Breaking in engineers… blisters and heartbreak

[dudewuttheheck]

It sounds like they're too small. I basically only wear engineers myself and have never had this issue with any except for one pair that was too small

 

[Boulderunner]

That's just... No.

No matter what type of boots they are or what kind of leather they're made of, quality pair of boots must and in my experience, will be comfortable right out of the box. Reasonably wearying, at the very worst but straight up discomfortable, not to mention painful - Never.

I've been through uncomfortable and painful boots but the blame was, without exception, either my own (wrong size) or the maker was trash.

. A perfect fitting boot in super stiff leather will give you blisters. I’ve had bespoke boots cause blisters and they were literally built around my feet. Hiking boots are another example, go to rei have your foot measured and get the perfect pair and they might still cause blisters until the footbed softens. Sure you can buy a pair that’s so big they dont rub at all and try and fill them in with thick socks but the boots will still be painful until the leather softens. The idea that if you can just get the right size you won’t have pain is just wrong. All my pairs of cinch were awful for the first week at least but they are definitely the correct size. They fit incredibly now but were not comfy “out of the box” in any way

 

[Bfd70]

It sounds like they're too small. I basically only wear engineers myself and have never had this issue with any except for one pair that was too small

Welcome back

 

[MrProper]

Hiking boots are another example, go to rei have your foot measured and get the perfect pair and they might still cause blisters until the footbed softens.

Maybe you have special feet?
I've had several pairs of hiking boots, both normal ones and ones suitable for crampons. I used to wear engineer boots and cowboy boots, and I still have lots of boots, but I can't complain about blisters.
When I used to get blisters, it was because the boots didn't fit properly or had a manufacturing defect in the heel (this happened to me once and I got a new pair).
No, you shouldn't get blisters even with new shoes if they fit properly.

 

[Pandemic]

It sounds like they're too small. I basically only wear engineers myself and have never had this issue with any except for one pair that was too small

Welcome back!!!!

 

[AeroFan_07]

It sounds like they're too small. I basically only wear engineers myself and have never had this issue with any except for one pair that was too small

Great to see you back Dude!!

 

[AeroFan_07]

. A perfect fitting boot in super stiff leather will give you blisters. I’ve had bespoke boots cause blisters and they were literally built around my feet. Hiking boots are another example, go to rei have your foot measured and get the perfect pair and they might still cause blisters until the footbed softens. Sure you can buy a pair that’s so big they dont rub at all and try and fill them in with thick socks but the boots will still be painful until the leather softens. The idea that if you can just get the right size you won’t have pain is just wrong. All my pairs of cinch were awful for the first week at least but they are definitely the correct size. They fit incredibly now but were not comfy “out of the box” in any way

I've had more pairs of all-leather boots than I can count or recall (lace-up, engineers and many others) and some of which have been on my feet 10+ hours a day walking concrete at work too. I have not had a blister on my foot at all since 2004, while on a wilderness trip, with 4-days of rain in the middle of it. The blisters were not as bad as the poison ivy (!) that our whole group got. Moisture and breathability (or lack thereof) could play into this as well.

 

[Boulderunner]

Maybe you have special feet?
I've had several pairs of hiking boots, both normal ones and ones suitable for crampons. I used to wear engineer boots and cowboy boots, and I still have lots of boots, but I can't complain about blisters.
When I used to get blisters, it was because the boots didn't fit properly or had a manufacturing defect in the heel (this happened to me once and I got a new pair).
No, you shouldn't get blisters even with new shoes if they fit properly.

I do have very wide feet. My right is EE width and my left is worse it’s a F width. Many boots will still cause blisters despite being a proper fit until the leather has softened. Blisters come from friction and the idea that a perfectly fitting boot won’t ever cause rubbing or friction is wrong. Stiff leather will cause tons of friction until the leather has molded to your foot and it doesn’t matter if it’s bespoke it will often rub until the leather molds to you. This is well known in the backpacking and mountaineering world. It’s dogma never to take a brand new pair of hiking boots into the backcountry because you will have hamburger for feet when you get back. You guys are insinuating every backpacker and mountaineer ever in the history of backpacking has all just got the wrong sized boot otherwise they should have been able to buy their boot from rei as they head to the trail head for their 100 mile backpack trek. Y’all ever even try on a pair of Limmer boots? I have maybe 30 pairs of boots,clinch, role club, lofgren, Zerrows I have them all. Avoid stiff leathered boots with thick midsoles for faster breaking and less pain.

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I’ll double down on role clubs. Most comfortable and easy to wear engineers on the market.


Here’s what AI has to say:

 

[Kulak545]

You’re honestly describing a pretty classic early-stage engineer boot break-in, especially with something as stiff as Maryam horsehide. Nothing you said sounds like a sizing failure, it sounds like friction from the boot not yet flexing with your ankle, which causes heel movement and blisters even when the fit is technically right. Thick athletic socks can actually make this worse because they trap moisture and let your heel move more, so switching to a snug merino wool boot sock was a smart move. I’d also strongly suggest taping your heels (Leukotape works great) before you wear them so friction never starts, and keep your wears short and gradual instead of trying to power through pain, that usually slows the break-in rather than helping. You can gently encourage the process by wearing them around the house and flexing your ankle to help the boot form its natural crease, which is when heel slip usually improves a lot. Most people hit a brutal phase like this with engineer boots and then, somewhere later on, they suddenly become incredibly comfortable, so if the length and overall fit feel right once you’re in, I wouldn’t panic yet, you’re probably just in the worst part of the journey.

 

[Trouser Bark]

- Super thin and slippery dress shoe socks

- Slip your foot into a plastic film shopping bag

- Slip all that in the boot

- Walk around the house for a bit and see if that helps loosen things up

They're not supposed to be uncomfortable but I used to buy 'em that way too. Best bet, buy 'em a hair too big and when they loosen up any more adjust the fit w/ an insole swap.

 

[Monitor]

Here’s what AI has to say: View attachment 768596

As usual, "AI" is completely and malevolently wrong.

The data pool it draws these braindead claims does not differentiate between the boots we are talking about here and boots as a term in general, regarding of the style, intended purpose, etc.

This slop of a disclaimer it is parroting can be found on every single online shoe store, word for word that vast majority of businesses, 99.99% of which sell cheap, low-quality imported footwear, put up only to make less people return the shoes they bought. The rest deals with professional work and safety equipment, such as steel toe boots, for which the disclaimer actually does apply.

Boots discussed here are neither. They are premium priced fashion footwear and theoretically, they should be perfectly comfortable without the "break in" period but... Of course I believe you that you have serious issues with all these boots and I know that your feet are not to be blamed (because that rarely is the case) but... The thing is, neither of these makers make particularly good boots.

You can ask an actually good shoemaker that knows what they're doing to make you a pair of boots made out of cast iron, without lining, and I can promise you that they will be comfortable from day one.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Welcome back

Welcome back!!!!

Great to see you back Dude!!

Thanks y'all! I'll try to stick around if the website doesn't keep crashing for me like it has been

 

[Pandemic]

Thanks y'all! I'll try to stick around if the website doesn't keep crashing for me like it has been

I was thinking about you yesterday as I was driving home, since you’d just popped in here. I think that 7-8 years ago I thought, ‘here’s someone I can really respect their knowledge and opinion while also having different preferences and tastes in styles’. Over the years, I’ve drifted a lot closer to a mid 50s to early 60s aesthetic, so now it’s more like ‘what’s he wearing now and how how could I get a similar look on a tighter budget’. Except for the hats, hahahahah. Good to have you back - I missed the long form reviews of stuff on your blog and YouTube.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I was thinking about you yesterday as I was driving home, since you’d just popped in here. I think that 7-8 years ago I thought, ‘here’s someone I can really respect their knowledge and opinion while also having different preferences and tastes in styles’. Over the years, I’ve drifted a lot closer to a mid 50s to early 60s aesthetic, so now it’s more like ‘what’s he wearing now and how how could I get a similar look on a tighter budget’. Except for the hats, hahahahah. Good to have you back - I missed the long form reviews of stuff on your blog and YouTube.

Haha I appreciate that. Very kind of you to say. I will hopefully bring the YouTube back eventually. It was for work reasons.

 

[Tom71]

As usual, "AI" is completely and malevolently wrong.

The data pool it draws these braindead claims does not differentiate between the boots we are talking about here and boots as a term in general, regarding of the style, intended purpose, etc.

This slop of a disclaimer it is parroting can be found on every single online shoe store, word for word that vast majority of businesses, 99.99% of which sell cheap, low-quality imported footwear, put up only to make less people return the shoes they bought. The rest deals with professional work and safety equipment, such as steel toe boots, for which the disclaimer actually does apply.

Boots discussed here are neither. They are premium priced fashion footwear and theoretically, they should be perfectly comfortable without the "break in" period but... Of course I believe you that you have serious issues with all these boots and I know that your feet are not to be blamed (because that rarely is the case) but... The thing is, neither of these makers make particularly good boots.

You can ask an actually good shoemaker that knows what they're doing to make you a pair of boots made out of cast iron, without lining, and I can promise you that they will be comfortable from day one.

Ok, let´s put things into perspective:

1. The leather sole on a boot will indeed need break-in. Initially, the sole is stiff like a piece of wood. When walking, your feet are rolling, while the sole of a boot will just tilt forward. That results in the ankle sliding upwards in the heel of the boot.
Eventually, the leather of the sole with soften, allowing the boot to mimic the natural motion of the foot (to a limited extent). Heal-slip will then lessen but never completely go away (e.g. when wlaking upwards etc.).

2. This does NOT necessarily cause blisters.

Blisters are indeed caused by friction, but not by friction of the boot moving over the sock, but rather by the sock moving over the feet, causing the layers of the skin to separate.

A well (as in clsoe-) fitting sock will totally prevent blisters. Others have suggested a double-layer of socks, and that may well do the trick.
What I have noticed is that with very new boots, persistent heel-slip can actually peel off the sock from the foot. That is indeed a recipe for sores and blisters.

 

[Edward]

Here’s what AI has to say:

Clearly experiences vary across the anecdotal sample in this thread. I've found myself some of my favourite footwear did indeed require a break-in period, though usually that's been very quick and I've avoided blistering simply by alternating with other footwear and not wearing a new pair of boots on a long walk immediately. (Well... not apart from that one expedition when I was sixteen; that's a mistake I won't repeat.)

Nonetheless, let's please not repeat what generative AI plagiarism software has to say as if it's true or even remotely reliable. All it dos is regurgitate what it has been fed. It cannot distinguish fact from fiction (and increasingly is training itself on ai slop harvested indiscriminately with everything else online). I have all too often pulled up a search return from a real search engine only to find that the page it has found is full of ai slop. Easily identified -particularly when, as is common, it contradicts itself in the same piece.

 

[AeroFan_07]

While not engineers, these Nick's I worked with and broke in over time were some pretty heavy-usage boots to really get them comfortable. Never a blister, although I do agree that using a base-layer of socks with a heavier over-layer does help. I did that occasionally but not often with this pair.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/extended-use-review-nicks-ranger-boots.120941/

 

[Zoro]

And here I am, that I feel even sneakers need break in (usually achieved in one or two days, though).

This said, I am usually able to tell if a shoe will break in or not within a reasonable time when I first try it.

 

[DogFacePonySoldier]

OBJECTION!
Much more important than quality and sizing is foot physiology as different feet are more blister prone than others.

With that said this discussion would fit quite well in an Ace Attorney courtroom_meme.

 

[Yango]

I’m late to the party, I know, but I’ve had issues with heel blisters in the past.

Essentially an elbow or knee bandage, but performs flawlessly as a heel saver.
Put one on each heel during the break in period (ideally BEFORE you develop a blister —but is a great help if you have already developed a blister too) They’ll save you a lot of pain and anguish.