Boot/Shoe Break-In Advice?
-
Regarding the expensive footwear we all covet, do any of you have some advice for breaking them in? My latest boots (custom Wesco Jobmasters) are some stiff sucka's! they are lace-to-toe and I think they are going to give me some "hot spots" near the toes until they relax. Nothing worse than a $600.00 second thought…
I realize (hope!) wearing them will eventually do the trick, but I just want to speed-up the process... Thanks in advance for the help!
-
I'm all ears also. My White's need to break in as well after 2 hours wear my feet were throbbing. Kinda reminds me when I bought my Redwings. My Alden's never needed to break in they were like slippers from day 1.
-
slow and steady always worked for me. Bring moleskin, or whatever product you can get at the drug store that is basically cloth tape so you can apply it to area's on your foot that start to blister up. When I break in a boot, I always bringa pair of sneakers along with me to change into when the process gets too serious. Gradually increase wear-time as the days go by. FWIW, the Wesco's I have tried on seemed like break in would be a very long and difficult process, but worth it in the end
-
Part of that is the heat generated until the boot wears enough to dissipate it through the break-in process, usually a few days to a week…so don't tie extra tight...or not at all if you are just sitting around....if you can wear them off and on...and the other is just the stiffness, especially if leather lined. The various boot oils do help, although some of the finish may darken or change color.
-
nice thread idea, i'll be looking to pick-up tips & tricks. . . . but i have fortunately never had issue with blisters & the sort when breaking in a new pair of anything.
some serious dedication
-
not for the faint hearted.
Pee in them, or ask your buddy to do it if you can't. Let them soak a while, pour excess out, put them on, go for a 5 mile walk. Let them dry to your feet.
very old trick, but works yhere is something in urea that makes leather softer.
If you can't stand peeing in your boots, go and buy some urea, mix it with water and use that. Rest is same procedure.
Have fun breaking in your 500$ boots
-
not for the faint hearted.
Pee in them…
-
not for the faint hearted.
Pee in them, or ask your buddy to do it if you can't. Let them soak a while, pour excess out, put them on, go for a 5 mile walk. Let them dry to your feet.
very old trick, but works yhere is something in urea that makes leather softer.
If you can't stand peeing in your boots, go and buy some urea, mix it with water and use that. Rest is same procedure.
Have fun breaking in your 500$ boots
So do your boots smell like urine after that? Think I'd rather have blisters.
-
well, fresh urine (the colorless one, not that one you give when you wake up in the morning) is pretty much odorless.
Or as I said use urea powder mixed with water. Ofcourse there is some smell, but it goes away.
BTW, I've yet to have boots that stiff that they would have needed this treatment. The ones I got from VO, German military boots nearly made me do it…
-
Obenaufs LP, I think.
Wear them for a couple of hours each day for a few days, it should work. -
Thanks for all the replies! I think I'll skip the pissing thing and just wear them a while every day or so. I wore them around the house for a couple of hours (not much movement, just watching TV) and they relaxed way more than I would have anticipated in just that short while. They have already been treated with a heavy application of LP (I did know they would be stiff in the beginning!), so I guess that helped too.
They're already pretty comfortable in the soles but the toe box seems to be very close to my toes and is creating a tight spot. These are the 2nd pair of boots that I have bought recently that are the lace-to-toe design, (I also got some White's Outdoorsman boots in the last month), so I guess I'd better get used to them!
-
You can fill them with warm water and wear them around. I like to coat the inside with a leather balm and heat them up with a heat gun, then slip them on and wear them for a few hours.
