Breaking in the Boots

sailaway91

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
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Sep 20, 2009
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Hello everybody!
I'm going to get right to the point. I'm having a horrible time breaking in the boots we need to get. I'm having no problems with the black shoes, but the boots are a nightmare:unhappy:. I've been trying to go for walks in them, but about a half mile in, I start getting terrible blisters on the back of my heel. I tried putting mole skin in the back one of the boots and that seems to help, but I was wondering if there was anything else I can do.

Any advice??
 
tighten your shoes and just walk at home with them all the time if your parents dont mind...wrap your blisters if you get them...also, you probably sweat alot? Change your socks!!!
 
Hello everybody!
I'm going to get right to the point. I'm having a horrible time breaking in the boots we need to get. I'm having no problems with the black shoes, but the boots are a nightmare:unhappy:. I've been trying to go for walks in them, but about a half mile in, I start getting terrible blisters on the back of my heel. I tried putting mole skin in the back one of the boots and that seems to help, but I was wondering if there was anything else I can do.

Any advice??

You need smaller boots. They shouldn't move so much in the heel cup.

You can also smash the heel cup, but that's not an issue with these boots so much anymore.
 
It sounds as though your boots do not fit properly. The "new" boots do not need much breaking in but your feet do. If you are handling the low quarters well then it could be that the boots are just too big and are slipping on your feet. You could try a tight fitting nylon sock under a boot sock to cut down on friction but if you tighten the laces and they are still slipping then you probably need a smaller pair of boots.
 
I've been having the exact same problem. It could be the shoe size, but it could also be because you have narrow heels (like I do). Go out and buy heel liners - they have prevented me from getting further blisters on my heels. But then again, you might be better off getting a smaller pair. Maybe I should :(
 
Most of the problems you will encounter with boots in your career will be due to poorly fitting boots. Make sure they fit right. No amount of sock-wearing or mole-skinning can make them fit right if they're the wrong size. Get a pair that fits well. All those little tricks everyone likes break down when your feet get wet.

I am reminded of one long, wet night in Pathfinder school when we were setting up drop zones. We all got soaked to the knees in a swamp and by the next morning, we had some soldiers whose feet looked like ground beef. Why? They had been wearing boots that didn't fit right. It was no big deal when their feet were dry, doing day-to-day stuff. But a little moisture causes big problems.

Get boots that fit.
 
Boots

My son has also had a hard time, but we finally have a pair that fit. They are 2 sizes smaller than his shoe size. We now have 2 pairs of size 10 that we bought at WP on our overnight visit. They fit great in the PX, but started slipping when we got home. We then ordered a pair of 9.5.....they too slipped. Then we ordered a pair of 9's and a pair of 8.5's

The 8.5s fit and don't slip. I have the others to put on ebay. The are the Belleville 890 DES.

My concern is the toe's being too tight, but he has not had a problem yet.

It is my understanding that they will be fitted on R-day for a pair. I just do not want blisters to be a problem.

Anyone need some 9, 9.5 and 10's?
 
My son has also had a hard time, but we finally have a pair that fit. They are 2 sizes smaller than his shoe size. We now have 2 pairs of size 10 that we bought at WP on our overnight visit. They fit great in the PX, but started slipping when we got home. We then ordered a pair of 9.5.....they too slipped. Then we ordered a pair of 9's and a pair of 8.5's

The 8.5s fit and don't slip. I have the others to put on ebay. The are the Belleville 890 DES.

My concern is the toe's being too tight, but he has not had a problem yet.

It is my understanding that they will be fitted on R-day for a pair. I just do not want blisters to be a problem.

Anyone need some 9, 9.5 and 10's?

I had the same problem with the heels and ended up going down 3 shoe sizes! However, my toes were a little tight, but I ended up getting the size in a wide and they are great. It's a suggestion if his toes are getting tight.
 
Most of the problems you will encounter with boots in your career will be due to poorly fitting boots. Make sure they fit right. No amount of sock-wearing or mole-skinning can make them fit right if they're the wrong size. Get a pair that fits well. All those little tricks everyone likes break down when your feet get wet.

I am reminded of one long, wet night in Pathfinder school when we were setting up drop zones. We all got soaked to the knees in a swamp and by the next morning, we had some soldiers whose feet looked like ground beef. Why? They had been wearing boots that didn't fit right. It was no big deal when their feet were dry, doing day-to-day stuff. But a little moisture causes big problems.

Get boots that fit.

I agree with Scoutpilot that a key consideration is getting the right width. A shorter, wider boot will normally take care of the slippage/arch problems. Make sure the boot is not slipping on your heel -- because that will cause blisters no matter how many liners you use. Normally, heel slip is caused by a boot being too long. (Sometimes, women with a narrow AA heel will have slippage at the heel regardless.) Also, as Scoutpilot points out the boots and shoes will loosen up with wear and the slippage will only get worse if they are too long to start with.

If your boot or shoe is slipping, another cooresponding problem will be that the arch is likely also not lining up correctly with the arch of your foot. If the boot's too long, its arch support will not line up correctly with your foot arch and will cause your arch to start "aching" on marches as the hard boot arch presses into your foot in the wrong place. If that happens, your foot's soft tissue can become progressively more sore and chronicly painful. Again, that problem is quickly correctable by getting the right sized boot or shoe.

A good rule of thumb: you can tell if the shoe or boot fits correctly by the crease/break on the top of the boot or shoe as you walk . If the top of the boot creases gently and diagonally across the base to middle of your toes as you walk, it is a pretty close fit. If however, the top crease seems unusually deep and the toe of the boot appears to be bulbous or bending slighlty upward as you walk (giving it kind of a clown-shoe appearance) -- then the boot is too long, and you will have the corresponding slippage at the heel.

Probably 70% of people buy much longer shoes and boots than they really need; rather than finding the correct width in their true size. For example, somone ends up buying a size 12 D because it "fits their foot," when in reality a 10.5 E or EE would fit them perfectly. They buy the 12 D because they can can't get their foot into the 10.5 D -- which is too narrow. But the the 12 will be a terrible fit. It will likely slip on the heel and fit wrong in both their arch and toe area; with the crease accross the top of the toes pushing down on their big toe joint. That can lead to pressure on the big toe joint that will cause it to get sorer and sorer the more they use the boots/shoes. That can become a cronic issue and cause an increasing amount of pain. But the problem heals quickly once a smaller, correct sized boot is worn.

My son had a teammate on his football team this year that was going to quit playing football his senior year because his big toe joint hurt and was getting worse with each week of practice. The doctors tried cortizone shots and told him to consider surgery. I took a look at his cleats and found they were a size 13 D -- and breaking badly -- with the toes of his cleats bent way up in the air. When he walked, the bend/crease on top was pressing right into his big toe joint. We went to Sports Authority and measured his foot. His true size was actually a 10 EE. Once he got cleats in the correct size, the toe problem dissappeared within a week and he played the entire season with no foot problems.

A lot of shoes made in China are simply made too narrow for American male feet. Plus, different brands are cut and will fit differently. So "one size does not fit all people, in all brands." With a little work, you will find the right size and width -- and feel the difference immediately.

The mens Bellevilles just run at least one full size larger than normal for some reason. In my son's case, it was 1 1/2 sizes larger. But now that he has the right size -- he loves them -- with no slippage and no arch problems.
 
How fast will we be going when wearing the boots during beast? Mile pace?
 
How fast will we be going when wearing the boots during beast? Mile pace?

You will do some sprinting and tactical running. For ruck marches, you will maintain the Army standard pace of 15:00/mile.
 
So we won't ever need to run 1 or 2 miles in boots at Max speed. Sprints and drills only.
 
Make sure you're wearing thick boot socks and not crew socks or similar types. Mine felt bad in the heel also, until I took a shower in them. Weird, I know, but they are extremely comfortable now.
 
You will do some sprinting and tactical running. For ruck marches, you will maintain the Army standard pace of 15:00/mile.

Is there a "standard" ruck weight? I've done a couple practice marches with a hiking backpack I threw a 45lb plate in. Is this too little, or too much?
 
So I took the advice and I got the smaller boot. I have had no problems with my heel slipping since :smile: Thanks so much for all of your help everybody!
 
Is there a "standard" ruck weight? I've done a couple practice marches with a hiking backpack I threw a 45lb plate in. Is this too little, or too much?

40 to 50 lbs is a good weight for administrative/training marches. For the field, it's whatever it weighs. Ammo is heavy. So are batteries.
 
Make sure you're wearing thick boot socks and not crew socks or similar types. Mine felt bad in the heel also, until I took a shower in them. Weird, I know, but they are extremely comfortable now.
A friend of mine told me to wet my boots and wear them while they dry to make them fit even better. I don't really have a problem with my boots right now but wonder if I should consider doing that? Or is that really for the older hard leather boots?
 
A friend of mine told me to wet my boots and wear them while they dry to make them fit even better. I don't really have a problem with my boots right now but wonder if I should consider doing that? Or is that really for the older hard leather boots?

That is for leather boots. Newer boots are built much more like sneakers than work boots. You don't wet your sneakers to break them in, right? Boots really don't need to be "broken in" anymore. They need to be fitted well and your feet need to adapt to the style.
 
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