What is a booted cable? A "booted" patch cable is a cable that has a molded plastic boot that is either integral to the connector, or "slips" on the RJ45 connector and a portion of the cable itself. Sometimes a booted cable is also referred to as a "strain-relief" cable, which is exactly the purpose of the boot.
There are two main types of boots that you will encounter, a separate boot that you can purchase to put on a cable that you're making on your own, which we will be highlighting here, or when you buy a manufactured cable that has an injection-molded boot.