How Long Before You Move On?

[Yooper]

Like the title suggests, how long do you try to break a boot in before you just move on? I've got a set of Beartooth II's that I got this spring. I've got about 40-50 miles of mixed flat ground and hill climbs in. They still dig in across the top of my toes and my left heel still slips and causes blisters if I don't put some sort of protection in there. I've tried different lacing techniques, socks, liners, etc.....Just not sure how much longer I'm willing to dedicate to them unless I'm just not there yet.

 

[Vandy321]

I'm in the same spot with a pair of Scarpas...wanted to love them, but after 20+ miles I thought they were good, they're fine with light weight but I put 80# in the pack for a hike the other day and murdered my heels...they're now for sale.

I can usually have a boot broken in by 10-15 miles with pack. I'll be OK taping up the first few times if needed, but that rubbing should stop eventually.

 

[Vids]

Hard to say, might be the way the boot fits you or might just be that it's a really tough boot to break in. The digging in across your toes concerns me more than heel slippage, based on my experience.

Here are a couple of examples from my past:

Around 2017 I bought a pair of Crispi Idaho's, felt great on flat ground but I walked up the stairs a few times and they crunched the top of my foot bad. I didn't think that was going to go away so I returned them right away. Maybe it would have gone away, who knows, but I wasn't going to destroy my feet for months to find out.

In 2012 I bought a pair of Kenetrek Mountain Extremes, after 50 miles I still got heel blisters bad. Around maybe 100 miles things improved some, by 150+ miles they were the best boot I've ever owned. I still made sure to bring along tape and blister pads on every trip for two years just in case. That said, I still have them and absolutely love them. I had them re-soled two years ago and still going strong. I can hike 10-15 miles and my feet feel great at the end of the day.

None of that is meant to disparage or promote either company, I think it had more to do with the Crispi not fitting me right and the Kenetrek being an extremely stiff boot. So much of it is how a boot fits each person differently.

 

[Vandy321]

You could go the extreme route, fill the boot with water and soak it in the tub, then spend an entire day in it, maybe more the next day while the dry out. Could get a pretty good custom fit in a full leather upper that way. Maybe a last ditch effort to make the sweet boots work

 

[Bearwhisky]

Have you conditioned the leather?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GotDraw?]

@Yooper

Suggestion: I have had great success totally *soaking* the outside of my boots with water and then hiking in them for a couple hours as they dry.

Soaking helps make stiff leather or fabric more pliable/malleable, allowing it to better mold and conform to your feet.

Worked like absolute magic on a pair of very stiff Lowa Tibets. I had been having the same issues as you before trying this trick.

Plan to adjust your boot laces a couple times on the hike as the boots molds to your foot.

Best,

JL

 

[S.Clancy]

2 maybe 3 hikes. You should be able to notice a change for the better by then, if not, seeya later.

 

[ttucci16]

If they're digging into the top of your toes after that amount of mileage, then you have a volume issue. I don't know of a single boot that will break in and increase the volume across the top of the foot, especially if there is a rubber rand involved. The only remedy i can think of would be to find an insole that is thinner in the forefoot but still gives you the needed padding to keep your feet happy. (Superfeet Blue, posssibly superfeet trailblazers) If a seperate insole doesn't help, move on ASAP, because their isn't a ton of time before seasons start opening up.

 

[Yooper]

Appreciate the input guys! I've got my Sheepfeet soles in there. I might pull those out and see if it's a volume issue. The pinching across the top feels like it's just where the boot flexes in the toes. If swapping out the soles doesn't help I'll try the soaking route and see if that makes a difference. I really want the boots to work but not at the expense of my feet either.