(64 yr old) Did Swedish military invent the best winter boot? 

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Look at Lundhags boots. They're a modern versions of this type of boot made in Sweden. I have a pair that saw service in the Falklands. They've been re-soled three times since then and are still going strong. Living in the North of Scotland our weather and terrain is very similar to that of both Sweden and the Falklands. In my opinion Lundhags are pretty much one of the best designs for this kind of terrain, especially their original unlined ones. I wouldn't be surprised if Lundhags made the Swedish army boots in this video.

The rubber M59 was rigid in part for use with skis in winter. When I did my Swedish military service in the mid 80s we were issued one pair of rubber M59 boots and one pair made of thinner summer leather, but otherwise the same boot. We wore the rubber ones only rarely in winter, and this wasn't far below the arctic circle. I don't know if they would ever really break in, but they were extremely uncomfortable with hard seams and pressure points, so required heavy socks for padding, which in turn made them impossible to wear most of the time no matter how wet and muddy it was. Definitely felt like an outdated design even in the 80s and my bony feet hated them. The thinner summer version however was a nice boot!

It looks quite close to the design of the legendary Swedish Lundhags boot brand. They make handmade boots with a rubber bottom like this one

As others have pointed out, they were intended for wet conditions, not winter cold. During winter we used the usual leather m/59 boot. For units in far north there were also special winter boots in store.

Okay, so I am NOT the only one who noticed that you didn't actually cover WHY these are called "Sweden's deadliest boot." Please, mention that on your next video. Thank you, Weston!

In the army I used this boots. I remember a day at the shooting field at minus 40 degrees C. We were all running and jumping that day to not turn our feets to ice. They were horrible cold boots. An absolut must was to have one size larger boot so you could use an extra innersole and pair of wollen socks. The cold went strait through the sole.

The differing strategies in the jungle boot vs. the M59 comes down to temperature. In a hot climate, freezing your feet isn’t a concern, so it’s more efficient to let water in and out easily to address both ingress and sweat. For a cold weather boot though, letting water in at all is unacceptable, because they can’t dry in freezing temperatures, they will just freeze solid. When I would be out in Minnesota winter for days or weeks, I wore vapor-barriers over my socks to keep sweat from getting to the boot, so I could just dry my socks with my body heat in my sleeping bag. If the boots themselves absorbed water, they were done for.

Really interesting video. However I do take issue with the reference made to the Falklands War. While some people may have been in possession of them through private purchase I've never heard of them until seeing this video. The picture of the British boots that was briefly shown are Boots Combat High that were introduced after the war to replace what had been the standard issue boot, the DMS ankle boot (Directly Moulded Sole) which were basically a minor update to the old Ammo boot. DMS boots were worn with short wool Puttees. Boots Combat High were still being issued in the mid 90s as I can attest to as I was issued a pair when I joined the Territorial Army at that time.

Yeah Lundhags still makes boots like this. Very popular boots in Sweden.

It goes to show the environment that you are building your boots for makes a big difference. The us was building a boot for a hot wet environment so they needed it to drain. The Swedish where building for a cold wet environment so you don't want water getting in the boot.

Sorry but if it’s not available at Ikea it’s not Swedish..

Legendary Jörnkängan (the Jörn boot) is a tiny company (one man operation last I heard) are also making these styles of boots. Some regiments (both Norwegian and Swedish I think) have bought their winter boots causing long waiting list. Used to be difficult to find, but I believe they have a couple of retailers now.

The rubberized version was only intended for wet conditions and CBN. The "standard" version was an all-leather boot, the leather being the same thickness allround, as the shaft of the rubber-boot. The formal designation was not "m/59" but merely "marschsko" (marsch shoe) although it has been generally connected to the m/58 and m/59 uniforms. As for The Falklands War: this was not what the Royal Marines used. They adopted a boot from Lundhags, which was by the time used by the Swedish Marines. The boots are similar in that they have rubberized lowers, but the Lundhags have a much higher shaft.

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I use a pair of these with hunter skis in the winter here in the Baltic and a pair of the full-leather ones in summer. They are heavy and take ages to break in (in truth the waterproof ones are never fully worn in as they are so stiff) but they've never let me down. Thanks for revealing why!

You should check out the Swedish lundhags hiking boots which is still built in the style of these army boots and was founded by 16 year old shoemaker lundhag in 1932

Just curious, why is it also considered to be one of the most deadly boots?

Take a look at Swedish Lundhags boots. They are in the top of outdoor/hiking boots. Also good looking!

Best channel on RU-vid. You should do a review of some Russell moccasins

The Danner Trophy boot is the best winter boot. It has survived two winters going on three, in the Sierra Donner Pass while I have been on foot twelve hours a day, for no days off through the winter months. It has not leaked or lacked on warmth. I am doubtful but welcome to your challenge boots, send me a pair. Winter is coming.

Used them during my army service 80-81, They were called the "Vinterkänga M59" (winterboot) Perfect for snow, slush and mud. There was also the "Sommarkänga" (summer boot)

These historic videos are fantastic, as is all of youir content. As I live on the wet west coast of British Columbia, I need good waterproof boots, and it would be great to get these new again.

I really like this channel. I never thought the construction of boots could be so interesting but it is when you describe it. Great videos!

I have a pair and they are heavy but indestructible.

M59 goes in two versions: regular, whole leather and this one. Also: they are not easy to find, especially in standard sizes range and in really good shape. Also: regular, whole leather boots [could] have stitching on the bottom of the sole and nails too. I recommended to check out these boots many months ago, so I am glad you finally did a review of one of two versions of these boots. I have whole leather version and it is fantastic boot! I was lucky to get NOS in my size few years ago.

Rose Anvil, I love your videos! Thank you for helping us to understand what makes a quality pair of boots! And thank you for entertaining us! Much love from the horribly cold wet frozen rugged wastelands of Phoenix, Arizona! 😉❤️❤️❤️

I will add that these boots are practically ice skates. The rubber soles on these have either hardened from age or we're not intended to be used on slick indoor surfaces.

These historical videos are by far my favorite, hopefully you can keep them going. Back when I was in the US Army in the mid 90's I traded a Hungarian soldiers uniforms including the boots. I was told they are pig skin and have the square toe and heel recess for skis.

I had a pair of these boots. I seem to remember that getting the right sizing & fit was very tricky. I think they're designed for wear with very thick socks. Really hard to break in. Now I know why...

Off Topic. Does anybody remember a mens boot sold by J.C. Penny back in the 1960s? Around here, St Louis, they were called 'boondockers' or occasionally 'brogues." A simple rough-out leather upper and a Goodyear hard rubber soul. Four eyelets, three hooks, I think. For growing feet they didn't last the year. You gave them to your little brother.

Very interesting construction, wasn't expecting that.

These things used to be sold dirtcheap at swedish surplus stores. Its the older version of M59. The newer one is full leather.

I came to find out what made this boot "deadly", or "deadliest". You never covered that.

Heck yeah, Iron Snail shout-out!

i really hoped for this video, so happy to see it

They're hard to break in and are way too rigid to be comfortable. I would take rubber boots any day of the week, and the regular m59 boot can be made waterproof as well. One great thing though is the loopstrap on the backside. On the m59 pants you had basically belt loops at your ankles for a little miniature belt and it stopped the pants from going up all the time. Works better than the underside strap but is way more cumbersome.

I've owned several pairs of this boot in my younger years. Albeit somewhat heavy, they are surprisingly comfortable once you've broken them in (which could be a long arduous process, to be fair). They're great boots for cold and wet weather but I would often find myself slipping on wet roots in woodland terrain. The eventual point of failure was always that the age-hardened rubber would crack near the toe which would lead to water leaking in. I guess I could have mended them with some vulcanizing agent, or something like that, but they were always so cheap at army surplus stores that there was no real point.

7:49 "old school", They are still in service today we call them "vita blixten" or "white lightning" and you can get them at alot of surplus stores

I would be so into that side by side comparison. Super interesting to see complete polar opposites ways to address boot wetness.

I love my own pairs of these but i was always curious how the were built. Really cool to finally learn. Though my all leather version was stitchdown so other parts might vary as well. The all leather version is also quite water resistant though I havent tested them to the extreme. There were a couple o different suppliers too (Lundhags, Docksta, etc) that might've changed small details

i'm not the best for english speaking but i can say that this video is fire ! the history of leather.. im passionate ! after this vidéo can you make a vid about Lundhags professional high opti ? it's the same construction like i see on your photos (2:27)

not directly related , but when i was looking for boots with some high toe box today , i found a little company in UK : William Lennon & Co . The history tab of their website talk about a very unique way to attach sole to upper , with brass wire ... Might worth a look .

This is the first time, when I saw your cut'n'half and I was thinking "you're murderer"!

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Would love to see more international military boots (something about the utility and ruggedness at a somewhat limited budget), especially from countries with somewhat extremer environments like mountains, jungles or deserts. i.e Finland, Switzerland, Israel, South Africa, South Korea or Vietnam would be interesting.

Lundhags does these still. Got my own Jaure II High ones. It's one of the best boot for damp forest hiking.

These looks like my Swedish Lundhags, but I have the tall three leather version. Sadly I love them to much to send to you, also I use them year round. There's also a smaller producer in Sweden that the very active and professionals use called Jörnkängan that's considered a noth or two above Lundhags.

Hey, I recognize that guy!

I love these historical videos!

I had the older leather soled hobnailed and plated soled boots with the thick felt insulation and the points to clip on crampons and skis ... they were great winter boots

I have a pair of m59 boots. I got them brand new at a surplus store, and they are stamped 1983, so fairly late production (they were updated in 1990 with the m90 boot). Mine are all black, all leather and They could be polished to a pretty high gloss when new. I've used my m59's for over twenty years during the coldest part of the winters or when I don't want to use my fancy boots (though the m59's have outlived a dozen of those), I've used them while working in pretty rough conditions in forest, construction sites and dock work. I own a pair of the rubberized version too, but they haven't seen much use because they are not nearly as comfortable. Boots are still completely water proof. I've given them a cleaning and polish every year but that's about it. The outer soles have started to wear down but there is still quite a bit of pattern left on them. Mine are a bit over-sized and I have room for thick felt insoles and I usually wear them with thick woolen knit socks and still room enough to wiggle my toes. I don't think I ever have had cold feet while wearing them. The downsides to these boots are that they are quite heavy and cumbersome. The outer sole tends to get quite hard in sub-zero temperatures and they easily slip on packed snow. I have these metal spikes you attach to the outer for extra grip. It's basically a piece of stamped sheet metal with teeth that are bent both ways so it grips both the sole of the boot and the ground. They have a rubber strap that goes over the toe and a loop that goes around the heel, I don't know what these would be called in English... I think they are army issue. I can attest to the fact that these are amazing boots. They look a little too rough to wear as "city boots", but when you got ten inches of snow or slush, nobody cares what your boots look like anyway. By the way, two swedish brands make modern versions of this boot: Graninge and Lundhags. I think both of them used to manufacture the m59 boot, along with a third brand, Tretorn, wich is mostly associated with rubber boots nowadays.

I think your history vids are my favorite, and the main reason I stick around. I don't care too much for fashion over function, so a lot of the modern market is out of my interest. Your leather content and these historical vids are right up my alley though!

Interesting construction.

Editing for this is beyond what it needs to be its incredible, literally feels like premium yt lmfaooo

That's one hell of a boot. I wasn't expecting that kind of craftsmanship when you cut it into.

Interesting video! Would be interesting to compare this one to the current Lundhags - seems to be pretty much a first version of the current Lundhags boot

Try woodland shoes They are famous for durability

I’d love to see the videos expanded to talk about the sock technology. When we wear full-rubber mid calf caulk boots they’re light flexible and comfortable all day. Lace-ups fit tight to the calf. But the only way to go is a bama sock over a wollie sock, the fibre combo leave the foot perfectly padded and very dry when the boot inside is soaked. So I’m sure troops or issuers would have worked out a similar uniquely matched under layer to make the best out of any boots and try to mitigate the problems caused by each boot.

Another hugely interesting video! You could open a boot museum. 😀 I’d certainly pay to see it.

I had the Norwegian Military Marching Boots (the M66) for a few years. I don't think it was rubberized like these Swedish boots, but it was as stiff as a board. It just didn't flex at all. So I wore that for a while, though probably not long enough to break it in. I just gave those boots up.

Swedish engineering is second to none. I sure want to see a comparison video of these and the US Jungle boots

Back in 1990s I bought 2 leather jackets one for me one for the brother in law in the Czech republic .The selling point was the fact that the leather was impregnated with silicone and was waterproof for ever living in California it does not get tested but I just got of skype the brother in-law says still waterproof . Could you take a minute some day and explain this process does it have a downside . Happy trails

I love these boots for snowshoe hiking. I just got a pair of the older (1958) all leather boots with leather soles. Never issued and they are sized in German sizes as opposed to European, whereas the 1959 boots are European sized. The quality is unparalleled.

These boots were our winter boots in the early 80-s. I'm not sure they were designated m59, because they belonged to the m58 wool uniform set. In summer we had all-leather boots, that were designated m59, with the m59 green cotton uniform. The winter boot was rarely used. Boots were not personal, but the same pair would be issued to a number of recruits, until it was worn out. This happened to me, as my very comfortable boots fell apart on a wet and cold november maneuvre. I pulled my winter boots from the pack and put them on. A day later my feet looked like beef tartar. So I switched to my ruined summer boots again and wrapped some leather straps around the ruined one. I was at least able to walk in it, until I was able to get a replacement. The brand new boots took a while to get used to, but they were nothing like the rubberized foot killers. Some years later I was issued the new m90. It was light and far less rugged. I didn't like it much, but held on to my pair after retiring from the army. In or around year 2010 I put my m90s on for a hike. After 5 km the soles crumbled and fell off. For some reason the m90 is designed to do that. I heard that it makes things easier if the army can just throw them away after their "consume by" date. It's a complete change of philisophy from the "dad's army" thinking that I was introduced into.

Lundhags make similar boots today like the forest 2 that are even made in sweden

As a Swed, it's cool to see a shoe that I have that I never thought would see the day of light on this channel.

You should consider cutting apart a pair of Swiss military ord.57 lowboots. They're constructed very similar to heritage boots and weigh probably 2kg! Theyre quite cheap and easy to find online too. Another great one would be the swiss KS90 combat boots. Theyre some of the best modern boots i own!

Reminds me a bit of my favorite hiking boot, the Vasque Sundowner. The made in Italy version!

You need the wool felt liner version of the Lundhags or preferably the almost unobtainable Jörnkängan boot. Those will keep you warm. These… I don’t know

In the picture at 3:20, Soviet Soldiers are marching as prisoners of war wearing felt boots "valenki". Felt boot is the best boot in dry and cold weather.

The boot needs to be as inflexible as it is, because it is being used as a skiing boot. You cannot have skiing boots which are flexible. In the Austrian Army you get two boots - normal field boots and the heavy boots, which are similar in as far as they can be used for skiing and thus have that lip to mount the skiis and are inflexible.

Have you tested the Swedish M90 boot? Those boots comfortably took my generation through military service. We tried out the M59 as well, but they were too uncomfortable for modern feet.

Used that boot in the -80:s during my service. Used with two pair of socks and a change of the outer pair of socks 2-3 times a day they worked perfekt. Just needed to air and dry the socks you changed for reuse.

I don't understand this folktale of these boots being issued to British Soldiers during the Falklands Conflict. As far as I remember we had the good old rubbish DMS which during the conflict failed as a combat boot, leaking like a sieve and caused trench foot. The DMS stayed in service during the 80's, with either rubber or nylon plastic insoles because they were issued to me with a set of puttees. It might have been that some smaller specialist units wore the Swedish boot or some purchased them personally to wear. It might even be that the Swedish boot was introduced to some as a stop gap after the conflict. They were not general issue. The DMS was retired around 1989 when the high leg boot took over as a direct result of their poor performance on the Falklands. The DMS was a poor boot that contributed the the frostbite I got in my big toe, they stayed wet for days.

I was issued those when I did my military service i Sweden, waay back 😂 Absolutely terrible boots😂 Got my CO:s permission to use my own Lundhags instead. Many of us did. My feet hurt from watching this😂

Side by side sounds great.

Doing my swedish military service 1982-83, I was issued these, for wet- and winterconditions. Nobody liked them due to the impossible break-in and general ugliness... Towards the end of my service I got my hands on the american jungle boots, which I proudly wore. The reason was mainly cosmetical, but the well-ventilated construction made them lovely for summer use, and I felt like a million dollars wearing them, mirror-shined of course...👍😀

Theres also a second version of this boot that isnt rubberised and is of a goodyear welt construction. It'll be interesting to see that one cut in half too

Hemp is used in plumbing, especially still in U.K. in plumbers red oakum and old fashioned plumbers pipe drop. ( Hemp swells when it gets wet) So has hemp ever been used in making shoes, boots?

Bought a pair of these after watching the Iron Snail video a couple months ago. I was expecting a broken-in pair of smelly old boots, but received what was obviously a deadstock surplus pair that had never seen another mans feet. And they were made in 1967! Cool to own a little piece of mint condition Swedish history.

If you want some completely waterproof rubber boots that are also surprisingly comfortable and made in the USA look for honeywell servus brand boots, i got a pair at fleet farm for under 30 bucks. They're pretty roomy and need a THICK insole to fill them out but that just means for room for comfort. I use mine for fishing sometimes so i can attest they really are completely waterproof. Also a note on the jungle boots, if theres a chance you're going to have to walk through water deeper than the top of the boot you would definitely want something that drains water rather than holding it.

I've owned these boots and used them for work/hiking. Unbelievably tough boots that only died when they fell off the back of my truck and got run over by the car behind me.

Would be really interesting to see a modern day winter book looked at, e.g., La Sportiva Nepal, Scarpa Mont Blanc! I'm sure they've come a long way from these.

You guys should totally examine the Austrian field boots Those things are beasts

Very interesting video! Cool boot that is Very different from its successor. I think the M59 would be Much pricier than the M90. I think the water here in Sweden is too cold for the jungle boot solution. A few months a year, the snow turns into slush. Essentially liquid ice that would freeze your feet if it got into the boots.

When I worked in second hand stores we would get several of these weekly. Noone bought them lol.

To me it's a bit of a different use case for the Swedish rubber boots and the US army jungle boots. The jungle boots are for hot climate where you want to evacuate the humidity while the Swedish boots are to keep the humidity out in cold climate.

Hello to France!! Excellent sujet, superbement raconté avec son coté technique qui vous réussit! Bravo!

I just like the square toe. Wish more boots had a nice wide square toe.

Id like to see some Oak Street trench boots cut in half. They are American made and appear to be high quality.

A comparison between the two would be great.

I think the center cut judge should have taken that metal grommet into consideration. 5.9 doesn't seem quite fair. lol These boots are wicked awesome. I'd love to have a pair. But even the coldest of central Georgia winters aren't' really cold enough for these.

Having spent a lot of time walking in a very wet environment, none of these boots would keep your feet dry on their own as water would always come over the top or wick down your trousers or find a way to get in, in horizontal, driving rain. You'll always need something like gaiters or overtrousers to cover the top of the boot and extend the waterproofing up to the knees or higher. And that was sometimes not enough to keep your feet dry..

Damn, son. That's really cool. If I was going to go all prepper, I'd get me some of these.

If you find a pair of full leather m59, I would like to hear your thoughts about them. Its a great boot, and the structure looks interesting. Quite comfortable too to wear with wool socks.

I have the black version (with rubber) of this boot as my hunting boot and two pairs of brown boots without the rubber as my daily winter boots :) They will most likely outlast me...