9 ways to quickly break in new hiking boots

When it comes to hiking boots or any kind of tough footwear, they generally take anywhere between 50 and 100 hours to properly break in and mould to the shape of your feet. The firmer and thicker the material on the boots, the longer they will take, but there are a few things you can do to speed up this process.

(A new pair of boots like this will probably take between 50 and 70 hours to break in, but do it the right way and you won’t get a single blister)

Wear really thick socks and go for a long walk

The problem with new boots is they tend to rub and can cause blisters until they are properly moulded to your feet, but instead of wearing them in short bursts, you can just put on a thick pair of socks, or more than one pair, and walk around in them for a few hours. This usually wouldn’t be possible because the rubbing would be too uncomfortable, but the extra foot protection stops this. Do this a few times, and you can cut many hours off the overall breaking in time.

Freeze water inside your boots

One method suggests soaking your boots and wearing them wet, so they can mould easier to the shape of your feet. This method should never be used as it could damage your boots with mould, and they could take days to dry out. Instead, take two zip-lock bags, or any sealable bags and fill them with water and put them inside your boots. Put the boots in the freezer and the expansion of the water when it freezes will stretch your boots out, but make sure to let the water thaw out before trying to wrench it out of your boots.

Wear them while not doing anything

Next time you’re going to be sitting down for a long time, put your boots on and gently stretch your feet around occasionally. The heat from your feet will cause the boots to slowly mould to the right shape, and doing this for a while before walking in them can cause the amount of time you need to walk in them before they are comfortable to be greatly reduced.

Buy a boot stretcher

Most of these are made up of small stretching devices that you leave inside your boots. They can indeed stretch the material a bit, but ultimately they won’t do anything to shape them to your feet.

Wear them on lots of short walks

Wear them to the shops or to take the dog for a walk, It’ll take longer to break them in this way, but it’ll help avoid blisters.

Take it to a cobbler

A cobbler is someone who makes and repairs shoes, and depending on which country you’re in, they are usually quite easy to find. They have special stretching equipment and can perform a more effective alteration to your boots than you could ever do on your own. This is a method to use if you only have a few days to break your boots in, as they will always be more comfortable if done naturally.

(Softer material boots take less time to break in, but are more susceptible to water damage and loosing their shape)

Scuff the soles and take flexing walks

The soles of new boots can be very slippery and need to be scuffed to gain grip, this can be done easily enough by scraping them against the floor while wearing them, but while you’re at it try to flex the soles as well. When on a short walk, stop to flex the sole by standing on your toes, then going back to flat over and over again. The harder the stretching the faster they will become flexible, just watch out for blisters.

Get the right boots in the first place and try different lacing methods

The most important thing to remember when it comes to breaking in your boots is that it won’t be possible if they don’t fit properly in the first place. Make sure nothing is too loose or tight, and don’t just settle for something because of the price or the way it looks. Also try to add extra knots into the laces in places they keep coming loose, a single knot at the top sometimes isn’t enough to stop the lower part of the lace from becoming slack.

Take care of your boots

After your boots have been broken in and are nice and comfortable, don’t lose this feel by not looking after them. When a pair of boots get wet enough, they can change their shape slightly by over-stretching or shrinking. Use proper boot care products to stop all that hard work from warping into an uncomfortable mess.