Breaking in boots

I can't remember the last pair of boots I owned that required breaking in - modern boots are remarkably comfortable straight out of the box, assuming you've bought a pair that fit well. Gravel won't ruin the soles, unless the boots are from Kathmandu :-)

Thanks - No they are definatly not from Kathmandu, I learnt the hard way by using Kathmandu gear - I now proudly dont own anything from Kathmandu. My boots are Lowa Tibets

Man those are expensive boots. I too don't break in boots they are usually good to go out the box. Your an experienced tramper/hunter. You must have been through tons of boots.

yeah they are expensive but IMO they are worth the money but obviously if your just following tracks and markers then you would be better off with something lighter such as the Lowa Renegade which is quite popular. What boots do you use gaiter?

i found the renegades only good for day walks, the soles have no stiffness in them , i used them on multi day ramps on well formed tracks and my feet were killing me because the boots were so unsupportive my feet were under more strain than they would be in supportive boots....

Iv actually used John Bull work boots before for an overnight trip and they arnt too bad actually

Go for a walk round the block with them on wearing your favorite socks. You will soon know if they need much breaking in but in most cases the leather is pretreated to a point it is quite flexible to mould readily to your feet. You may need to experiment with 1 or 2 pair of socks or even a thin inner sock and subtantial outer sock but if you tried the boots on with the socks you expect to wear you should be fine. If they do need breaking in the first thing you need to do is get them really wet. Then walk in them letting them dry to a damp condition. Try walking up the hutt River in the water for 3 or 4km then walk back along the flood bank. In the old days when the leather used was untreated full grain it wasnt uncommon at the start of a trap to see several people soaking there boots and feet in the first river crossing.

I cut my teeth with bullers. The best boots for hunting and low level tramping imo for a 150 bux last ten times longer than any fancy modern boot. I own scarpa sl m3 for the hard stuff. They aren't goretex. Just heavy leather boots with pretty rigid soles. They are relatively cheap compare to others and they suit my wide feet well. They will handle anything you can throw at them. When I trek overseas I have some scarpa nang pa la boots light and sturdy. Where do you use the lowa Tibet boots?

How do you find the durability of the scarpas? My Tibets are the only pair I have at the moment as my other boots a worn out (Merrel Switchback) so I wear my Tibets every where at the moment. They are a little over the top for basic tramping but anything off track they are perfect