another trick for a blister is to sew a thread of cotton though it an leave it over night.

ill get shot down now but it works for me

Smash boots with rocks until boots have softened nicely.

I find that running socks under my walking socks are a perfect solution, as my running socks are twin skin (inner layer moulds itself to my foot, outer layer rubs against that). Decent socks makes all the difference, and don't be afraid to wear an extra sock on one foot if necessary.

My winter boots need a third sock on the right foot, but strangely my summer ones don't.

The old trick for breaking in leather boots was to walk up streams in them to soften them, unsure if it works too well though. I prefer just wearing them around the house and to the shops and so on, until they feel good.

Fair enough TJ but I'm not going to treat you as an oracle on this topic for reasons I am sure you are aware of.

I am amazed no one has come up with the perenially hilarious "wee in your shoes".

As far as outdoors experience is concerned, I think my vote would firmly go with polarisandy off here. Not only does he walk and climb extensively on rock, snow and ice, around the world and UK, but he's also the Doctor with Penrith Mountain Rescue Team. 8)

Striding Edge rescue

another trick for a blister is to sew a thread of cotton though it an leave it over night.

Sounds ideal for getting infected!

I can wear any sock you care to mention and it makes no difference to my non-blistered feet.
I like my boots to be the same size I wear to work so I only wear one layer and it's a summer sock.

However, some peoples' feet do, for whatever reason, seem to sweat more (?) and seem more prone to blistering.
You wouldn't credit the mess some guy's feet were in on multi-day forced marches when I w'er a lad i't' Army. Me? No issues – thankfully.

Meindle, the 2x models mentioned above, typically have a wide fitting.

The trouble with boot fitting is you can't always tell there'll be a problem until it's too late.

You spend ages faffing around in the shop talking volumes, widths etc. Walk around a bit, take them home and walk a round a bit more. Then you take them out….. you're committed. A lot of people will spend £100's and then persist in hope when they find the 'comfy in the shop/lounge' boot causes problems on the hill. I've done this on a number of occasions.

I happily used Brasher Hillmaster's for years (4 pairs) for general plonking around in the hills. They were perfect until they changed the design and now they're not suitable for my feet, I get blisters every time.

I happily used Scarpa for years for more serious stuff (plastics and tradditonal fully stiffened leather). I bought a new pair of Freney's for the Alps a couple of years ago and they shredded my feet.

I've now ened up (more by luck than judgement) with a pair of Meindle Vakuum's for general use and a pair of La Sportiva Trango Alps for mountaineering. I've even kept my old Scarpa Vega plastics for technical ice.

The message? It dunt really matter how much time you spend faffing around with the initial choice, tweaking socks, volume, fit etc. Fit is a bit of a lottery and sometimes you just don't win 🙁

I happily used Scarpa for years for more serious stuff (plastics and tradditonal fully stiffened leather). I bought a new pair of Freney's for the Alps a couple of years ago and they shredded my feet.

I did a similar thing many years ago, except I actually bought the boots the day I arrived for a 2 week hol, in a climbing shop in Aosta, Italy. I bought a pr of Scarpa Dru, which were the same as the Freney I think.
Anyway, I did as I described above, taped my feet up. We did some big routes and I removed the tape every 3-4 days when washing (it was a hardman trip), then reapplied the tape. I never had any foot problems throughout the 14 days, doing routes pretty much every day.
Back in the UK (not bothering to tape my feet up), the boots, being rigid, gave me hell for quite a while until they moulded to my foot shape.
Hense the reason why I'm advocating just taping feet up with a roll of heavy duty sticky surgical tape type stuff, for a simple, reasonably guaranteed, solution. Braking in the boots wasn't an option. By buying the boots on the 1st day, I was taking a big risk potentially ruining an expensive 2 week climbing holiday, and that of my friends. This was my solution and it worked.

BA:
That could well have ended in many tears (of pain)!
I recall in one of Sir Ran Feinne's book about how he took 2-3hrs every single morning shoe-horning his feet into his plastic boots every single day. I just can't imagine the pain that must have been! Then going for a 10hr walk in them.

Yep, +n for tape. Lot's swear by (at) Leuko Zinc Oxide. Seems to be designd for sh1t and blanket interfacing.

My Freney's were so bad, the worlds supply of tape, second skin and Compeed didn't help. I sold them and the new owner has no problems at all 🙂

BA:
That could well have ended in many tears (of pain)!

Yes, it actually did, because removing the tape pulled every hair out of my feet. Much amusement was had by people on the campsite near us. But, the OP asked for a solution for not having foot problems during their few days walking in the Alps. It works well for me. I've also done it a few times since with big boots, but it's a bit of an extreme solution for a few hours day walk in the Lakes.

Just to illustrate how boot fit is a very personal thing, Scarpa Freneys are, by a distance, the most comfortable winter boots I've owned. Light, stiff, solid, soft, easy to lace up "just right".

La Sportiva boots, on the other hand, 😉 are torture for me.

Blisters with new boots = MTFU

Blisters with old boots = bin

HTH 8)

1. Wool socks, not climatecnylonindiscguise 5000. WOOL
2. Wear your boots all the time between now and the walk, sleep in em.
3. Do a couple of ten mile walks, you may not be man enough.
4. Zinc tape your feet if you have to but always soak them to remove the tape, never rip the tape off. Important that last bit.

I've also found that taking the time to air your feet once or twice a day seems to help, socks off, feet in the breeze sort of thing. We did a 120k trek in a race and did this every 3 hours, quick 10 min sit down nosh up and feet wiggle. No foot problems at all, teams behind were broken with trench foot etc

stuartie_c – Member

Scarpa Freneys, the most comfortable winter boots I've owned.

La Sportiva boots, are torture for me.

Wierdo 😉

That just reinforces my lottery point…. I tried the Freney's out in the shop for ages and stomped around the house until I drove SWMBO (and the cat) to distraction. On the hill, they were terrible (for me).

I did exactly the same with the La Sportiva's and ….bliss. A bit of fettling with sock thickness but no blisters, sores, rubbing or lameness at all.

As for the OP's original point, I've tried to resurect old boots that had been stored for years twice. The first were a pair of KSB 3's that rubbed my heels to mush despite being comfy and even ace when I used them regularly. Did all my long distance walking in them at one time (Pennine Way, Offa's Dyke etc) with no issues.

The other, a pair of Scarpa Fitzroy's had turned iron hard and my poor tootsey's…. You could try some of the leather conditioners/refurb products to try and soften yours. I waxed mine and that dint make much difference. The bin, however, did.

If I was going to the expense of a long-weekend walking in the Alps, I'd rather chance some new, lightweight boots than some old tat that I know hurts my feet.

If all that breaking-in advice doesn't work:

Fold an empty crisp (Walkers would see appropriate) packet in half, and stuff it between the sock and the boot. The crisp packet provides a slippery smooth surface at the rubbing point of the boot. Better still you need to eat at least one packet of crisps and have a sit down.

coffeeking – Member
It's your feet that need the breaking in, not the boots. I have some £180 Raichle boots, feel as comfy as you could ever imagine, well worth the cash, but even when I've broken them in and walked hundreds of miles in them, if I have 6 months off they rub again, not in any specific area, just that my feet are not used to being "holed up" in a boot for ages. When I'm walking in them I don't feel any specific rubbing points etc

Disagree. If you develop Mortons neuroma, which is inflammation of the nerves in the foot, and can be caused by poor fitting boots amongst others, then your foot won't break in, indeed one treatment for Mortons is changing your footwear.
http://www.foothealthfacts.org/footankleinfo/mortons-neuroma.htm

If my feet needed breaking in, then I can't see how I'd go from being unable to walk 3 miles in old leather boots without significant pain, to walking 11 miles the following week in new fabric boots.

Nikwax conditioner inside and out will soften it down nicely. If it's similar to the old liquid wax take care as it is possible to turn them to glove leather (suppleness not thickness) and then there's no support.