Boots are an essential part of your wardrobe, even if the only pair you own is for hiking or walking in the snow. You don’t even need to spend that much money. A $20 pair of department store boots are usually good enough when you only wear them a few times a year. However, when you rely on boots for an everyday shoe, it’s important to get the best quality possible.
You’ve probably noticed that low-quality boots break down fast. Usually, the stitching comes undone, the soles start to leak, or the eyelets come undone and it’s only a matter of months before they become unwearable. To avoid this problem, all you need to do is find better quality boots from a reputable source. Not sure how? Keep reading for some tips!
Get leather boots
Should you get canvas boots? Suede? Pleather? Leather? Out of all possible materials for boots, you can’t go wrong with leather. It’s classy, fashionable, and most of all, it’s durable.
A good pair of men’s full grain leather boots from a company like Portland Leather will be an excellent addition to your wardrobe. They’re affordable, comfortable, and the leather is sourced from the beef industry, which means all their boots are sustainable. Even if you don’t care about environmental issues, it’s a bonus to know your boots have been sourced from materials that would have gone to waste.
Go with a name brand you can trust
The best way to ensure you get a pair of quality boots is to start your search by looking at reputable brands. This will help you avoid buying from unknown brands that don’t make quality products. You don’t want to take a chance by spending your hard-earned money on boots nobody’s heard of before.
Research the brand’s reputation
It’s easy to research a brand online now that there are customer review sites everywhere. Look for reviews on places like Amazon, TrustPilot, and the company’s own website.
However, be skeptical if all reviews are five stars. It’s actually natural for even the best companies and products to generate less than five-star reviews. When there is a mix of stars, reviews are more likely to be legitimate.
Look for detailed reviews online
When reading written reviews, look for genuine experiences that will help you determine if a particular product is right for you. Many people write things like, “these boots are amazing, I love my new boots, etc.” and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t tell you anything about the product. Keep your eyes out for people who share specific details in their reviews, like how the boots fit, how easy it was to break them in, the quality of laces, and how comfortable they are.
Buy multiple pairs of boots
An easy way to make your boots last longer is to buy multiple pairs. Whether you get two or three pairs will depend on your budget, but it helps to have at least one extra pair. Boots do well when they have time to decompress between the times you wear them, and if you’re on your feet all day, there will be a lot of decompression happening once you get home.
Having an extra pair of boots also distributes the wear and tear better so that each pair will last longer. It’s good enough to swap out your shoes every other day.
Have a plan to care for your leather boots
Once you find the perfect pair of leather boots, your final step should be to get a care plan in place to prolong the life of your boots. Just like everything else made of leather, boots require regular maintenance, including conditioning and hydration. Remember, leather is cow skin, and it will dry out over time when ignored.
Caring for leather boots isn’t hard once you get the right products, tools, and figure out a routine. Be sure you get the right cleaner and conditioner. For example, conditioners are mainly designed for full-grain leather and will preserve your boots’ durable water repellent finish. How often you perform maintenance will depend on how frequently you wear your boots and in what conditions.
One important thing to consider is that wax-based waterproof products have gone out of favor for a reason – they make resoling boots difficult. Wax residue makes it hard for adhesive to bond. If there’s any chance you will want to resole your leather boots in the future, skip the wax.
Finding your ideal boots is the first step, but make sure you care for them properly. Clean and condition your boots as needed, and you’ll find they’ll last for much longer than you would expect.
