The right military boot can mean the difference between a 12-mile run that goes well and a five-day profile full of blisters. In military terms, it is a device that assists the warfighter in movement in response to gunfire and enables them to perform duties necessary for mission success. Success depends on proper use, fit, and wear of the correct size.
So, if you are interested in learning how to break in your military boots fast, here are some techniques to break in shoes quickly and allow you to wear them comfortably without worrying about blisters or sore feet. Let’s start discussing them.
How To Break in Military Boots? Know The Top 8 Methods
Domestic Break-in Method
The domestic breaking method comes first. If you choose to wear your new military shoes today, things will go tragically wrong for you as you will have to deal with excruciating foot pain and blisters. I recommend people use their new military shoes around the house first to prevent this. Avoid spending all day on your feet, which can increase the wear and tear of new military shoes.
You can gradually break into your military shoes at home, avoiding unpleasant situations like blisters and pain. You should be ready after completing this for a week.
Thick Sock Break-in Method
You can also use the thick socks break-in method to break in your new military boots. There are two significant benefits to wearing thick socks while raking in leather work boots.
- First, since they won’t be in direct contact with your feet, socks will act as padding to protect your feet from the unpleasant side effects of raking in new boots.
- Second, the pressure from the socks will gradually weaken the leather of the boots, causing them to conform to the shape of your feet. If you use the mend socks method for weak points, your new work boots should fail quickly.
Warm Water Break-in Method
We found a way to warm water-breaking methods for work boots. This method involves filling a large bucket up to 70% with hot water. Your new leather boots should soak in the bucket for around 30 minutes. The reason here is allowing the water to go through the leather fibers and hydrate them, allowing the shoe to conform to the contours of your feet more easily.
After 30 minutes, you should remove the shoes from the water and wear them immediately with thick socks. Keep wearing them until the shoes are dry and hopefully broken in by then, and you can repeat this process as many times as necessary.
Stretchers Break-in Method
Using the boots stretchers method, you can also break in your new military boots. Compared to alternative techniques. This technique takes substantially less time—just under five hours—to break in work boots. When your new work boots are completely closed, a mechanical device made of wood and metal called a boot stretcher should be placed within them.
You can expand the stretcher to the necessary width by rotating the metal handle counterclockwise. After functioning for around five hours, the stretcher’s purpose is to gradually shape the leather fibers to the proper shape using light. You can repeat the process once after a boot has been broken in slightly.
Leather Conditioner Break-in Method
This method also includes nourishing the leather strands on your new work boots to make it simpler to conform them to your feet. One of the best ways to break in work boots is to do it this way because it expedites the process and improves the leather’s durability, protection, and looks. Here’s how it goes.
- Brush the shoes to get rid of any last bits of dust.
- Use a wet towel and a leather cleanser to clean the shoes,
- liberally apply leather conditioner and wait for about an hour to nourish the leather fibers,
- put on the shoes and wear them for an hour to help the leather fit to the shape of your feet,
- Once the leather conditioner is completely dry, wipe it off with a clean cloth.
- Before applying a light coat, you might elect to let the shoe air dry entirely.
Raking Break-in Method
It can be easy to break in new leather military boots if you already have a pair. Alternating between wearing your new and old work boots is encouraged. You can alternate between wearing your old military boots every day. It doesn’t matter as long as you switch between your new and old military boots because the goal is to gradually mold the military boots to your feet without damaging them.
Spray Stretching Method
Another technique for breaking in military boots is the spray stretching method. Many people think that using a boot stretching spray to break in leather military boots is the most effective method since it softens the tough leather and makes it easier to move to the wearer’s feet.
Here is the method,
- Before using the boot stretcher spray, first, check to see if your military boots are clean and dry.
- The leather must be sufficiently smooth to allow breaking in the boots considerably simpler once a few minutes have elapsed.
- It should break your work boots after a few hours of wear.
Heat Dryer Method
One of the safest methods for breaking in military boots is using a heated drier because it doesn’t utilize any chemicals that can damage the boots. It’s ideal, in other words, for people who don’t want to stress about their pricey leather work boots.
Make sure your military boots are first dust-free and clean. Put on the work boots and walk around for about an hour after using your heat drier to loosen the leather fibers on your brand-new leather military boots from all sides for around two minutes. You can repeat the procedure as many times as needed.
Considerations When Using Break-in Methods
Using the above methods too often can cause tactical boots to become too loose, so proceed with caution and patience.
Remember to dry your tactical boots after use if you break them in the wet. Leather or suede tactical boots can crack or discolor if they are exposed to moisture for long periods.
If you use steam or a heat dryer to break out the boots, avoid using too much heat, as this can cause breakage.
How Much Time is Required To Break Into Military Boots?
Military boots will break in within two weeks, or at least three weeks if you wear them more than three times a week. However, if you combine the repeated use of military boots with break-in techniques such as boot stretchers, boot trees, leather stretch sprays, and steam, you can successfully break in your boots in less than a week.
After one to three weeks, if your boots have not broken in, you should consider returning them. Most manufacturers have at least a 30-day return period. Many modern military boots are quite comfortable due to their well-designed construction. Then don’t worry too much.
Some shoes take a lot of time and work to break in, such as cowboy boots without laces. In contrast, a military boot requires considerably less downtime.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you overnight break in boots?
Here, we explain a few urban legends and demonstrate how to quickly and comfortably break into your new boots.
- Shoes are being broken in the water.
- Your shoes will expand if you put water in them.
- Step into your new shoes slowly.
- Wear thick socks to break in your shoes.
- Apply a boot or shoe stretcher.
Why are new shoes painful?
Don’t expect to lace up a new pair of well-made shoes and be able to take on the world the same day. If you’re not prepared, thick leather midsoles and uppers rub and compress your feet as they break in, causing severe blisters.
How can boots break quickly?
Wearing thick socks, bending them close to the breaking point with your hands, using leather conditioner on the leather, or seeing a professional cobbler are all ways to speed up the process.
Conclusion
The easiest way to break in a new pair of boots is to wait until it stops raining, or until it rains, then walk a few miles on wet grass. This will give your shoes time to break in and also help your feet get used to walking on soft grass instead of hard concrete.
If you want your work boots to fit properly and last many seasons, break-in is very important. So remember that many popular methods of break-in shoes can damage the leather. So follow the instructions carefully that are described above.
