Boots!

[Sgt. Rock]

Okay, I know there are a number of military and former military folks on this board, and now I need some advice. What's the most painless way to break in a pair of leather paratrooper boots? I have a wedding in May and as the best man, I'm required, along with the rest of the groomsmen, to wear polished black combat boots with our modern kilts. Bought some boots yesterday, the leather is thick as hell and super stiff. Wore 'em today, already have a nasty blister on my left heel. Any advice?

[scotti88]

Get um wet

[Paradill]

Don't urine in them. That's the most common bullnuts advise, but it is oldschool bravado nonsense. Yes you'll get soft boots but you'll also have boots that stink of urine.

Keep walking in them, you'll get blisters. Also as said above get them wet. I used to use warm water as I polished them, double advantage of shiny shoes and softer shoes.

[Soap]

What I used to do was put a thick layer of polish on the boots and let it soak into the leather over night. Then just polish it off as normal. That can help with easing the lether, but you will still need to walk in them for a day or two.

[Woz]

Pay someone else to walk in them for a couple of days.

[dangerrod]

Try dropping a little olive oil in/on your socks, they should ease the rubbing and soften up the inner leather.

That as well as leaving a thick layer of polish on em as well

Danger Rod

[The Hawk!]

Jan 24, 2013 23:35:52 GMT -5 Sgt. Rock said:

Okay, I know there are a number of military and former military folks on this board, and now I need some advice. What's the most painless way to break in a pair of leather paratrooper boots? I have a wedding in May and as the best man, I'm required, along with the rest of the groomsmen, to wear polished black combat boots with our modern kilts. Bought some boots yesterday, the leather is thick as hell and super stiff. Wore 'em today, already have a nasty blister on my left heel. Any advice?

I too had a problem with a pair of Para boots pal. There are 2 methods that will help here...
1) Regular Polishing - This is advice from my father, who is coinsidentally, en ex para.
2) Beat the fornicate out of them with a rolling pin or something, thats what I did. It softens the leather really nicley

Don't urine in your boots.... Its a stupid idea.... Hope this helped mate

Dave

[emptyhat]

Run around barefoot for a couple of weeks, aim for some stony dirt tracks. Your feet will harden and be a better match for the boots.

[cheminhaler]

^ The Man with No Shoes says run around barefoot.

[Soap]

When I was living the military life, we once advised a lad to run over his boots to break his boots in. He did this, with an aircraft refuelling truck.

The boots did not survive.

We laughed.





Lots.

[treadiculous]

step 1)

wear the boots on a long walk and get blisters (sounds like you've done this)

step 2)

wait until blisters have gone and you have the nice shiney skin that was under the blister come to the surface

step 3)

cover shiney skin with decent plaster - the pink fabric ones that are really really sticky

step 4)

put on a decent thick set of socks, or 2 sets of thinner socks and repeat the long walk.

this is what I do, and I've had loads of boots over the years. I get new and second hand boots (which can be worse as they have been shaped to someone else's foot) and normally 2 decent walks is all it needs.

[Sgt. Rock]

Normally I'd agree, Tread, but the leather on these beasts is a quarter of an inch thick, and stiff as the proverbial upper lip. I'm thinking of just buying some leather conditioner, sitting down with a couple episodes of Burn Notice, and working the leather by hand for a while, see if that'll help.

[scotti88]

Get the outside wet and just wear them round the house! Walking around normally in un will do! Tis all I did for the Nijmegen marches!

[Rolling Thunder]

I recommend going for a couple of miles run in the snow.

[Soap]

^ that will work, but will hurt like a female dog!

[Trooper One-Nine-Seven-Four]

Yeah. My experience with military-style boots is just wear them until they're broken in.

[Rolling Thunder]

Jan 26, 2013 16:54:24 GMT -5 Soap said:

^ that will work, but will hurt like a female dog!

If you wanted comfort you shouldn't have bought military spec boots.

[Sgt. Rock]

I wouldn't have, but my friend insists that the uniform for his groomsmen - along with another roughly $250 or so of clothes that *I* have to buy - includes polished combat boots. If he wasn't the next thing to a brother, I'd tell him to urine off.

[Soap]

Jan 26, 2013 17:16:06 GMT -5 Rolling Thunder said:

Jan 26, 2013 16:54:24 GMT -5 Soap said:

^ that will work, but will hurt like a female dog!

If you wanted comfort you shouldn't have bought military spec boots.

True story.

Also, if the groom is insisting on what you wear, he should stop being a tight arse and pay for them!

[Aeon]

I know know what you all are talking about. Marine Corps standard issue boots are a dream to wear. They break in fast, and they remain comfortable for at least a year

[ElegaicRequiem]

Jan 26, 2013 23:23:08 GMT -5 Sgt. Rock said:

I wouldn't have, but my friend insists that the uniform for his groomsmen - along with another roughly $250 or so of clothes that *I* have to buy - includes polished combat boots. If he wasn't the next thing to a brother, I'd tell him to urine off.

Tell him that the dress code thing is only for bridesmaids, and he should double-check to make sure he isn't the bride. In the meantime, make him break-in the boots that you paid for for his wedding. Explain to him that it's only fair. In fact, it could be a metaphor for married life.

Either way, hit him with the boots.

[Sgt. Rock]

Jan 30, 2013 22:59:10 GMT -5 ElegaicRequiem said:

Either way, hit him with the boots.

I'd like to. However, he's bigger, faster, and stronger than I. He's also older, so he's got experience and treachery on his side.

I, however, have the power of planning his bachelor party. So I may just pull something that will scar him for life in retaliation. As long as he's not hungover or in jail for his wedding, I'm in the clear. Bwahaha.

[emptyhat]

Just wait till he's nodding off and drop him on a train to the other coast. If he loves her he'll make it back in time.

edit:

And that way those boots will come in handy for him.

[Paradill]

Jan 31, 2013 0:56:52 GMT -5 Sgt. Rock said:

Jan 30, 2013 22:59:10 GMT -5 ElegaicRequiem said:

Either way, hit him with the boots.

I'd like to. However, he's bigger, faster, and stronger than I. He's also older, so he's got experience and treachery on his side.

I, however, have the power of planning his bachelor party. So I may just pull something that will scar him for life in retaliation. As long as he's not hungover or in jail for his wedding, I'm in the clear. Bwahaha.

I think the only real course of action is summed in three words: Male. Dwarf. Stripper.

Carry on.

[hacgutt]

Paradill thats odd :/