Shoelaces

Unless your rock climbing with them I don’t see abrasion coming into the picture……..I’ve been wearing some version of that shoe 365 days a year for going on 50 years without abrasion issues and i’m a walking talking mayhem machine! (Especially 30 years ago) The boots have always give up the ghost before the laces. 😎
 
Yes, it all depends on how you use them.
I have two duffles full of old boots, most have original laces, but a few don't.

Since the original question was about laces never matching the life of the shoe, I expect it might be relevant.

Plenty of rocks, but IIRC it was mostly sharp metal edges on equipment, sometimes the dog tag, maybe a little from rope burns if you descend rapidly. (I'm not a recreational rock climber but from similar experiences if you are abrading your laces while rock climbing, they probably aren't your biggest issue).

Thinking about it, I should start tossing all that crap as I just cleared my clothing record at CIF for retirement. Maybe I'll keep my first set from 1986 if I find them.
 
If your getting the feller that went down the rope before you dog tags caught up in your shoe laces your definitely going down the rope too fast! 😆

I reckon you were actually using those boots in their intended environment (military) then yah…….I’m just a hardcore civilian that can appreciate well built apparel. Thank you for your service! 🙂