We’re now entering the winter season and we all need a good pair of footwear to keep out feet toasty. For the U.S. Marines, they are going to get a new pair of combat boots designed for cold weather conditions and keep the feet warm and dry to up -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a press release from the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), the new boot is called the Intense Cold Weather Boot (ICWB). It is a full-grain, leather boot that allows Marines to undergo missions that might involve hiking or skiing in arduous, cold weather environments and they don’t have to change boots.

Todd Towles, project officer of Cold Weather Gear with the Program Manager for Infantry Combat Equipment at MCS said that, “In order to effectively conduct your mission in a cold weather environment, you need to be warm. This boot helps to accomplish this goal.”

The ICWB will be replacing two boots designed mild and cold weather conditions --- the Temperate Weather Marine Corps Combat Boot which can be worn between 20 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the Extreme Cold Weather Vapor Barrier Boot can be for -65 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Marines will need to change boots as the Extreme Cold Weather boot will cause feet to sweat when temperatures go higher than -20 degrees Fahrenheit. The ICWB fits in between these two boots as it can be used from -20 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

The improved ICWB in black leather with the ICWB protoype in suede (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Matt Gonzales)

From 2018 to 2020, the MCSC held user evaluations with an early version of the ICWB which was made of suede. The evaluation was done in cold weather locations such as Iceland, Norway, Alaska and Montana, and also at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California. However, the Marines find the suede version to be bulky and does not dry well when wet so with this feedback they looked into a full grain boot in 2020. Now, this version dried well but did not provided adequate warmth in sub-zero temperatures which they solved by adding 200 grams insulation to the boot. It is still less bulky than the suede prototype and it is a black leather boot for repelling moisture.

The Marines will be issuing 3,500 pairs of the ICWB this winter, with priority to those who are training and operating in cold weather environments. They expect more pairs to be issued in the second quarter of 2021. With the new pair, Marines will need to only maintain one type rather than two types of boots when deployed in cold weather locations.

Top photo: Capt. Caleb Haney of the Marine Corps Systems Command, putting on the the Marine Corps Intense Cold Weather Boot (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Matt Gonzales)