Tanker boot - Definition

Tanker boots are military boots closely associated with soldiers who serve on tanks. Whereas regular combat boots are laced through metal eyelets in the leather upper, the tanker boots are fastened with leather straps that wrap around the shaft. This makes the boot resistant to causing injury to the foot and lower leg in case of a vehicle fire by minimizing the amount of heat-conducting metal in the shoe. An unauthorized variant of the tanker boot is the Cav boot which is higher above the ankle (in imitation of riding boots worn by the old horse cavalry) and might be worn by soldiers assigned to divisional cavalry squadrons and scout units.