How to wear the Army Cadet Uniform

Everyone wants a nice looking uniform to be proud of, but not everyone can figure it out on their own (this webmaster included).   So in this section, we want to show you some of the tips and techniques that cadets use so they can balance a loonie on their creases and use their parade boots instead of a mirror.

2415 Cadet Uniform Standard (2014-09)

  • Includes:
    • How to wear the dress uniform;
    • Where your rank and qualification badges go;
    • Examples of how to wear the uniforms (PT Gear and Civilians are considered uniforms and are in this booklet).

General Wearing of the Uniform:

Green star cadets are actually taught a class on how to wear the cadet uniform.  We’ve provided a link to the Instructor’s Guide for M107.05 so you can have the exact same notes your instructors do.

We’ve also got a few other tips and tricks that we’ve collected to help you out.

Shining Boots:

What You Need:

  • Kiwi Shoe Polish, Black (other brands maywork, but kiwi works faster)
  • Kiwi Cloth (or soft lint-free cloth)
  • Old Toothbrush
  • Small (really small) water dish
  • Old Towel or newspaper to cover your work area.
  • Kiwi Neutral Polish (Optional.  Some cadets do a coat of neutral every 10th layer)

What you NEVER Need:

  • Lighters or matches
  • silicone spray
  • liquid polish
  • floor varnish
  • hairspray
  • Someone else to do the work for you!

Technique #1: Base Coat

This video was shot by WO1 Burke of 5 Air Cadet Squadron.  She does a good job of shining boots using the base coat method.

Note: You only need to base coat your boots if they are brand new or recently stripped of polish.

Technique #2: No Base Coat (Capt Scott Method)

This is the same technique as #1, but start the video at 6:40 and use sooo little polish that you can still see the yellow through the polish on your cloth.

Capt Scott preferes to do 10-15 small coats as opposed to 5 base coats and 5 shine coats.  It allows you to better control the shine and you won’t need to strip your boots as often.  Using neutral does a better job of removing swirls with this method compared to Technique #1.

 

Lacing Boots:

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There are more links and videos out there.  If you find one you think we need ot post here, email us at 2415Gonzaga@hotmail.ca.

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