The padded cold weather clothing liners have been covered on the blog before, with a range of trousers, parka liners and smock liners. Very similar in construction to these liners, tonight we are looking at a pair of quilted Arctic extreme cold weather bootees:These are commonly referred to as ‘duvet boots’ by troops and were issued for wear inside tents and shelters in extreme low temperatures as a form of slipper. They are made of green polyester with a padded lining, secured in with zig-zag quilting stitching:The top edge of each bootee is secured with green tape:Whilst stitched inside the top edge is a piece of elastic to help trap a pocket of air inside the bootee:This pocket of air is warmed up by the wearer’s feet and acts as a very effective layer of insulation and helps keep the feet warm.

An NSN number, date and inspector’s mark are stamped into the interior of the bootee:These seem to be dated 1990, but the stamp is so distorted that it is hard to be certain.

In this kit layout for a Royal Marine undergoing arctic training, the bootees can be seen circled:I have struggled to find much more information on these bootees, and I cannot say when they entered service, how effective they were nor even if they are still in service. If anyone can shed further light on them, please comment below.