Breaking In a Leather Boot Without the Blisters

New leather boots bite, and the temptation is to wear them on a ten mile day to break them in. That is how you get a raw heel and a boot that never fits right.

Break them in the slow way and they reward you for years.

• Wear them around the house for short sessions first
• Take short neighborhood walks before any real trail
• Condition the leather so it flexes instead of cracking
• Carry moleskin on the first few real hikes just in case

A boot broken in over two weeks molds to your foot like it was made for you. Rushed, it just hurts, and the leather never learns your shape properly.

Keep the conditioning sessions short and steady. Leather that flexes a little every day molds better than leather forced through one brutal weekend.