At work the other day, I had a junior NCO call me up, asking “What are Bug Out Shoes?”
The question kind of threw me, as it was pretty obvious, but then I thought about it. It was quite an old-fashioned term, and although I was perfectly aware of what was meant, the younger JNCO had no idea and had never heard of it.
Explanation:
Back in the days of heavy boots and smaller bergen space, it would be difficult to pack a spare pair of boots. So every soldier carried a pair of issued plimsolls or trainers in their Bergen. They were your “Bug Out Shoes”.
At night, we would take off our boots, and loosely put on a pair of trainers, so if attacked at night, we could “Bug Out” of the harbour area quickly and effectively without having to put boots on.
Always pack a pair of bug out shoes 😉
Army Training Channel 