h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The best boots I have ever had are the (old*) German ex army boots.
Not only are they incredibly comfortable & waterproof (sewn in tongue) but they have an ingenious lacing system; at the part of the boot where the laces turn from going along the foot to going up the leg, there is a gap between the lace holes. There are two large hooks which you hook the laces through. This makes putting on & (especially) removing the boots incredibly fast; to remove, you undo the knot at the top, pull them apart to get some slack, unhook the laces from the hooks & pull the boots open; no lacing/unlacing needed.
Instead of eye holes, the boots use short lengths of tubing, which also speeds up the movement of the laces.

The hooks also clamp the laces once they are drawn tight. This allows you to vary the tightness of the lacing between the foot & the leg.

*They seem to have changed the specifications of the boots about ten years ago; the newer models don't seem to be of the same quality of build. They certainly don't last as well.

Thanks for the original post, It brought back a lot of great and painfull memories, In my Regiment however (1QLR) Ive heard all the jokes b4 you start, on exercise we wore dm's, very comfy, hi leg were of course used in barracks and on parade...once again thanks for a grand article

We knew these as German Para Boots as the Bundeswehr were originally issued with shorter versions of the wartime 'dice shaker'. I suppose they all wear lace-up boots now.