1960s, as officials finalize testing and evaluation of commercial options.

Officials with Marine Corps Systems Command are down to two options, with the winner expected to be delivered by summer 2020, said Emanuel “Manny” Pacheco, director of systems command public affairs.

The two semifinalists are the Belleville Intense Cold Weather Boot and the Danner Acadia. Over the ­winter, systems command staff will conduct follow-on user evaluations to validate the two boot submissions in an operational environment.

The original request for information called for an order up to 50,000 pairs of boots.

Marines and soldiers have been using a 1960s-era rubberized intense cold weather boot known throughout the ranks as the “Mickey Mouse” boot for more than half a century.

Its official name is the Extreme Cold Weather Boot.
The boot is effective at preventing frostbite and ­keeping feet warm down to -60 degrees Fahrenheit.

But it is heavy and by trapping in the warmth it also traps in the moisture, creating soaking wet feet.

The new boot must weigh in between 4 pounds and 4.9 pounds.

The new boot is part of efforts to upgrade its cold weather gear as Marines are expected to ­contribute forces to Arctic regions, such as their regular ­700-Marine rotations to Norway. Another gear item in that kit was the 2018 purchase of a new ski system, which was awarded to Serket USA for its Scout model ski and Patrol ski binding.

For really cold ass weather: Sorel Blizzard XT.
Mine are great. Rated to -40.
And if you can find them: USAF N1-B Mukluks.