Without a comfortable pair of boots, your day probably feels as long as your shot at winning the lottery. Thankfully, there are a few ways to make your boots more comfortable. Check out our top 6 tips below.

6 Ways to Make Your Boots More Comfortable

1. Break your boots in properly
2. Try new insoles
3. Change the lace pattern on your boots
4. Store your boots properly
5. Have them professionally resoled
6. If all else fails, replace your boots with ones designed to be more comfortable

1. Break Your Boots In Properly

Breaking in your boots is the surest way to make them more comfortable. A good pair of broken-in boots will conform to your feet, making walking, running, and being on your feet all day much more comfortable. As your boots age and continue to break in, the materials become more pliable, allowing them to form to your feet and move with you every step.

There are a few ways you can break in your boots to make them more comfortable:

• Wear them regularly. The easiest way to break in boots is to wear them regularly. This process can take a few days or weeks, depending on the boots and the type of activities you perform when you wear them. Start by wearing them for short periods, and then increase wear time as the days go on.
• Wear them with two pairs of socks. If it’s comfortable to do so, wear your boots for a few hours a day with two pairs of socks on. The extra padding on the inside helps stretch and break in your boots more rapidly than regular wear.
• Gently apply heat to leather boots. Using a hairdryer on low heat, you can gently stretch most leather boots to make them more comfortable. Put your boots inside a boot tree and gently apply heat in 3-second intervals, feeling the boots with your hand in between passes. The goal is to stop heating the boots before they’re hot to the touch, as going any higher will damage the boots. Increase the tension on the boot tree once the boots are warmed up and let them cool back down to room temperature.

Purchase a boot tree here for proper breaking in and storage: Shop Ariat Boot Tree

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2. Try A New Insole.

Changing out the insole in your boots can breathe new life into an old pair of boots. After walking on a thin layer of foam for extended periods, it gets compressed into a wafer-thin layer that no longer provides support. Changing the insoles in your boots takes just a few minutes and can add support and cushioning in much-needed areas, like the heel and arch.

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3. Change The Lace Pattern On Your Boots

If your boots are lace-up, changing your lace pattern is an easy way to relieve pressure points. Instead of using a traditional lace pattern where the laces alternate on each side, change the lace pattern to alleviate pressure and discomfort in the top of your foot (metatarsal area), heel, arch, and toes.

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4. Store Your Boots Properly

When stored properly, your boots keep their shape better and last longer. Especially for boots with a long shaft, the shaft can collapse and wrinkle between uses and become rigid and more uncomfortable to wear if they’re improperly stored. When not in use, keep your boots indoors with a boot tree. A boot tree goes inside the shaft of your boots, applying tension so that the shaft maintains its shape.

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5. Have Your Boots Professionally Soled

With years of use and abuse, the soles on your boots have taken the brunt of the damage from walking and running. With most high-end boots, a professional can remove and resole an old pair of boots to put the swing back in your step. If the boot soles are worn down, have holes in them, or are just uneven and uncomfortable to walk on, then it’s time to bring your boots to a shoe repair professional. They can assess your boots and resole them with your comfort in mind.

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6. Buy New, More Comfortable Boots

If none of this advice worked for you, consider a new pair of boots designed for better comfort. New processes and modern technology ensure that a well-made pair of boots are comfortable right out of the box.

Ariat boots are built with all-day comfort in mind, so you can stop worrying about your boots and focus on more important things.

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