Category Archives: Boot Comfort

Comfort of Snakeskin Boots

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Someone entered a question into a search engine which landed on my website. The question was, “how comfortable are snakeskin boots?”

And the answer is…

… it varies. The comfort of a boot to a guy’s feet is determined by what is on the inside of the boot, not the outer skin. Perhaps the person who asked this question didn’t realize that. Or, perhaps he did and thought that different manufacturers of snakeskin boots may be more comfortable than others.

I will address the question both ways.

Well-constructed cowboy boots will have an insole made of materials that provide comfort to the foot — usually a cushion comfort pad made of composite materials. The boots will also have a steel shank that is embedded in the sole of the boot. That shank adds support (particularly good for high arches) which makes the boot more comfortable to wear. The inside of the boot’s foot will also have enough room for your foot to spread out — it happens naturally when you walk and apply weight to your foot as you move along.

Boots feel uncomfortable when your foot cannot flex as you walk, or if it feels as if you are walking on rocks. A boot’s supplied insole should be thick enough to provide some cushioning to the bottom of the foot. Further, if the boot’s foot is sized appropriately for your foot, there should be enough room to insert an added insole, such as Dr. Scholl’s gel insoles. These insoles add significantly to the comfort of the boot.

Notice in this description, I am talking about what is inside the boot — not the outer skin that is visible to you and others who look at your boots. Comfort of a boot has nothing to do with the outer skin.

It is the manufacturer of a boot that makes a big difference in the comfort. I have described how I rate comfort of boots in a previous blog post, here. My ratings are my own observations. I have observed that cowboy boots made by Lucchese, Dan Post, Nocona, Justin, and Tony Lama, are comfortable. Boots made by Acme, Cowtown, and Sendra, for example, are not (to me). But a word of caution — each person feels comfort in different ways. Just because I listed a manufacturer (or not) on this blog about comfortable boots should not be taken as an absolute. I do not describe anything about certain manufacturers because I do not own any boots made by them — Laredo is an example.

Generally speaking, look for these features in a cowboy boot. Each feature adds to comfort and quality:

  • Pegged soles
  • Steel shank in the insole
  • Sewn-on, not glued, soles
  • Ample room inside the foot to add an additional insole if you want
  • Flexible outsole (that is, the bottom of the boot)
  • Wide enough calf circumference for air to be able to circulate around your lower leg (so the boots do not feel hot.)
  • Not previously worn — used boots conform to another guy’s feet, then harden that way. You may or may not find used boots comfortable. It varies.

To summarize, snakeskin boots are — or are not — as comfortable as any other boot. It’s not what is on the outside, it is what is on the inside that counts.

Life is short: know and wear quality boots.

Comfort Rating of Boots

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Those who have studied my cowboy boot collection or my motorcycle boot collection have noticed that I rate each pair of boots for their comfort (C), look/appearance (L), and for cowboy boots, how they sound (S).

Recently, I received an email about my “C” — comfort — rating. The question was:

I wanted to know about the C rating you have. When a boot has a low C rating, what makes them hard to wear for long periods? What gets uncomfortable about the boot? Is it they are too stiff? Too hard on the bottom of your feet? The insides are too rough (unfinished leather)? Just curious about your rating system as I am looking for comfortable boots that can be worn for a while without the torture!

My response:

Thanks for your message! I appreciate the inquiry.

When I give a pair of boots a lower comfort rating, I am expressing an opinion about the overall comfort of the boots when I have worn them after they are well broken in.

Some boots are my size, but still do not fit well. Some of the more uncomfortable boots that I own are used boots that I bought on eBay. Even though the boots were my size, they still did not fit right.

One would think that used boots would be comfortable, because they are broken in. However, I have learned that boots conform to the original wearer’s feet and legs, and do not change when someone else puts them on. So if the first guy who broke them in made the footbed conform in a particular way to his foot, it could cause my foot to ache because the dimensions of my foot are different from his. If that happens, then I give the boots a lower comfort rating. Or, some old boots have narrower boot shafts than I require, so the boots hurt my legs by squeezing them.

New boots generally have a higher comfort rating. Particularly, boot makers are learning to install comfortable insoles and more flexible outsoles, which add to the overall comfort when the boots are worn for a long time. Also, some of my boots are custom made, and therefore they should be more comfortable because they are made to my size requirements. This is especially true for tall boots that I own, like those made by Wesco and Dehner.

Overall, the predominant reason that I may rate a pair of boots lower on my comfort scale is that the footbed is hard, inflexible, and there is not enough room inside the boot to install a gel insole. A good gel insole will make the bottom of my feet comfortable, but pushes the tops of my feet against the inside of the boot foot — and thus makes the boots uncomfortable again. This happens mostly with some low-end commercial boot labels like Cowtown, for example. (But it also happens to me with
higher-end commercial boots made by Sendra, which makes a smaller-than-average area for the foot to fit into.)

Again, the comfort ratings are my personal opinions about boots that I own. I know guys who swear by the comfort of some brands of boots that have been uncomfortable to me, and vice-versa. It is a personal thing, and quite dependent on your own feet (arches, metatarsals, bunions, etc.)

So that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Life is short: wear comfortable boots!

Cowboy Boots Rubbing Legs

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Occasionally, I receive questions from visitors to my website or this blog.

A recent question was, “do any of the cowboy boots that you own rub your legs and cause sores or blisters?”

My answer to that question was…

…yes, some of my cowboy boots have done that. This problem occurs when the boot shafts are a bit narrow (so they are closer to my legs) and the stitching on the inside of the shafts is not finished well. That is, the stitching may be loose or uneven. The threads used these days are usually nylon, which is rather rough and abrasive when it rubs on the side of legs. (Kevlar is even worse). Walking can cause the threads to rub against the legs in the same places over and over again, causing (in the worst circumstances), the skin to be abraded and maybe even a bleeding sore.

There are four ways that I have dealt with this problem when I feel it.

1. I will closely examine the inside of the boot shafts where I am feeling the rubbing sensation. If there are any loose threads or unfinished ends of leather, I will try to cut them off or if I can’t cut them, to melt them. Yeah, I said “melt.” Boot threads made of nylon will melt when exposed to a flame. So I will take the boots and my lighter outside to a clear area (I am always a fire-safety guy!) … light the lighter and carefully wave the end of the flame near the threads to melt them. I am very careful not to get the flame too close to the leather, because it will cause leather to discolor and to shrink (in the area directly exposed to flame.) I am also very careful not to burn the threads completely through — if that happens, the boot may begin to fall apart.

After the threads are melted, I will carefully pull or break off the melted ends to smooth them out. Then I proceed with the next step.

2. I will get some medium (100 grit) sandpaper and rub it on the offending loose threads, beading, or ends-of-leather. Essentially, I will “sand down” the parts that are causing the rubbing. After I have sanded all areas that I think are causing the problem, I will gently wipe the areas that I sanded with a damp cloth, then pull the boots on to check if the problem has gone away. If not, I will repeat the process until the problem is resolved.

3. In cases where I cannot melt or sand an offending area to smoothness — such as where a boot pull attaches to the inside of a boot — then I will get some regular masking tape (“paper tape”) and carefully place the tape over the offending area. Usually that works, but not always. Tape also has to be replaced from time to time, as it is not a permanent fix.

4. I may use the professional boot stretcher that I own to try to stretch the boot shafts, slowly over time. If I am able to stretch the shafts of leather boots even 1/4″ (6mm), I may eliminate the problem because the area that was rubbing is no longer close to my legs for me to feel it.

Such is life of a Bootman. Not all boots are made the same. I hate to say it, but it doesn’t really matter if the boots are made by an expensive custom one-of-a-kind bootmaker, a commercial mass-production vendor, or where in the world the boots are made. Sometimes there may be loose threads, beading, or bits of leather that will rub on your legs. It is fairly easy to resolve yourself with a bit of ingenuity and tactics as described above.

Life is short: make your boots comfortable!

Tactically Booted

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When I went to Puerto Rico, all the men who I worked with were dressed in lightweight BDUs and tactical boots.  While my Chippewa Firefighter Boots were comfortable and suitable for the terrain, they were not quite the right boot for field work.

Upon return home, I looked at the combat/tactical boots in my boot closet.  The boots that I have are “old-school” military jump boots.  I wore them a lot when I went skydiving back in the day. But honestly, those boots are hell on the feet. They are hard to wear, especially all day long in hot sun.

These days, modern tactical boots are made of a combination of materials:  leather uppers with nylon shafts, and waffle soles.  (My partner will like that part… waffle soles don’t get mud caked in them to dry out and be left in clods all over the house.  Oooops….)

I have several pairs of BDUs, or utility pants. Lots of pockets and made of a cotton/poly blend that dries quickly if it gets wet.  The material also washes easily.

So I took the hint from my colleagues in Puerto Rico. I did my homework, and selected a pair of Belleville Air Force Tactical Boots. They are standard military spec, 8″ high, and in sage green. (I didn’t want the desert tan version; I am not in the Army and I am not going on field assignment in the desert.) What I particularly like about these boots (besides their comfort) is that once you lace them up, you do not have to lace them again. Each boot has a zipper on the side which makes it easy to pull them on and take them off.

I found them for sale from an on-line military boot supplier that happened to be having a sale the day I landed on their website. I snagged ’em, and soon enough the Man-In-Brown brought them to my doorstep. A few days later, I checked the supplier’s website, and found these same boots were priced US$20 more than what I paid for them, so I truly think it was a short-term sale that I was fortunate to find.

Now I am “tactically booted” for my next field assignment… whenever and wherever it may be.  I anticipate (eventually) a trip to the far outer reaches of the United States Domain, waaaaaaaaaaay out in the Pacific.  These boots will travel well and be comfortable for all-day use on rough terrain.

I have already worn them while taking my loooooong morning walks. They are very comfortable. Almost feel like sneakers (if I knew what sneakers felt like; I have not worn sneakers since gym class in junior high school.)

Life is short:  choose the right boots for the right application!

Common Problems When Wearing Cowboy Boots

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This was an interesting question entered into a Google search and landed on my website, at the tutorial on how cowboy boots and jeans.  There is not any information on that tutorial about “problems” that happen when men wear boots.

I am not a podiatrist, and don’t even play one on TV, but I have opinions….

To be honest, the most common “problem” is what other people sometimes say, like wisecracks such as “where’s your horse?”  This happens in areas of the United States where men wearing cowboy boots is not common, such as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.  Honestly, this is only a “problem” if you allow it to be a problem. 

Other problems do occur, namely:

1.  Blisters:  caused by the boot rubbing on softer skin of the heel and foot.  If boots do not fit well, or slide, or are poorly constructed such that threads or interior leather components cause rubbing, then blisters may occur.  Solution: a) if you have blisters, do not wear that pair of boots until the blisters heal.  b) use moleskin, found at a drugstore, to provide cushion between the tender parts of your feet and the boot.  c) thoroughly examine the inside of the boot where the rubbing happened to feel if there are rough parts, and try to remove them or use sandpaper to smooth them out.  d) get good quality boots made by reputable manufacturers based in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Spain, not cheap Chinese-made junk.

2.  Foot pain:  usually in my experience foot pain happens when there is not enough support for the arch.  Good quality insoles can help.  Better quality boots will also help.  See above.

3.  Toe squeezing:  contrary to popular belief, pointed-toe cowboy boots have plenty of room in the foot at the toes for human toes to fit.  However, there have been reports about toes being squeezed together too tightly in some cowboy boots.  Solutions: a) get pointed-toe cowboy boots a half-size larger so they are longer in the toe, or b) get boots that have a rounded toe so there is more room in the toe box.

4.  Trips and falls:  some people are not accustomed to wearing boots that have higher heels than typical dress shoes or sneakers.  It is not unusual for a guy new to wearing boots to strike the boot’s heel on a stair or sidewalk and fall down.  Solutions: a) practice walking in your boots on a smooth surface.  Seriously — practice indeed helps!  b) lift your feet rather than glide along.  c) get boots with “walking heels” rather than higher, underslung heels.  Most men don’t take well to high heels, myself included.

5.  Wearing cowboy boots for the wrong application or at the wrong time: most cowboy boots have smooth leather soles. Because of that, the boots have little traction. If pavement is wet — or worse, if pavement is icy — then it is very likely that you could slip and fall. I do not recommend wearing cowboy boots on wet, icy, or snow-covered pavement. Doing so is a recipe for disaster, IMHO. Further, if you operate a motorcycle, I do not recommend wearing cowboy boots with smooth leather soles, either. Again, it is a traction issue. If you like the cowboy boot design and wish to wear boots of that design while operating a motorcycle, at least get them with rubber soles. If you have a pair of cowboy boots with leather soles that you would like to use on a motorcycle, then bring the boots to a cobbler to have rubber soles (or at a minimum a sole and heel plate) applied.

I think these are all of the common problems when wearing cowboy boots that I can think of. If you have more, please comment. That way, other people will see your comments when they read this post, or find it later which happens often thanks to search engines.

Life is short: wear boots!

Boots for Work

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I am catching up on a lot of repair projects around my house and some of my rental properties. Here, I am reflooring one of my decks, as the old cedar had not withstood the test of time, despite treating it regularly. I am replacing the deck floor with Trex, which is an artificial product that can better handle the wet winters we get.

Timberland boots fit the bill … yeah, while I am always booted, contrary to popular belief, I do not always wear tall black police patrol boots (giggle). These Timberlands are tough, rugged, yet very comfortable. They don’t get hot on my feet, even in hot weather. They have good insoles inside them that add to their comfort. While made in the Dominican Republic, the boots are well-constructed and stand up to hard work.

Life is short: choose the right boot for the job!

The Day of a Dozen Pairs of Boots

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On Saturday, I just couldn’t get the boots right. When I first got up, I pulled on my Champion Attitude ostrich/biker boots, but then decided, “nahhh, I’ve been wearing them a lot” so I pulled them off and said, “I haven’t worn Wescos in a while!” So I pull on my tall black Wesco harness boots.

No sooner had I walked into the kitchen to make breakfast than my legs felt hot. Ooops, these boots just aren’t good in hot weather. Even in air conditioned comfort, my legs were getting uncomfortable. So off with those boots! But I thought, well, perhaps it is that pair of boots, so let me try my tall brown Wesco Harness boots. They fit a little less tightly on the legs.

However, during breakfast, my legs began to feel just as uncomfortable as they did when I was wearing their black brothers. I quickly pulled them off and put on the closest boots available — an old pair of Justin Palamino cowboy boots.

I pulled those off right after breakfast. My feet hurt. Today just wasn’t going to be my day!

I then put on my tall black and blue Olathe buckaroo boots. They looked good, and felt okay. My partner and I picked up some senior pals and went to the grocery store. I also checked in on my beloved aunt who I look after. But I have to be honest, by the time I got home three hours later, my feet were sore again! Off with the boots!

I was planning on padding around barefooted, but my partner asked me to grill some burgers for lunch. Since the grill is outside, I had to put boots on again. So I grabbed a pair of Frye campus boots. Ooops, wrong choice. They felt fine in the foot, but the right boot was very tight on my once-broken leg, so I had to take it off and try again… this time, with a pair of Nocona Rattlesnake boots.

Wow! They felt great! I thought I had the boot-feeling-foot-sore problem solved. Then I decided to run to the wireless phone store and get rid of the Blackberry and downgrade to a regular old cell phone, which I am only keeping because it’s a requirement when leading rides for my club, or otherwise I wouldn’t have one. I decided to go to that store using my Harley… so guess what? The smooth leather-soled cowboy boots had to come off.

On came an old pair of tall Chippewa engineer boots. Off I rode, exchanged the phone, and returned home a half-hour later.

Keeping score? eight pairs… so far, and by then, it was only 1:00.

The Chips felt just fine so I thought that I would wear them the rest of the day. Then “oops” … I was using the hose to water the garden, and believe it or not, the nozzle came off and the hose fell onto my leg, filling my left boot with water. Honestly, I didn’t do that on purpose!

I pulled off the boot, drained it, and hung it upside down to dry while I went inside to find another pair of boots. I put on their brothers, my non-steel toe engineer boots. They felt just as comfortable as their steel-toed brothers.

I ran some more errands, looking after some of my elder buds, when one of them asked me to meet him on the Bocce course. Time for another change! Engineer boots wouldn’t cut it for Bocce. I needed something more “tactical.” So I quickly changed to my Chippewa Firefighter boots, met my buddies, and had a great game while chattering away in Italian.

When I got home, my partner muttered, “you’re dropping dirt clods on the carpet again!” Oops… I picked up dirt from the bocce course. Mud and grass were embedded in the thick lug soles. Off with the boots, to the laundry sink for some cleaning! On with a pair of Dan Post black cherry cowboy boots that I wore while preparing dinner.

All was well until my partner suggested that we watch a movie called “The Butch Factor” on TV after dinner. He suggested that we “get ready” and handed me a pair of boots that he wanted me to wear. So my All-American Patrol Boots were pulled up over a pair of chaps. Those boots look great with leather, and have wide enough of a calf circumference to accommodate leather tucked into them.

Life is short: wear boots — many of them!

Boots and Ankles

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Last December, well before I broke my leg, I ordered a cool pair of Nocona cowboy boots. They have a dark blue full quill ostrich foot, and black shafts with blue stitching. Unfortunately, the boots were backordered. I finally received them on Wednesday of this week. (I guess Nocona had to wait to have sufficient orders to set up the line to make this style and color of boots again.)

However, as delighted as I am to receive these new boots, I can’t pull the right boot on my leg. My darned ankle is still swollen and the doc says that I will continue to experience swelling of the ankle for up to a full year! Arrggghhh!

I am able to wear more of the boots in my collection, but I can’t wear cowboy boots yet. Biker boots — particularly engineer boots — fit fine. I am learning that cowboy boots have a tighter fit where the instep meets the shaft, right at the ankle. I probably could force the boot onto my foot, but it would hurt. Also, I probably couldn’t take it off by myself without damaging the boot or my ankle, or both.

I’ll just have to suck it up and wait. This is so darned frustrating. Oh well, I have said before and I’ll say it again… I am a patient man. At least I try to be. 🙂

Life is short: appreciate unswollen ankles if you have them! Then wear your boots!

Oh Doc, Sneakers? Ya Gotta Be Kiddin!

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I saw the orthopedic specialist yesterday afternoon, and as expected, he said that I have recovered from the broken leg and I can resume my regular activities “as tolerated.” Woo-hoo!!!

At the close of his examination, he turned to me and said, “wear sneakers for the next few months.” Yeah, right.

I said, “really, why?”

He said, “you will still have some swelling, so the sneakers can expand to accommodate it.”

I said, “what about boots that lace up?”

He didn’t know what to say. He just smiled and said, “sneakers will be fine. You won’t be able to wear boots for a while.”

Little does he know. I’ve already been wearing boots for three weeks. I have choices of boots that can accommodate the minor swelling that I have and do not cause me any discomfort. So to heck with the sneakers: “resume normal activities as tolerated” means, to me, wearing boots. That’s that.

Now, to work on carving down that huge list of “gotta-dos!” then get out a ride!

Life is short: wear your boots!

Like Your Boots Snug?

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I was exchanging email with someone who was asking me about being fitted for Wesco boots. Owning a number of pairs of Wescos, I have some experience that I was happy to share.

During our email exchange, he mentioned that he wanted his boots to be very snug (close) against his legs. He mentioned that with lace-up boots, it is easy to adjust the fit so they boots would be tight. Since he was considering ordering pull-on boots (like the Wesco Boss or Harness boots), he said that he thought having the boots lined with leather might make them more snug against his legs.

There are several things that I mentioned in reply, such as you will save a LOT of money ordering custom Wesco boots through a third-party retailer rather than the manufacturer.

I also described the “unfortunate” thing that happens to your legs as you age. I hate to say it, but as you get older, your legs will become wider and you may develop problems like vericose veins. Even if you work out regularly, your calf muscles begin to lose tone and expand. Just a little bit each year, and overall they don’t get too big, but by your late 40s or 50s, your legs will probably be 1 to 1-1/2″ wider in circumference than they were at age 30.

If you like “snug” boots and fit yourself snugly by providing very accurate but close measurements of your calf circumference in your Wesco order, you will find that your boots will outlive your ability to wear them. Eventually, your legs will get wider and you just won’t be able to squeeze them on. Your huge investment now will be rendered useless to you, and either you may not wear the boots any more or sell them and be lucky to get half of what you paid for them originally. (Believe me, I’ve “been there, done that.”)

My recommendation: even though Wesco doesn’t recommend it, I suggest adding 1/2″ to 1″ to your calf measurement on the custom sizing form. (The main reason in my opinion as to why Wesco doesn’t recommend adding to your calf width measurement is that they know that legs get bigger over time, and that snug boots now will become non-fitting boots later. Thus, Wesco may get another sale later on when your boots don’t fit you any more.)

Another thing to know about is a major and frequently overlooked (or not thought-about) matter: as you age, your become susceptible to DVT — deep vein thrombosis. This is where a clot forms in a vein in your leg due to poor circulation. The clot could break free and end up in the brain, causing a stroke, or in the heart, causing cardiac arrest. it’s very serious, and happens more often than people realize. It could happen to anyone, but those who smoke cigarettes or take medications that affect blood circulation (such as pain killers, blood pressure, or certain asthma drugs), are more at risk.

When you wear boots snugly on your legs, you are significantly increasing the “odds” of getting a clot, even at a younger age, because snug boots will reduce blood circulation in the legs and feet. When you take your boots off – BAM! A stroke! I know someone who was 41 years old and had this happen. It wasn’t pretty.

My personal recommendation is to get boots that allow room around your legs so they are not squeezed. Consider if you will be wearing leather breeches or jeans tucked inside the boots.

So be careful and cautious before choosing to make your boots snug tightly on your legs. Just a word of warning, in case you didn’t know.