When your feet are cold or in pain, you can be pretty miserable. There are ways to keep your feet happy when you are wearing any kinds of boots. From hobnail boots to work boots, breaking the boots in before you need to wear them a lot can make a world of difference for you and your feet.
Tips for Breaking In Your Hobnail Boots:
- Use a stick. Take a mop stick or a broom stick or any really sturdy stick and put that in your boot. If there is a part of the boot that is very tight, you should place the stick in question so that this part of your boot is targeted. You can then bend the boot to stretch out the leather over the stick. You can also buy devices to something similar to combat boots and even waterproof boots can be stretched this way. You will be able to see a noticeable difference in how your hobnail boots look after you have stretched out the leather.
- Use hot water. Most men and women who are in the military use hot water to break in their army authorized boots. Take a bucket of hot water and put your hobnail boots in that so that they are totally immersed in the hot water. You need to let your hobnail boots sit in the water for at least one half hour. If your boots are made some some kinds of leather, such as finished leather, you may need to leave them in longer. You may have to add more hot water if it cools too much. Take the boots out and get rid of all the excess water. Put on some socks and wear the boots for about one half hour.
- Try cold water. This another way many people get comfortable boots. Take a zip lock bag and fill it with cold water. Get all air out of the bag before you seal it. Place the water filled bag in your boot. The water in the bag needs to be angled towards the problem area in the boots. Take the boots and put them in your freezer. You should leave your boots in there at least overnight. Water expands when it freezes so that expansion can stretch the leather on your boots and make them fit better. When you take the boots out of the freezer, leave the ice filled bag in the boot until is has melted completely.
- Try some oil. You can buy leather conditioner or oil. Mink oil is often used for this. Take the oil or the conditioner and apply it liberally to the boots in the problem areas where they are too tight. Let this set overnight (at least). Take a dry cloth or sponge and remove the excess conditioner or oil. The conditioner or oil will relax the leather in the areas where it was placed and will make the boots more comfortable.
- Wear your boots. If you have some time, the best way to break in hobnail boots is really to wear them a lot. You never want to start wearing new boots just before you need them. Whether you are talking about work boots or hiking boots, you should work on breaking them in before you need to be wearing and working or hiking in them a lot. It is never a good idea to start a hike with new boots.
- Start with boots that fit. If the boots are not the right size and do not fit well, there is no amount of breaking in that will change that. You should really take your time when you are buying new boots to make sure they fit your feet correctly. That is the most important factor when buying new boots.
- Buy more than one pair. If you are going to use these boots for work, you should buy at least two pairs of the boots you like so that you can switch them out and break them in. Switching out the boots will help them last longer.
By taking the time to get boots that fit you properly and then break them in, you will make your feet much happier. This is always a good thing.
