Footwraps are rectangular pieces of cloth that are worn wrapped around the feet to avoid chafing, absorb sweat and improve the foothold. Footwraps were worn with boots before socks became widely available, and remained in use by armies in Eastern Europe until the beginning of the 21st century.
Footwraps used by the Finnish Army until the 1990s
One method of putting on footwraps
A Soviet soldier drying his footwraps. 1962 painting by Y.G. Gorelov.
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. Traditionally made of leather or rubber, modern boots are made from a variety of materials.
Ancient Greek pair of terracotta boots. Early geometric period cremation burial of a woman, 900 BC, Ancient Agora Museum, Athens
Oxhide boots from Loulan, Xinjiang, China. Former Han dynasty 220 BC – AD 8
A pair of ISO 20345:2004 compliant S3 steel-toed safety boots designed for construction workers
A pair of hobnailed boots