Leather boots stretched - where did I go wrong?

[ognennyy]

I have a pair of Lowa GTX Hi uninsulated hunting boots that I take up to the mountains except in the late season and winter time. This will be my fourth or fifth season using them. They really have been great boots and I was very happy when I first bought them and started wearing them.

They're still good boots but I've noticed recently that I'm getting a little foot movement in them these days. I can feel my heel move around a little, especially when I'm side-hilling or just on terrain in general. I have noticed the padding in them is a little packed down, so I'm sure that's at least partly to blame for the heel movement. Also I've noticed the color change significantly from when I bought them. They're now much lighter in color.

They're the first pair of nice, high-end boots I've owned so I don't have a baseline here to know if this is just expected after several years of good use (100-200 miles per season). It's not crazy to think this is just age of the boot showing through, but I suppose I expected a boot that cost upwards of $400 to last me, well, forever.

I'm suspecting I must have gone wrong somewhere with the boot care and just wondering if there are thoughts on this, so that I can correct mistakes and not spend $400 on boots every few seasons.
1) I know for a fact that for the first season or two I did not remove the insole at the end of every day of use to speed up moisture release.
2) At one point I washed them with warm soapy water because the instructions that come with the Lowa active cream say to do so, but I wonder if I might used too much soap? It was at this point the color changed. I did immediately apply a generous layer of active cream after cleaning them up.
3) I tend to lace my boots very tightly, even when they're brand new and very supportive.

Just good boots getting old? User error? Combination? I suppose I should throw out there though I don't believe so; Lowa sucks?

 

[ozyclint]

try putting in an extra foot bed underneath the original one. even it's it only thin it may help. I have the same boot and have 2 foot beds in them. When I ordered them they were perhaps .5 of a size too large but the double foot bed fixed it nicely. I get more cushion and the versatility to remove a foot bed and use double socks if it gets cold.

 

[ognennyy]

Thank you that is a fantastic recommendation and I will do that. Great way to make lemonade from lemons.

Have you personally experienced the leather in your Lowas stretching? I have a strong feeling the boot is as rock solid and high quality as I thought and I've just done something wrong with them.

 

[ozyclint]

Maybe molded to your foot after use but not sure about stretched. I know my leather work boots relax a bit from new though.

 

[Thinkingman]

When I buy new boots, I try to lace them as loosely as practical, just so my foot doesn't slide around during break in.
As they form to my feet and become more pliable, I will lace them a bit tighter.
Starting out lacing tight and breaking them in that way, in my mind, stretches the leather more than necessary, resulting a loose boot.
You could do what my wife would do after I come home with wet boots....Put them on the HVAC vent so you could start over with stiff, shrunken boots.

 

[ElPollo]

I don’t know how much or even how you use your boots, but 4-5 seasons is beyond what I get out of mine. Generally by the third season, I’m on slicks that are stretched out, the rand is coming off, and there may be holes in the boots.

 

[ognennyy]

I don’t know how much or even how you use your boots, but 4-5 seasons is beyond what I get out of mine. Generally by the third season, I’m on slicks that are stretched out, the rand is coming off, and there may be holes in the boots.

Oh man... Well that sucks but maybe my path is cheaper boots if I'll have to just replace them every three years. Lowas are not cheap!

 

[ElPollo]

Oh man... Well that sucks but maybe my path is cheaper boots if I'll have to just replace them every three years. Lowas are not cheap!

I wear mine close to daily. Cheaper boots are not what I would recommend. I don’t have personal experience with Lowas. However, a $400 pair of boots every 4 years comes out to $0.27 per day. How much do spend on coffee and Netflix?

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

All leather stretches. Thinner leather stretches sooner. Lowa, Kenetreks, etc., boots with much thinner, smooth leather… they stretch and/or simply wear out sooner compared to a thick, rough out leather like a 3.2mm thick Scarpa, LaSportiva, etc. That’s the price of comfort. They feel good out of the box and require no break in. But they don’t stand up to the abuse. A 4 season mountaineering boot on the other hand is not for everyone, but they withstand significantly more abuse.

4 seasons of significant use is longer than I would expect your boots to hold up and still repel water.

But… you can’t go down to some el cheapo brand.

 

[Jethro]

100-200 miles a year is nothing. Provided you've been treating the boots with leather preservative/waterproofing, I'd expect them to be good yet.

As far as fit...I've never had a leather boot that I thought stretched. I always feel like mine shrunk. Have you changed the footbed insole? The factory insoles are usually crap and certainly not made to last forever.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

^^ above is very common.

Your boots get soaking wet… they stretch.
Then they dry out… they contract and get tighter.

That’s why the toe box will collapse on older boots. If you use a boot dryer, you can lessen this affect. If you hang your soaking wet boots behind the wood stove in the wall tent where it’s hotter than hell, they’ll dry too fast and tighten.

 

[ognennyy]

All leather stretches. Thinner leather stretches sooner. Lowa, Kenetreks, etc., boots with much thinner, smooth leather… they stretch and/or simply wear out sooner compared to a thick, rough out leather like a 3.2mm thick Scarpa, LaSportiva, etc. That’s the price of comfort. They feel good out of the box and require no break in. But they don’t stand up to the abuse. A 4 season mountaineering boot on the other hand is not for everyone, but they withstand significantly more abuse.

4 seasons of significant use is longer than I would expect your boots to hold up and still repel water.

But… you can’t go down to some el cheapo brand.

I've always wondered what a mountaineering boot like rugged Scarpa's would be like. I think I'll give them a shot. You mentioned they produce four-season models. I'll be interested to see how a four-season boot performs.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

There are several good mountaineering boot companies for sure. I am a Scarpa fan. I’ve worn several different styles since 2008.

 

[cjdewese]

100-200 miles a year is nothing. Provided you've been treating the boots with leather preservative/waterproofing, I'd expect them to be good yet.

As far as fit...I've never had a leather boot that I thought stretched. I always feel like mine shrunk. Have you changed the footbed insole? The factory insoles are usually crap and certainly not made to last forever.

Not to completely derail this, but what aftermarket footbed insole would you recommend?

 

[Jethro]

Not to completely derail this, but what aftermarket footbed insole would you recommend?

Tons to choose. But for a simple replacement of a factory footbed, I was happy with the Meindl. At least happy enough that I started a thread about it

https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/meindl-in-a-lowa.271171/

 

[ognennyy]

100-200 miles a year is nothing. Provided you've been treating the boots with leather preservative/waterproofing, I'd expect them to be good yet.

As far as fit...I've never had a leather boot that I thought stretched. I always feel like mine shrunk. Have you changed the footbed insole? The factory insoles are usually crap and certainly not made to last forever.

Sorry jethro I missed this the first time through. In the pair that I feel has really loosened up (Lowa Tibet Hi) I have been using a custom made orthodic footbed since I took them out of the box. Frankly I don't like the footbed and have just been too lazy to replace it, but I'd like to. That custom footbed is definitely thicker than the factory one was, so maybe that had something to do with it. Perhaps the move is to get one as thin as the original until the fit starts to loosen then go thicker to compensate.

That pair of boots is I think effectively retired anyway.

I do also own a pair of the Lowa Tibet Superwarms. They've maintained their support a bit better but I've noticed this season they're starting to loosen up around the ankles just a touch. I will try an aftermarket footbed (maybe I'll try the Meindl like suggested above) in those and see what it does.

Somewhere in this forum - maybe right in this thread I can't remember - there was a suggestion to try the Nikwax boot leather cleaner to get accumulated dirt out of the pores. I figured that must be part of my issue because up all around the toe of both pair of my boots I just could not get water repellency no matter how much I rinsed with warm water and then applied the Lowa water stop spray. So I ordered some Nikwax leather cleaner and the suade / nubuk conditioner and proofer.

Oh man what a difference. Not trying to advertise a specific brand; I'm sure the boots really just needed a leather cleaning compound. The dirt that came out of that leather was unbelievable. The leather turned such a dark color I just knew the pores were wide open and would take a proofing compound again. It was so soft again like they were when brand new, so supple. I threw the proofer on there after while still wet. They're drying now. I'll stiff brush them when dry and I'm excited to take them out in the mountains again.

Thanks for all the input.