Advice from a Western Boot Store: Breaking in Cowboy Boots

One thing about western boots that you can’t say about most work boots, logger boots, or other boot styles, for that matter: they don’t just look great, once you’ve broken them in and the leather has formed to your natural contours, they’re as comfortable as can be.

It’s just that you have to get there. Leather is tough, and breaking in a quality pair of cowboy boots is no walk in the park, if you can excuse the pun.

Fortunately, you can put the experience of our western boot store to work for you. Here are our top tips on breaking in that new pair of Ariat or Double H boots.

Condition the Leather and Stretch Them

Fresh leather can be quite stiff, which makes it uncomfortable to wear. Fortunately, there are leather conditioning compounds, most of which contain neatsfoot oil that will naturally soften the leather. There are also commercial leather boot stretching sprays you can get to help soften the leather, making it conducive to stretching.

Just be sure to use the product as intended, as both sprays and conditioning compounds can change the look of leather, and over-applying them can make the leather too soft.

You can pair these sprays or conditioning compounds with a boot stretcher; simply insert the stretcher into your boot and adjust/turn the crank or handle to stretch out the boot. This will also mechanically soften the leather and will help speed up the break in process.

Leave your stretcher in the boots for a day or two, then try them on and see how they feel. This won’t completely break them in, but it’s a good start!

Wear Them

This one is hardly a trick, but it’s the only way to fully break in your boots, and by far the best one.

The thing about wearing your boots is that this will naturally stretch out the leather, softening it and making it more comfortable.

What’s more is that as you walk or work in your cowboy boots, the leather will not only soften, it will conform to the natural contours of your feet, giving every fully-broken-in pair of boots a custom-tailored fit.

No secrets here, just step into your new pair of cowboy boots and get walking. The more miles you put in them, the more comfortable they will become, and be patient. Breaking in a brand new pair of western boots usually takes several weeks, sometimes a little bit longer.

Double Up (on Socks, That Is)

The first few days of wearing a fresh pair of brand new boots can be a little bit uncomfortable, so we have a trick that may be able to accelerate the break-in period.

Double up on your socks. This will artificially increase the size of your foot, which in turn will put additional pressure on the boot, stretching out the leather.

Just be aware that you need to walk around in your boots while wearing two pairs of socks for this to actually work. However, doing so for a few days may help speed up the break-in period so you can get to enjoying your new boots sooner.

(Gently) Warm the Leather Before Stretching

If you use a stretcher as described above, but don’t want to apply any conditioner to the leather, you might be able to speed things up by gently heating the boot’s upper.

Avoid harsh heat sources, though, and don’t steam and never microwave your boots (the latter will damage the leather irreversibly). Instead, place the stretcher/tree inside the boot and use a hair dryer on a low setting to gently warm the leather.

Heating it slightly will encourage the leather’s fibers to stretch, but go slow, and make sure you do not heat the leather to the point that it is too hot to touch; it should only ever be warm at most.

Accelerating the Break-in: The Freezer Method

This one’s a method that you can use if you don’t have a boot stretcher, and it can be pretty effective.

For this, you’ll need to fill a resealable bag with water, and squeeze out all the air. Make sure it’s tightly sealed, and press it down into the bottom of your boot, filling up as much of the room in the toe box as possible. Be careful, though, because you don’t want the leather to get wet.

Then, place your boots in the freezer overnight. Pull them out, thaw, and pull out the bag; the leather in your boots will have been stretched by the expansion of the water as it froze, like a boot stretcher would have done.

Just make sure your boots are completely dry before freezing. Freezing leather will not harm it, but freezing wet leather can damage the fibers.

Visit a Western Boot Store: Let Us Do It for You!

While the best way to break in your new cowboy boots is to wear them, if you visit us in our western boot store, we can do some of the work for you.

Each purchase of new boots from our store comes with complimentary boot fitting, stretching, and pre break-in services, which will save you some time on the break-in so that you can get right to enjoying your boots from day one.

Closing Thoughts: Making Them More Comfortable and Preventing Blisters

After you break your boots in, they’ll fit like a glove. But, if you’re looking for ways to improve comfort, here are some additional closing tips from our western boot store.

• Wear the right socks. Before you make any changes to the boot, consider getting a pair of boot socks which will provide additional cushioning and support where you need it most. Some are also reinforced at stress points, too.
• Swap the insoles. Changing out the insole is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve the comfort and support offered by a cowboy boot. Plus, old insoles will get compressed after a while and need to be replaced anyway.
• Periodically condition. Over time, the leather in your cowboy boots may lose some of its natural oils, making it shrink and causing it to stiffen. Re-conditioning periodically will make the leather softer and more comfortable, not to mention that it will protect the leather from drying out completely and cracking.
• Resole as needed. Most high-quality cowboy boots are designed with a welt that allows them to be resoled by a professional. If your soles are worn, resoling may be the solution.

We hope you found these tips helpful, but if you have additional questions, get in touch with us at 269-792-2550. We are happy to help!