OT: Breaking in new leather boots

[Cicli]

So, I just spent a pile on a new pair or RedWing Heritage boots. Does anyone have any tips on breaking them in without causing damage to them? They are beautifully made and I want them to last as long as possible once they are broken in. Right now I am wearing them in short spurts and have treated them with a bit of Proofide.

Thoughts?

[redir]

Put them on, lace them up, and start walking ;)

[AngryScientist]

i have a pair of the heritage boots myself, beckmans specifically.

they actually broke in a bit quicker than i expected. just keep doing what you're doing, wearing them is really the only way to break them in to your particular feets

[XJBaylor]

I also own a pair of Beckman 9016's (wearing them right now actually) and will repeat what others are saying...just wear them. Maybe you could do something like wear thicker socks to help them stretch just a bit, but don't do anything to the leather if you want it to last for a lifetime.

Good plan wearing them in short doses, you want to break them in, not the other way around.

[goonster]

I have a pair of Alico hiking boots that started out like blocks of concrete. Almost too stiff to walk in comfortably.

After lounging around the house with them occasionally, for a couple of weeks, they softened up very gradually. The perspiration generated just by having them on does a better job than any dressing you can apply to the outside.

[bikerboy337]

Just wear them around for a bit every day for about a week and they'll break right in... i just wouldn't recommend a long day in them before they're broken in and softened up...

I've still got my original pair of steel toed/steel shank redwings that I got as an entry level field scientist back in 1998, still great shoes and they've seen tons of use (and I mean tons)... great shoes...

[Tandem Rider]

I wear out a pair of boots (through the soles) about every year and a half. Only way to break them in is to wear them. Often. I like to wear them 1/2 days for the first week or so and then its just go. They wear in faster than you think they will. Steel toes fit different and are absolutely miserable if its not perfect so take the time to get it right. Good boots BTW.

[Tickdoc]

So, I just spent a pile on a new pair or RedWing Heritage boots. Does anyone have any tips on breaking them in without causing damage to them?
Thoughts?
Awesome boots that will last many many years.

I still have a pair of redwing work/hunting boots that I bought in '95.

If they were for work or use in the field I would say get them wet and wear them wet to help break them in, but with a pair of heritage, you just have to wear them.

[Dr Luxurious]

Treat them with:

https://www.pecard.com/product-category/classic/

Apply, let them sit in a warm place for 24 hrs, repeat. Do it once a week for a month. Then once a month for 3 months. Then whenever they seem dry or after they've been in heavy rain / snow.

[Bob Ross]

I remember (back in the 1970s when I occassionally wore cowboy boots) being told by several diehard bootwearers that the party-line was to fill your new boots with water, put them on, and then wear them until they were dry.

:confused:

I did not take them up on their suggestion.

[azrider]

My Redwing sh*t-kickers are going on 17 years of service......damn things feel like socks.

[biker72]

Red Wing boots will last forever with normal use.

Before I started cycling I would walk to work 3-4 days a week, 6 miles round trip with a pair of Redwings. I had the bottoms resoled by Redwing 3 times before the uppers wore out.

[azrider]

I use mink oil on mine about every other year.....being in the desert they tend to dry out a bit so a quick cleaning and mink oil application have kept mine in great condition

[fuzzalow]

Good things like Red Wing boots and leather jackets and stuff like that is best when they have acquired the well worn patina from having gone through lots of time and lots of use. A good pair of boots like Red Wings or Weston, or a nice leather jacket like a Langlitz, will easily last a lifetime or more - to be handed down to the next generation.

Red Wings are not normally worn as polished boots, right? So apply some Obenauf's heavy duty leather protectant to the boot and wear the heck outta them. Obenauf's will darken the leather a little but it fades back a little to original color - mink oil I wouldn't use, it darkens the color almost permanently. I dunno if Red Wing takes boots back to be resoled & recrafted because if they do, those boots will last forever because there is almost no reason to wear out the leather uppers under normal use, even rough use. Just don't dry out and rot the leather.

Lotsa good American crafted shoe companies to consider too although they will cost more because they are made in 'murika. Weston boot, Alden shoes & boots, Quoddy, Russell. If you can, try to buy this type of good - quality stuff not meant to be consumed as throw-away which bucks the trend in a consumer, throw-away society.

[AngryScientist]

I dunno if Red Wing takes boots back to be resoled & recrafted because if they do, those boots will last forever because there is almost no reason to wear out the leather uppers under normal use, even rough use. Just don't dry out and rot the leather.

.

the red wings beckmans, at least are definitely USA mad, goodyear welted boots made to be resoled and last a lifetime. mine are the black cherry color and redwings sells a very good shoe cream to keep them looking good. they wear really nicely and mine are starting to look good and broken in. got caught out in a thunderstorm of epic proportions on the motorcycle with them on this spring, and they were none the worse for the wear.

[Cicli]

Well, I made it half a day working around the house. Gave them a hour rest then went the rest of the day. These are going to be awesome boots once broken in and showing some patena.
Mine are the 9014 Beckmans are are going to be my favorite shoes by far. Super nice.

[Cicli]

Well, I walked through the bottoms of the Beckmans and sent them in for a resole. While I was there I picked up another pair of the Heritage Merchants. These boots are like slippers and I wouldnt trade them for anything. Just wear them and treat them.

You spend alot of time on your feet. Get nice shoes. :banana:

[Tandem Rider]

2 years, not too bad for spending a lot of time on your feet. Great boots make the days a lot better.

[zzy]

I did a light coat of Obanaufs oil (not the heavy duty stuff) on my Iron Rangers before breaking them in. Definitely helps ease the break-in process. You cannot go wrong with a pair of Red Wings. BTW I believe all RWs are a proper goodyear welt, so they can be resoled indefinitely.

[Cicli]

I did a light coat of Obanaufs oil (not the heavy duty stuff) on my Iron Rangers before breaking them in. Definitely helps ease the break-in process. You cannot go wrong with a pair of Red Wings. BTW I believe all RWs are a proper goodyear welt, so they can be resoled indefinitely.

Yeah, figured I would ease into amother pair before I send the old ones out for a resole. Redwing wants 100 to do the job. Not bad for more life in great boots. The uppers are very nice and soft.