Spats

[Retroscout]

When did they stop using spats or leggings? was it the 60's or 70's?

 

P.S. i have a pair and dont know how to lace them. would someone be able to help?

[dsteele]

Ahhh, spats.

 

I don't know when they left the regular use of the BSA. Is suspect it was before the '60's, but don't know for sure.

 

I used to wear them around the brambles of southwestern Michigan as a kid.

 

To lace them, first wrap the strap around the bottom of your boot, over the toe. Then take a pair of long laces and start at the bottom gromet as you would a tennis shoe. Even out the ends. Then go right over left until you get to the gromet on the top. Cross the laces as you would a shoelace, then wrap around the calf as needed and tie into a bow.

 

You're good to go.

 

Best of luck.

 

Unc.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There should be a buckle that hooks under the boot/shoe that can be tightened. The lacing goes to the outside of the leg. If you fail to lace them to the outside, they hooks will catch and lock together and cause you to stumble, fall, or walk with considerable difficulty.

 

I was a Scout in the 50's-60's era. The leggings were not used much by Scouts that I knew. The uniform that looked great, I thought, was the green Explorer uniform and the white leggings. The Boy Scout leggings were the khaki green. I would use the Boy Scout leggings on occasion to give my Class A uniform that little something extra. They were really too short to be of much use and they would pull on the pants once tucked inside and tightened.

 

Three of us got together and learned a little close order drill and became the unofficial Color Guard of the District. We even took it a step further. We visited the Army Navy Surplus store and purchased white leggings and some white braid to drape around our arms. We did it so well that few people questioned what we were doing but several wanted to know if the leggings and the cord were official. We assured them that it was just a creative twist but that it made us feel official, as if that meant something. I kept my white leggings and the cord all of these years just to remember the feeling of the march, the calls, and the ceremony. In my head, we were like the Army Color Guard, snappy, sharp, and inspirational. I am sure we were also kind of funny but that was not important to me.

 

FB

 

[fgoodwin]

Somewhere I have a copy of the official instructions that came with the white leggings. If I can find it, I'll scan it and email to anyone who wants it.

 

You can write me at fgoodwin at sbcglobal dot net