The Rapid Fielding Initiative, RFI for short, is a program designed to get deploying or deployed soldiers the best gear ever issued to an army in the field.  Of the many outstanding items you will get such as Interceptor body armor and the new Advanced Combat Helmet, several will probably have you wondering why you are being issued it and tempt you into sending it home rather than carrying it.  Cold weather boots for example. 

When I mobilized I received two pairs of Gore-Tex cold weather boots; one tan canvas, the other black leather Ft Lewis boots.  I did send the black boots home but I kept the tan ones.  Thank goodness.  It’s not that it gets real cold or rains all the time during winter in Iraq but when it does rain, the water pools up and sits around for days.  The soil has a high clay content and is poorly drained.  The parking lot at my building has become Lake Anaconda with the accumulation of several rain showers over the past few days.  That means I end up wading through a lot of standing water.  I am happy to report that after two months of daily wear these boots have not leaked yet.  They are warmer than the standard issue boots, have good impact absorption and break in without effort.  The Gore-Tex is very breathable and the sweating/chilling pattern common to other boots is seldom a problem.

If you get to Ft Bliss or wherever you receive RFI and think about saving space in the duffle by skipping the boots, just remember it isn’t always hot and dry in the desert.  Good boots make a major difference in comfort when the weather gets wet.