Care for your boots
Quality hiking boots is an investment. I have long held the opinion that one should invest their money in quality hiking boots. After investing that much cash in this essential piece of outdoor gear, one should take care of it. Here are some tips from Dave Page, REI’s go-to person for footwear repairs, and called ”a Veteran Boot Doctor” by Backpacker magazine.
Clean your boats often.
Make scouring your boots a regular part of your post hike routine. Pages suggests, “Stick them under a spigot and scrub them with an old vegetable brush.” It seems leftover grime eats away at the boot’s fibers.
Air-dry boots upside-down in a cool place.
Speed up the drying by stuffing boots with crumpled newspaper, changing the paper as needed. NEVER use a hairdryer, oven or artificial heat source.
Remove boot’s insoles during cleaning and storage.
Pages explains, “Most cushions have a lot of plastic in them and can retain moisture for weeks.” Storing insoles separately halves drying time and reduces the growth of mold, fungus, and other sources of stink.
Waterproof sparingly.
Excessive coatings of waterproofing products make boots impossible to repair. Whether your boots are made of leather, fabric or both, Page recommends applying one annual light layer of a quality waterproofing produce, then placing the boots in the sun for two hours.
