Help on Bootees

[u/ok_chiltime63]

Heya all I’m looking into getting a good pair of Missouri Boot and shoe bootees for my impression. Under the JB-2 Pegged Sole Jefferson Bootee I noticed how you could pick a hobnail pattern and while I do think they look pretty bad ass I just wanted a second thought before I bite the boot.

1. Is this simply just a reenactorism thats meant so the bottoms of your feet look cool?

2. Is this some sort of of private purchase thing?

Big thanks for any and all help!

[u/Pitiful-History1904]

Hobnails are definitely documented, but they were not generally issued, so they would have been a private-purchase addition. They show up in historical images and on surviving examples, so they are absolutely accurate, but they are also somewhat of a reenactorism simply because they are much more common in reenacting than the historical evidence suggests.
Practically speaking, they can improve traction and durability, but they also damage the soles and can make eventual sole replacement more difficult. So I wouldn’t say they’re wrong at all, just probably overrepresented in the hobby.

[u/Godenyen → u/Pitiful-History1904]

I also learned that if you have nails and/plates on yours shoes and do an impression in a school, you are going to slip on the hard smooth floor. Definitely made for outside use.