best way to stretch boots?

[fltmedic]

i just got a pair of 1996 matterhorn's. they are the ones with a gore tex lining and thinsulate. they are a little tight around the ball of my feet. they are already in a wide size. i am in the guard and am trying to get them prepared for the rucking and stuff we are doing next drill. ive never had thinsulate and gore-tex boots before; so im not sure what the best way is to get them tuned up.

what is the best way to stretch them out and get them all comfortable?

thanks for any advice
Kel

[Covertness]

the best way?

wear them

[fltmedic]

yeah i thought of that.

i was trying to get them broke in to avoid the major part of the blisters id otherwise get from the rucking....like i said, ive never had boots with thinsulate and gore-tex, i dont know if the traditional method of soaking them in water and then wearing em all day is the best way...

thanks for the advice though ( i plan on wearing to em at my reg job anyway)

Kel

[Grimmy]

just wear em. Instead of wearing em for a full day at work and what not...put em on for a hour or so each evening and move around in em.

Flex the toes (like when you're doing pushups, get that deep crease in the toes) jog in place a while, maybe go out in your back yard (assuming you have one, or the park if you dont) and do some side to sides.....moving quickly in a latteral, stopping quickly and shooting back the other way..that sort of thing.

but instead of tying yourself to a long day in what might be uncomfortable foot gear, just do an hour or so each evening.

oh yeah, forgot, rub the leather good with neetsfoot oil. That'll soften the leather.

[fltmedic]

thanks Grimmy,

maybe il skip the all day at work thing as u suggested and put neets on em and then run just a mile or so....
Kel

[Scary]

One thing as a side note... I don't actually own a pair of boots like that, but many people at my school do. You probably already know this, but if not, if you put kiwi on them, it messes with the Gore-Tex and won't be as good I guess. They make a special cleaner/blackner for those types of boots, but I'm not sure what it is called or where you would find such a thing. I know everyone here just puts kiwi on them because they are too lazy to find out what it is and are sad that it probably ruined their boots.


E.S.

[Grimmy]

It doesnt actually ruin the gortex itself. Gortex works by having a weave of material with pores too small to allow water droplets thru but large enough to allow water vapor molecules out.

The theory is that putting standard issue boot polish on will cause the leather to become waterproofed only enough to cause the evaporating moisture to recondence against the inside of the leather.

It doesnt actually work out that way. You could spend the mooglies to get that special after market stuff but it's not really necessary.

For polish to actually effect gortex it'd have to completely penetrate the leather.

[FIREARMZ]

I always use to wet the boot and wear them around the house or something before actually wearing them for any period of time on duty. The wetness seemed to soften the leather and let it stretch where it needed to and not be as harsh on the feet. After doing that a couple times they felt fine.

[cplmpes30]

Usually boots are Ok if they are not totally wrong for foot.

It's the footsies that need to be tuned, not the shoes usually.

[fltmedic]

here's the thing, these boots are a wide model and in the width they fit fine across the ball of the foot. however, there is a toe cup (not steel, just some type of cup) that crowds my toes together and makes that area of my foot uncomfortable. if i go any larger, the boots are too long and look like big ass clown boots (and you know important fashion is when ur rucking, doing pole pt, patrolling and all the rest....). ive never had a problem with boots before, ive had magnums, air tacs, jungles, oakleys, converse and others i forget; so i dont think its my footsies.

im thinking about finding someone who can take the cups out and put the boots back together....

Kel

[Grimmy]

stomp the leather down on the toes (with em off your feet of course) and push the leather back up with your fingers (from inside the boots of course) a few times and put more neetsfoot oil on em. neetsfoot really softens leather and breaking down the toe cap will let the leather relax some.

Another suggestion. Roll the back spine of the boot. Bend the boot cuff down and roll it up and down to loosen the back spine of the boot cuff. Get that good and soft and you can prevent blisters around the achellies tendon area.

DONT break the heal cups down tho.

[cplmpes30]

What I did originally is a bit more drastic:

We are issued mountain shoes and not boots as I was in the Gebirgsinfanterie (Mountain Infantry).

My second pair came from some forgotten warehouse in the mountains due to size, I have size 10 1/2 UK, something in the range of 12 USA size.

They were bone dry and hard as steel.

Took the dubbin bin, heated it up with a hotplate to make it nice and liquid.

Applied the stuff on shoes with paintbrush, they actually went Glug-glug and drank it all up.

I then filled the shoes with sand and buried them in a sandy area near firing range.

Took my Pinzgauer 6x6 vehicle, something a tad bigger than a HUMMER, and drove over the shoes a couple of times.

They came out nice and soft and have lasted to this day.

Remember the sand filling part as someone in my unit did the same but forgot to fill with sand and had an embarassing explanation to do to the quarterbloke when he brough the shattered shoes for repair or replacement (yellow slip).

The whole procedure was in July 1979, some time ago.

For the toes bit, maybe you should get some professional advice.

Taraa and good luck

[USMCRET6391]

Neext time buy a size that isnt tight on odd places when you put them on. A good fitting pair of boots shouldnt need stretched, just broken in by every day wear.

[fltmedic]

thanks for the added info grimmy, theyve started to loosen up and im gonna stomp em down real good (but only the appropriate amount, lol) and i think thatl fix em up.

Kel

[Turtledrive]

One thing to keep in mind is if they are the ones that have the gortex liner as you say, some of the insulation will pack as you wear them loosining them to the point that you may need a second pair of socks. That happened with one pair of Matterhorns I had. If you want a real good boot get the Belleville 770, they are Army combat approved and feel like your wearing a running shoe.

[fltmedic]

roger that turtle drive, il google em up and take a look at em. maybe later, when i wear these out il pick some up. i go thru boots pretty quickly cuz i use em in my civilian job too...
Kel