breaking in new boots

[brad 1]

hi fellas i know this may be a bit of a lame 13 year old's question but ill ask anyway
can any of you guys recomend a quick way (that wont rip my ancles apart) of breaking in a new pair of boots as i need them in 7 days time.
if it helps they are standard british assault boots.

also what would you recomend for keeping them in good condition with regards to keeping water out.

many thanks.

brad.

[BillySing]

Go for a 14 km jog in them. If your blisters develop on your heels, apply copious amounts of methylated spirits and/or rock salt. It'll not only break in your boots, but toughen you up.

[Jarhead]

well brad, the first few miles in new boots are always a bit hard. But if you wear them the whole day you won´t have problems with it.Get used to the boots.
To keep them in good condition clean them after every use, make them look like they were new and you gonna have them a long time.

[Freibier]

Here's what I do when breaking in leather boots.
Shoecreme them up real good to soften the leather.
Buy some anti-blister gel patches and place them on your heels - they can be had in any drugstore and are worth every penny:
http://www.quick-pharma.de/artikelbilder/7705465.jpg
Wear one or two pairs of thick socks and have a long walk.
After the walk, rinse and repeat one or two times and your boots are good to go.

[RadarGreg]

I guess it depends on the type of boots you have. I'm not familiar with the Brit assault boots. In basic, they told us to wear the new boots while taking a shower. The idea was the water would soften up the leather and give you a better fit. Saddle soap can also be used on some types of hard leather. It cleans and softens the leather. If you decide to go for the force march method of breaking in the boots, wear some thin socks, or thigh high panty hose (no jokes, please) and then some thicker socks over them. The thin socks will act as a barrier between your feet and the boots and socks. Make sure you lace them up well enough to prevent slipping. There are also products you can rub on your feet to help them become less likely to blister. It looks like a fat tube of Chap Stick. Most drug stores should carry it.

[Jarhead]

Dont know...but I have never got problems with blisters.
the 2 socks method isnt bad, you have to try a few things brad

[Herrmannek]

You are fukked then... Breaking boots is not about breaking boot but about breaking foot to fit into boot, most of the time... If its first time you wear this kind of boot and you've got blisters already, you will get blisters for month or so :) after that you can probably wear any kind of such boot without significant breaking period and no blisters... Also what causes most of the bad things to your feet is humidity, keeping water out of the skin will prevent most of the harm, some uses powders, multiple socks, airflow-insoles or whatever, but there is no best way.. I like double socks, one thick on the outer side and thin inside...

[brad 1]

cheers for the speedy replys guys ill give the two pairs of socks a go

[Eoin666]

To my mind once you get blistered by a particular pair of boots, psychologically it preys in your mind, also it depends on how ****e you are to blistering, I've got a bit of a boney spur on my heel so I always suffered, but more with hiking type boots than military.

Feet can be toughened by soaking in salt water for a few days beforehand, make sure your socks are good quality and and pulled up, no seams or rucking, if using insoles make sure they fit well and the edges of them don't apply pressure to your feet. Boots, that they FIT well, pulled tight and not slipping, to soften the leather manipulate them by hand, rub in some dubbin and wear around the house or to work all day long, there are plenty of leather w-proofing things out there ranging from good old dubbin to Nikwax stuff, check out hiking shops or motor bike clothing dealers.

[fc12]

hey Brad,
if you are using the current assault boots, they really dont take much breaking in, the leather is very supple already and if you have a PROPERLY fitted pair, you shouldnt have too many problems with blisters..if you can, wear them as much as possible over the next week..honestly, just going out for a 'one-off' 10 mile blast to try and break them in is guaranteed to f**k you up..they dont need it. Two pairs of socks, as Herrmannek says is a winner and waterproofing wise, unless you are planning to be soaked up to your knees day after day, these boots are pretty good when treated with dubbin or Nik-wax like Eoin666 says..lots of good advice in his post btw:) . Im assuming these are for field use only?..you can try neatsfoot oil too, very effective waterproofer but can soften the leather too much... Good fitting is the big thing mate..if the boots dont fit, it doesnt matter what you do to them, how many pairs of socks etc

edit..

sorry, when I joined up we were using Boots, Combat, High..these buggers were proper shin breakers..a 'slight' improvement from the DMS (which Ive also worn btw!) Assault boots are like trainers in comparison, they really dont need the soaking in hot water/ urine stuff that was needed 20 years ago..just wear them as much as you can..

[Jaeger07]

Hi! I have followed this procedure with most of my boots:


If you have more than 3 days:

Wear some cumfy sock and wear your boots all day for as long as you can - use them inside. By walking and just having your boots on you will brake them in in a easy and gentile way. Take some long walks (5 km or so) if yu can.



If you have less than 3 days:

Tape up your feet with strong sport-tape. Dont use compeed or anti-blister gel patches, as they will melt under too much friction.

Soak your boots in warm water.

Put them tight on your feet.

Walk/jog in the woods / rugged terrain for atleast 2 hours a day.

[bluffcove]

Dubbin apply a lot of it, work it right into the leather and leave it in a room to soak in, do it daily should end up soft enough if you do that every evening and wear them every day.

[brad 1]

just finished putting loads of dubbin on them and plan on wearing them most of the week for work.

i must admit they dont feel to bad at the moment ive been in them all day whilst working on my house and no pain. i may just have been a little worried as the last time i broke a pair of boots like these in was about fifteen years ago when i was a cadet and suffered badly for a week or so.

as one guy asked yes they are current issue assault boots so hopefully all wont be too bad.

cheers guys many thanks

[Ubar]

Dont use compeed or anti-blister gel patches

I'm not sure about melting, but compeed is ****. It is alright for the first few miles but once you start sweating and if the area is under a lot of rubbing it will come unstuck and cause you more problems than you would have done with zinc oxide tape

[Pete031]

soak them. Wear them around all day as they dry.

[Adam Wilhelm]

Pete031 and Jaeger07 is spot on.

1) Tape your feet and put on socks of wool.
2) Soak the boots in warm water.
3) Take your wet boots for a hike in the woods.

If you don´t tape your feet or don´t get the boots wet it will take days and weeks to break your boots in.

[zonk]

wear the boots for a week, make sure to wear thick socks. if you have the time go out walking. this is how i always break mny boots in. once broken in add some insoles

[seraosha]

Well I'll go ahead and get laughed at, but when breaking in my last pair of boots I used a pair of nylon foot socks under thick army issue socks (ask your mom for an old pair). No hot patches, no blisters, and broke the boots in just fine. I've had them 14 years now, and they are as good as new. When you love your feet enough to buy them the very best, buy these (http://www.corcoranandmatterhorn.com/ItemDisplay.asp?Style=6001949&CategoryID=48).

[bluffcove]

a pair of boots that last 14 years, mine barely last six months! that is some care regime youve got going on!

[seraosha]

Saddle soap, kiwi edge dressing, a sharpie pen for gouges, and avoiding concertina wire as much as possible.

[Pete031]

I broke in the old school desert boots by doing a 13km hump one time.... Only time my feet have bothered me. They were ****ed.

[sexyhamburger]

the guys that are telling you to soak em for a day and then wear them are right mate. Thats what we do in the Canadian Army and it works. You don't need anything fancy just hot water.

[GETSOME]

soak them. Wear them around all day as they dry.
Yeh thats what they used to tell us as well,or piss in them and wear them,never did that,dont know if they were bull****ting or not:)

[kayaker]

I had gotten my two pairs for four days before I had to wear them. They're brilliant, never had any problems with blisters. Just goes to show if the boot fits well there is no need to break it in.

As for Compete, I found the stuff brilliant and didnt notice any melting problems even though I used it on a multiday trek when my feet were properly fooked from a dodgy pair of boots... Much better than "Second Skin".


GRAPHIC p-)


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/RyanWoods/PC290285.jpg

[cagey veteran]

you need to shave those feet soldier

[Ubar]

graphic??

Taken 2 weeks apart after various distances wearing issue boots-
http://shed-o-love.com/IMG_0716.JPG
http://shed-o-love.com/IMG_0738.JPG

Ain't tabbing brilliant rofl

[StukaJr]

^^ yikes! I did that once in 2 hours, hurtful memories...

I was told to soak my socks in Rubbing Alcohol and wear the boots - worked pretty well but then I didn't go on to do anything excessively outside of the Civilian life...

[USMC Tanker]

When I get new boots, I just wear them almost constantly for a week or so, even around the house.

[Jarhead]

that looks nasty ubar

[XxDrAg0nxX]

ARGHHHhhh MY EYES!!

I didnt have any problem with by Bates M9 last time, it was like a perfect comfortable fit last time. The more I wore it, the better fitting it was.

Probably because the paddings inside were thick...

[kayaker]

you need to shave those feet soldier

Cagey, never heard or read about this. I know that hair is not healthy to have around open wounds, is this the link? Please explain....

[bluffcove]

dont shave your feet youll get ingrowing hairs and you'll go down.

[zonk]

the army issue black all leather boots were a bitch to break in, tookme a month to get them comfortable...

the bates black jungel broke in properly in about 2 weeks and were very confortable as were the altama's the alatama had a soft sole that wore out too fast and i have had to re sole them twice already

the old desert boots.. about 2 days to break in but wear out in 3 1/2 months if worn everyday, I have 8 pair of them in my closet right now that need to be resoled

bellevilles break in in about 2 days and the tread stays on them for a while...i have yet to completely wear a pair out yet and that is after a full year of wearing them every day

these army issue bellevill replacements have a softer sole and are wearing out after 11 months. vibrams soles are the **** though i have to admit

all of these boots i wear constantly for atleas t a week or two to get properly broke in. i wear thick socks with them to prevent blisters or hot spots

[Pete031]

Cagey, never heard or read about this. I know that hair is not healthy to have around open wounds, is this the link? Please explain....

I believe he is just making fun of the fact that they look like hobbits feet in the picture.