Breaking in boots

[tikkat3]

I have some danner pronghorns that I bought earlier this year for this season, and have put about 30km in the mountains on them, but the heels on em are still stiff as hell and now that I'm trying to get ready for my hunts I'm all blistered up.

They are size 10, I am a size 9.5...the guy at hub sports said it's good to go a half size bigger for extra socks, etc.

Right now I'm wearing moleskin, then hiking liner socks with merino wool socks on top of that. I added a dr.sholls memory foam footbed too but that hasn't helped...

Hiking in them hasn't softened them up, what should I do?

Do I just walk into a creek and hike them dry?

[Avalanche123]

Hmmmm that sucks. I always wear one pair of socks and fit all my foot wear that way. Sounds to me like they may be a little big which causes your foot to lift.

I was thinking of getting this same boot as it was my understanding that they required little break in time.

How does the boot feel with only one pair of socks? Are your feet prone to blisters? (My wife is chronic for blisters on her heels)

I also wonder if perhaps your heel is too high off the sole of the boot which would cause your heel to contact the back of the boot prematurely.

I guess if you are gonna get your boots real wet, do it before you go and dry them slowly followed by a good waterproof treatment to keep the leather soft.

Good luck!

[Bow Walker]

Sell 'em! Then go get a pair that fits you. When you're trying boots on, wear the socks that you'll be hiking in. That way the boots will fit you proper. Half size bigger? What bullshit. Tell the salesperson that they better get their head outta their ass!

[Wild one]

Boots can make or break a hunt don't screw around with a boot that don't fit wright. I would go buy a new set because if you are not going to be comfortable you will not want to hike as far as you may need to. Don't listen to a sales man listen your feet next time.

[rifleman]

yeah i think they are to big & there is to much movement. I just bought a new pair of AKU montana hikers. they fit like a glove to my foot. I went for a hike for the first time in them & no blisters.

[rishu_pepper]

+1 they're probably too big.

I'm a size 9.5-10, but my Meindl's are 8.5 and fits like a dream. Those salespersons down at the Meindl store know what they're talking about.

[dime]

+1 they're probably too big.

I'm a size 9.5-10, but my Meindl's are 8.5 and fits like a dream. Those salespersons down at the Meindl store know what they're talking about.

The Meindl's at AJ brooks are all in UK sizes, so an 8.5 is really a 9.5 in north american sizing.

[Krico]

Boots a size too big are fine-if you're standing around on a frozen lake, looking down the hole waiting for a fish to bite. Boots too big for hiking in will cause heel slip, and...blisters.

[stanway]

Like guys have said, wear the socks you will be hiking in - one pair. Boots will stretch a bit and allow you to wear another thin pair of socks in cooler weather.

That salesperson needs a smack upside the head. Every shoe/boot manufacturer sizes and fits slightly different. Keep trying boots until you find the pair that fit. When you get a good fit, you'll know.

Good luck.

[BCRiverBoater]

I can not believe a salesman at a outdoor store would sell you a boot .5 to 1 size too big. Foot slippage will cause blisters insatantly. Your boots must be tight. I stop and tie my boots several times a day in the mountains. The second I feel my foot slip and stop, check for wrinkles in the socks (cause blisters even faster) and then re-tie my boots. Once your feet sweat and breath out words the boots can soften a bit causing them to need to be re-tightened after initial tie up.

Always were the exact socks you plan on hiking in. I wear a light liner pair then a good merino or smart wool hiking sock over top. I take these to the store when trying on boots. Almost every hiker or salesman with any experience will recommend two layers of socs for extended hiking. Any slippage happens between the socks not on the boot and your foot. Also the liners dry easy and are light so I change out my liners a few times a day to keep my feet dry.

Bad feet will end your mountain hunt. I have seen guys with knee braces, thrown hips, thrown back and they are still hiking. One bad blister and you turn back or hold up for a few days just so you can get back.

The only thing you need to take care of more than your feet is your exhaust pipe. The the exit stops working, everything stops working.

[rishu_pepper]

The Meindl's at AJ brooks are all in UK sizes, so an 8.5 is really a 9.5 in north american sizing.

I stand corrected. :D

Still, Meindl kicks ass. :biggrin:

[hunter1947]

How I had to break in my $300.00 dollar boots is I had to go into water and soak them good then walk around for 15 minutes with them on then let them dry naturally.

Worked like a dam now http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

[rishu_pepper]

Work like a dam now http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif.

Like this: :biggrin:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q7/rishu_pepper/800px-Hoover_dam.jpg

[tikkat3]

ohh man this sucks...If I get another pair of boots that fit me how long do you think it will take me to break them in????What a waste of 200$!!!

So I guess now walking into the creek until they are soaked and hiking them dry is pointless eh.

the sad thing is I like the boots..maybe a half size smaller

[One Shot]

Soak your boots in isopropyl alcohol inside and out and then go for a walk till they dry out. It will help stretch to fit. The alcohol does not effect the boot leather like water does. Alcohol is what good custom boot makers use to stretch leather. Once done then water proof them. I have done this for 30+ years to service, hunting, hiking boots with no probelmo other than a little staining from dyes.

[Avalanche123]

They don't need to be stretched one shot, they are already too big.

Tough situation tikkat. Too bad they are too small for me as I'd consider buying them. Why not try and sell on here?

IF you are stuck with them, maybe keep them for cold weather hunting when you may want extra socks. Just trying to be helpful. Where did you buy them anyway?

[tikkat3]

Hub sports in Abbotsford. I don't think I can go there and get any replacement boots for a discount or something, it's been 6 months and I've used them a lot, just keep getting blisters, hoping they would break in.

If I was to go get another pair of boots that fit, how long should they take me to break in? I need them totally broken in by mid oct.

[Wild one]

You have lots of time to break them in

[BigSlapper]

One word ... "Meindl".

[MIL720]

Take your boots to your local SKATE - sporting good store and ask them to PUNCH the heels of your boots to loosen them , just like they do with ankle spots in new figure skates.Works very well........

[Casagrande]

I have done this all my life with skates and it might work for you. Put them in the tub and fill the boots with the hottest water from the tap and let sit for 15 minutes or so. Empty the boots, put them on tight and walk around for 30 minutes. Let dry the next day and repeat three times. good luck.

[Casagrande]

Just to be clear, that's hockey skates!:smile:

[tikkat3]

so are meindl's a lot better than danners or is it a preference thing?

[Tarp Man]

Well, you are in a tough spot. I am a self confessed gear nut, and have been "booting" around the bush all my life. I don't have the extensive experience that some of these members have, but I will say this. Soaking your boots is unlikely going to fix a sizing problem. Maybe a few tight spots, but not.5-1.0 a shoe size. Danner are good boots, but made off shore. Meindls are German made and up there with the best of the best (Viberg, Esatto, and others). The really great part is that A.J. Brooks in Vancouver has been selling them for decades, and giving a proper fitting. When you go in there with money to spend, make sure to plan for an hour long boot fitting session. They support hunters, and support the military. If I were you, I would try to sell the boots before you soak them. You will not get all your money out of it, but not a total loss. I would also go back to the store you bought them from and talk to the owner, Roger. Tell him what happened and give him a chance to make it right.

[Tarp Man]

One other thing, do a search on here for Meindl. That should keep you reading for a while.

[tikkat3]

thanks for the info tarp man, that's what I'll do

[rocksteady]

Do you still have the reciept????

A lot of places will let you return them for "customer satisfaction"....

If they are arseholes, say that the wife bought them for you and she bought them too big...Worth a try....

My Meindl's ----No Breakin needed.......

$550 but on my 3rd fire season and 3 rd hunting season and they look brand new...My last pair lasted 10 years..Went with the high top Canada Pro..

[denali]

Always wear wool socks when breaking in new boots - NEVER cotton, as they absorb sweat and promote wrinkles which cause rubbing.

I break in my mountaineering boots by wearing a liner sock (synthetic) underneath a wool sock. Also, duct-tape is your best friend! Stick a piece of duct-tape onto your foot (directly onto skin) where you are most likely to get blisters (back of heel, etc.) Works like magic...at least the boots will be rubbing the tape and not your skin...

[tikkat3]

550 eh?:eek:

I guess it's still a better deal than the 200$ pair I bought I can't even use one season...

Maybe I'll try to get another pair of pronghorns in my size..

[tikkat3]

I don't have the receipt and I don't want to go to hub and have them tell me to piss off for that and the fact the boots have been snowsealed, and hiked in for a few painful months, so I'm gonna try the stand in a creek with 2 pairs of wool socks and hike em dry with moleskin on my heels, and see if that works. If it doesn't, I'm gonna buy another pair of boots that fit...maybe get another job to afford the meindls:mrgreen:

[Tarp Man]

Meindls don't have to be $500. AJ Brooks sells a great boot (Island Pro) for about $400 including tax. The boot fitting session is worth 1/2 that, easily. I am in the market for new boots and will likely be getting into Meindls. Read the reviews. Short of a full custom boot, they are likely the best boots you buy, especially if you hike hard and in extreme terrain. For sure you cannot hike in those boots in their current condition. If you can, find an o.k. pair to get you through, but save up for the best.

[rocksteady]

Mine were purchased at a local Sports shop here in Cranbrook, $479 plus taxes, came to just under 550..

[BigSlapper]

I've had Meindls for 15 years ... 5 or 6 different pairs, all for different purposes. I swap between 3 of them regularily and have NEVER had a problem with any ... never one blister, never wet feat (Gore-tex) all have been custom fit and all feel like a comfortable pair of slippers. I wear Meindl socks exclusively ... these folks know how to make your feet happy!
Another great German boot is made by Lowa ... generally about $100 less for their hunting versions ... still a great boot (Lowa perhaps would be the BMW to the Meindl Mercedes)

[tikkat3]

who carries Lowa boots in the lower mainland Slapper?

[tikkat3]

So I bit the bullet and got a pair of Meindl Himalayas....they fit me like a glove. I bought a pair of gaiters with the boots and the total was 459$. Now I just gotta apply that wax to them and break them in...the dude at AJ Brooks said to not stand in the water with them then hike them dry, to just use the wax and hike with them. Honestly with the memory foam in them they feel like socks on my feet so I don't think it will take too much to break them in, even though they are pretty stiff.

I also looked at some Lowa boots at Europe Bound down the street, and they were OK as well but a little softer plus there was no gortex membrane in them like the himalayas..I'm pretty happy with the boots right now, but when I take them hiking I will find out for sure.

[threedhunter]

just a note to help prevent blisters. wear your ladies kneehighs. they are nylon, won slip off your foot but are themseles very slippery. if your boot does loosen you should not get a blister or hot spot.
as for skates, they should be steamed ,not soaked.use a kettle that doesn't shut off when it boils and invert the skate over the spout, with the insert/footbed removed, hold over steam till the rivets get hot, reinsert footbed, insert foot with kneehigh or sock, depending on if you skate barefoot or with socks, lace tight, do other skate the same.when both on, stand on plywood ,feet shoulder width apart and shift from left>right repeatedly till skates are cool.this can be done several times butmay not be needed more than 3/4 to rid pressure spots and mould to foot.canuklheads trainer told me they do this method for the pros.

[Casagrande]

just a note to help prevent blisters. wear your ladies kneehighs. they are nylon, won slip off your foot but are themseles very slippery. if your boot does loosen you should not get a blister or hot spot.
as for skates, they should be steamed ,not soaked.use a kettle that doesn't shut off when it boils and invert the skate over the spout, with the insert/footbed removed, hold over steam till the rivets get hot, reinsert footbed, insert foot with kneehigh or sock, depending on if you skate barefoot or with socks, lace tight, do other skate the same.when both on, stand on plywood ,feet shoulder width apart and shift from left>right repeatedly till skates are cool.this can be done several times butmay not be needed more than 3/4 to rid pressure spots and mould to foot.canuklheads trainer told me they do this method for the pros.
Maybe that's why they haven't won the Cup yet. Lots of different ways to skin a cat.:wink:

[huntwriter]

...what should I do?

For me the boots that hurt the most in the beginning always turn out to be the most comfortable ones in the end.

Here is an old trick we learned in the army (mountaineer corps). Get good quality leather boot grease. Massage the grease into the heel leather while at the same time pushing the leather in and on the back of the heel and on the sides. Repeat that treatment until the heel leather becomes soft and pliable.

All my hunting boots are Danner and Irish Setter and I never have never had a problem with the service they provide.

Good luck.

[tikkat3]

You won't believe this. I got the boots home, applied the first layer of sportwax and was going to take the dog out for a hike with them to break them in a bit, and when I was lacing them up one of the lace hooks popped off of the boot!!!

Anyways, I called AJ Brooks, and they are sending a fedex guy out to get the boots tomorrow morning, they are going to replace the hook and send them back to me via courier ASAP free. Great service!