The Surprising Amount Of Maintenance Needed For Canadian Mountie Uniforms

The Toronto Star further reports that the official list of RCMP clothing is an impressive 166 items long, with the basic clothing kit for each officer coming in at 121 items — "regular operational clothing and dress uniforms," said Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay. Mounties are expected to buy their own basics like shirts and gloves, and of course there's the sheer number of hours that must be devoted to shining those Stracona boots, which retail for $500.

The boots are handcrafted by the Alberta Boot Company and, like the Red Serge, custom fit to each cadet at the RCMP Academy, which boasts its own leather shop, per Insider. Once a trainee has their boots, they are expected to apply "20 to 40 different coats of polish on them so that they no longer look one-dimensional." According to Tourism Regina, boots must be shined for a minimum of 25 hours before they are deemed appropriate for public wear. Luckily, cadets are no longer expected to purchase the boot polish required to bring their boots to a three-dimensional sheen; an order from Queen Elizabeth II means the polish is now provided free of charge.