Red Wing Shoes
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Before ditching these, I decided to give them the soak break-in treatment. Figured the leather footbed would get a nice print if it was wet and soft and they’d loosen in the hot spots. Wore them in a bucket of warm water for 15-20 minutes and went for a run thru the hood. Changed socks and wore for most of the day while they dried. They’re still drying lol but it they seem totally transformed in a good way. Gonna take em for a spin once bone dry and report back. So far this may be a method to swear by, despite many people trashing it.
"The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
-Seneca -
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@ZackB they weren’t too bad to begin with because I’ve worn them quite a lot over the past couple years. They feel much more formed to my feet now though. Fully molded. The upper fits perfectly, the footbed is a bit better and more printed, but there’s still a slight hot spot under my left big toe. It’s def the foot and not the shoe. Gonna do the soak on another pair next. All in all, it helped. Main thing I learned with a soak-n-wear is to make sure they dry well with a fan and sunlight.
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@WhiskeySandwich sounds like you found a new method and glad it worked out for you. I accidentally tried that me method in a river one time with one boot haha. Keep us updated when you try it on another pair.
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@WhiskeySandwich Thanks for reporting on your experience. I’m glad to hear that it’s worked out for you. I have a pair of Red Wing Chelseas’ that are probably a half size too small. I have other Red Wing boots and know the break in can be tough from experience, but these Chelsea boots are still uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. I could probably get away with the length, although my right toe is almost touching the front of the boot, it’s the width that bothers me the most. Do you think soaking them would stretch out the width and toe box area?
Would love to hear your feedback and thanks in advance.
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@Denman-John might be worth taking them to a good cobbler and getting them stretched. I've had that work for me before on shoes that were a touch too tight.
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The collection, some of these are close to 15 years old now and have seen some heavy use
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@Denman-John honestly, if you can get your foot in the boot, a soak would probably make it fit like a sock. There are certain obvious risks to the method, but if the only other options are going to cost you money and you’re not going to wear them otherwise, it’s worth it.
Couple more notes: my leather felt a hint dry afterwards for a day, but the oils from the tannery won that battle and it feels soft and oily again without me doing anything. The insides took days to fully dry, so beware of mildew. Out of caution I did wipe the insides with some fancy vinegar (they don’t stink) and left them in the sun during the day and in front of a fan at night. It kinda sucks wearing soaked boots for a day, and it’s pretty silly for the first hour. Change socks after a while and let the feet dry out a bit. Thick wool socks! The method is probably not for everyone, and there’s no guarantee it’ll work, but I like the results."The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
-Seneca -
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@NickD those look great man. How is the ridgeway sole?
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@WhiskeySandwich Thanks for the quick reply. I’m thinking of giving them to my son as his feet are a bit smaller than mine. If he doesn’t want them then I’ll probably give them the WhiskeySandwich hot water treatment. Yeah, I can get my feet into them no problem, they are just tight - mainly the right as that foot is a little bigger than my left. The left boot feels ok so the right doesn’t have to stretch all that much.
@NickD The only local cobbler is mid at best. I don’t really trust him after he messed up a resole he did for me and put on a different colour sole than I asked for. It’s a one man shop and he’s always swamped with repairs. The next cobbler is over 60kms away and don’t know what he’s like quality wise.
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@ZackB I've had Ridgeway soles before and they are one of my favourites, a good compromise between grip and hard wearing. I like the profile better than Dainite, and definitely better than the cork soles that were on there.
@Denman-John I'm lucky that my local cobbler is Shoehealer who have a great reputation globally, not just here in the UK. Really good cobblers are hard to find.
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@tody yeah I always found them super nice . I understand the back up idea
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Found some lightly use 2953s that I’m digging. It’s a damn shame they don’t make a decent wedge soled boot on the #8 last anymore
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Found a very old, but never worn pair of 877. Already the first steps suggest that the break in process should be much more pleasant than in the 1907...
