How painful should tall boots be when you first get them?

[HWS]

Hi Guys,

I just bought a pair of Tucci Galileos and they fit me but are incredibly uncomfortable. My question is how painful is too painful? They are incredibly tight (I can feel my legs pulsing but am hoping they will stretch) and the back of my ankles dig in with each step. I live in an area with very few tack stores so trying on different brands of boots has meant a lot of ordering and returning. These look the best of anything I’ve tried and seemingly fit the best (I have a wide calf and small ankle so I can be tough to fit). Since these are expensive I don’t want to make a mistake with them. I would rather go custom than be sorry at this point (not that that is a guarantee either). Any advice is appreciated!!

[puzzle]

Fairly normal - means they will probably fit once broken in (although you need to make sure they’re tall enough - usually for me at least if they are tall enough they will dig into the back of my knees w/o heel lifts). Try boot stretch spray or bathtub method if you’re feeling brave. Also try putting them on at the beginning of the day when your legs are less swollen and wearing them as long as you can stand for a while - helps them stretch as your legs naturally swell during the course of a day. As for the ankles, Smartpak and Dover sell equifit gel bands for your ankles that help, as does showsheen or bodyglide (reduce friction), and if you have open, broken blisters these special bandages called hydrocolloid bandages that seal off the area and make them feel SO much better. Good luck!

[Eye_in_the_Sky]

They should feel like a mammogram for your feet, and a particularly evil boa constrictor for your calves.

Leather stretches, so you want a good snug fit initially, and then you can "enjoy"breaking them in.

Good luck!

[ElementFarm]

I second the recommendation for the gel bands (available from Dover, Smartpak, etc). Those little miracles are the only way I can survive walking around in my boots.
As for the tightness in the calves, I would wear mine until I couldn’t stand it, and then put in the biggest boot trees I could find. I figured the boots would ‘shrink’ back after my sweaty legs were out of them, and every little bit helps. Just make sure you’re not about to bust the zippers. They are often the weak spot on stretching boots.

[BITSA]

I have tuccis too, but custom. I would lose feeling in my left leg for a few weeks when I got them, now they are like a second skin and I can wear them all day at a show, so there’s hope! According to the tucci rep take a wet sponge and wet the inside and outside where it’s too tight, not dripping but more than just barely damp, this will help stretch those areas to fit your foot/ankle/leg. I only ride 2–3x per week and feel like I had to do those for about 6-8 weeks. Good luck

[StormyDay]

I know everyone says its good if your boots are so tight you start to wonder if you still have feet, or if they fell off from lack of blood, but after years of doing that I came to the conclusion that is bs. I now buy my boots fitting my leg comfortably. When I try on a pair of boots, if they don’t zip up relatively easy and are comfortable to wear, I don’t get them. They never stretch more, since my leg isn’t forcing them to, so they look as good as the other boots.
I’m not saying buy a pair of boots way too big. I am saying if you have, say, a 13inch calf, buy a pair of boots with a 13 inch calf. Not a 12.5 inch. I promise you, you won’t wake up one morning to find they are suddenly 14 inches instead :lol:
So if you are uncomfortable, I would send them back and say they made them too small in the calf.
Also, PM me your calf size. I also have small ankle/big calf syndrome, and have become very good at reading the numbers. Just because it says wide calf, doesn’t mean it’s actually a wide calf.

[largo]

I buy mine small like a lot of people. My normal method is: buy tight, very constricting boots, take alcohol/water spray and get the inside of the ankle very wet (sometimes part of the calf too), then wear as much as I can possibly stand for several days. When I can’t stand it anymore, give legs a break and heal blisters. Usually by the time all my blisters and bruises go away I try them back on and they fit perfect. I think they look just right as they molded to my leg and aren’t baggy/stretched too much anywhere.

[BAC]

I agree with StormyDay, buy what fits you comfortably snug. Also I hate really tight ankles that give that flipper foot effect, so I’m not concerned about super tight ankle fit so much. After beautiful customs that practically cut off circulation in my calves until they broke in, I now buy what fits right from the start.

[Dapple_Dawn_Farm]

I also agree with StormyDay…I buy boots that are comfortable. I hate that too tight, lose all feeling in you feet and calf feeling :mad: But again, not too big where there are any gaps…it is a very fine line…

[Willesdon]

I now buy my boots fitting my leg comfortably. When I try on a pair of boots, if they don’t zip up relatively easy and are comfortable to wear, I don’t get them. They never stretch more, since my leg isn’t forcing them to, so they look as good as the other boots.

Absolutely!! I am too old and too fond on my legs to damage them by cutting off their blood supply.

[beaujolais]

“I am too old and too fond on my legs to damage them by cutting off their blood supply.”

Agreed. Why I was younger, I bought them more snug. I’ll even buy a bit generous of a size now. Know what - they still look just as great and are much nicer to deal with.

OP - it’s not even summer yet. Sorry but I’d send them back!

[Go_Fish]

If your calf and/or feet are going numb, then they’re too tight. You can have a bit of difficulty zipping them up at first, but a couple of days of wearing them, or spraying them with alcohol should take care of the problem.

Wearing boots that are too tight can seriously compromise the zipper or zipper stitching in a relatively short period of time. If you can afford expensive boot repair and having your boots in the repair shop for several weeks to a month, go for it.

[Nickelodian]

A few recs

1. Alcohol works better than the bathtub method. Two different professional boot makers have recommended this to me. Pour rubbing alcohol on the inside and outside of the boot until they are drenched, about half a bottle (normal size) per boot.

2. Start with the boots on bare skin, then add a stocking, then a boot sock, then a thick sock, then a legging, then legging plus sock and on and on. Essentially baby steps. When you can wear them comfortably with breeches and a boot sock, ride a bike in them, not ride. Each time you put them on, use the alcohol.

Yes, they should be painful and your legs should throb as you stretch them over time.

[shedllybip]

With all of the size options available, boots should never be that uncomfortable. Your legs and feet should never go numb. There shouldn’t ever be that much stress placed on the $50 zipper in your $1200 boots. This is what causes them to break. Yes they may rub you until the leather breaks in and the Equifit gel guards are a huge help, but you should never go numb wearing them.

[HWS]

Thanks everyone for these fantastic suggestions!! They are definitely not so tight that I go numb or anything like that. I can get them on with breeches and socks. It’s more just the rubbing on the back of my ankle that worries me. I will try the heel lifts and Equifit gels. I just want to be sure that the rubbing will go away once broken in. I called the tack shop I got them from and they assured me but I find it helpful to hear y’alls opinions on it.

[sarcam02]

[QUOTE=Eye in the Sky;8155437]
They should feel like a mammogram for your feet, and a particularly evil boa constrictor for your calves.

Good luck![/QUOTE]

Classic!!

[sarcam02]

duplicate post

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Nickelodian;8156091]
A few recs

1. Alcohol works better than the bathtub method. Two different professional boot makers have recommended this to me. Pour rubbing alcohol on the inside and outside of the boot until they are drenched, about half a bottle (normal size) per boot.

2. Start with the boots on bare skin, then add a stocking, then a boot sock, then a thick sock, then a legging, then legging plus sock and on and on. Essentially baby steps. When you can wear them comfortably with breeches and a boot sock, ride a bike in them, not ride. Each time you put them on, use the alcohol.

Yes, they should be painful and your legs should throb as you stretch them over time.[/QUOTE]

rubbing alcohol can and will damage or disintegrate the leather fibers… water will not (if conditioned afterwards). not something i would do with tall boot$ :eek:

[Nickelodian]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8156261]
rubbing alcohol can and will damage or disintegrate the leather fibers… water will not (if conditioned afterwards). not something i would do with tall boot$ :eek:[/QUOTE]

Not according to the two boot guys I talked to, one at WEF, one in KY. In fact, the “boot stretch spray” from der dau is a majority rubbing alcohol.

From what I was told, it opens the pores and let’s the leather stretch.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Nickelodian;8156282]
Not according to the two boot guys I talked to, one at WEF, one in KY. In fact, the “boot stretch spray” from der dau is a majority rubbing alcohol.

From what I was told, it opens the pores and let’s the leather stretch.[/QUOTE]

alcohol is a caustic and drying agent. someone who knows more about tanning than me can pop in, but alcohol saturates the leather at first which is what “opens the pores” (you can get the same effect by soaking it with water) - but then it desiccates the leather by drying it - the alcohol evaporates in the leather and in the process shrivels the leather and causes cracks. I would NOT use straight alcohol on my leather, ever. many non-conditioning cleaners ARE made with a little alcohol in it, which is why it is so important to follow up with a conditioner.

they probably told you that so you could go through a pair of boots faster…