How To Make Your Boots Fit Better - Nicks Handmade Boots 

I really like the idea of leather insoles. Would Nick's Boots consider selling leather insoles?

Great video! I’m going to try some additional insole in mine. I was fit in store at nicks with a medium weight sock. With breakin I moved to thicker socks and they are almost perfect. I got a size 11 and think I need a 10-3/4!

Great tips and information Grant. Thanks a ton

Wow! I never thought of the leather insole! That's great!

Good talk about the cobbler! Most boot channels never mention this; mine made 11,5 E's out of 11 D's 🙂

When my boots start feeling loose, I know it's time for new socks

Got my Nicks last week. Slowly breaking them in. 30 min while vacuuming the house, next day 45 min around the block with the MuttBull, 1 1.5 hr easy hike though the foothills, etc. Slight discomfort in some areas but no pain. In fact my heel and arch feel better than any other footwear I have ever worn allowing me to walk and hike better. By next week I may try a full day of wear. By the way things are going it seems as if I'll need to start saving up for my second pair because I'm already getting the feeling I will want to wear any other footwear once these are broken in. Slow and steady break-in and they will start molding to your feet. They will make you regret all those years of cheap footwear. Great information on the insoles!

Solid stuff here!

My Nicks’s fit perfectly, maybe my future pairs might need this advice, so thanks.

With all my boots (yet to get my nicks hope soon just over 16 weeks into wait) I pull as tight as I can on laces it makes feel more secure in my ankles with are destroyed from many years of skateboarding

I'll share some boot break in pains and what I've learned along the way. Point 1 - broken in just means well worn. There's no good road to this without miles, and shortcuts will dry out or screw up a perfectly good pair of boots. It's leather we're working with, so learn leather and manipulate that, not the chemistry because shortcuts lead to hurt boots and hurt boots lead to hurt wallets. I've never done shortcuts, suffered in many bouts of complaining like a normal dude. I'm tall and thin, so I don't have weight on my side to help push the leather to stretch to my needs, that comes from repetition. For me, the squat bends are the absolute punishers. If I balance on my toes in good boots, I'll give it a minute before it begins to cut circulation off from the sole stiffness (think hard angle, not tippy toes. Like you're doing a pushup or crawling). I have a very well broken in pair of Danner Mountain Lights and they are hands down tailor fit now after many miles. My Danner Rain Forests are somewhat of a chore to wear still, with some miles. The weight is the difference, but I still don't think they're quite broken in, even after some months wearing. They're my winter boots, and I skipped them over spring, summer and I'm just getting back into them this fall. The break in is real. Point 2 - fitment. If you don't have the right fit or size you're going to feel it. You might think you feel it in store, but in my experiences boots feel tight in the toebox then let out as they break in. It's tricky. If you're spending north of 200 dollhairs, let the man use his contraption to size your feet and try the boots on. Point 3 - Come in with beefy socks. If you have winter socks, try those on with the boots. It's a weird trick of mine that hasn't failed me. I can pass/fail boots in three steps with beefy wool socks on. I've also been wearing boots for way too long, so I have a taste for it now. Good boots won't "grind" or rub. They might feel tight, but that will break in. If it's too tight, you might need a wide cut, but some tightness is fine. Part 4 - Don't be afraid to confront. You're the commander of your wallet, if you have questions, ask. If they can't handle it, walk out. If you're coming in looking to invest don't be afraid to protect that choice with some questions. Some salesman are good salespeople and will sell aspects. If they don't know the miles those boots are planned for, walk away. Part 5 - reconstruction. I need to resole my Mountain Lights, I've worn a solid soft spot and Danner wants to run me $140 now (almost half what I paid, or what I'd call three seasons in a pair of Salomons) Many quality boots will be able to be serviced, at a premium. While likely cheaper than replacement, it's worth noting who will service your boot and how well. I was keen to use Danner as a first party, though given their asking price now, I may consider third party. The benefit of recrafting your outsole is you may get options. Example: I'm not super keen to the classic sole they use for many of their boots, I don't find it aggressive enough for the surfaces I find myself on. I like a more dynamic sole. In the end, it's all taste and mileage. I'm a nerd who's worn a LOT of boots in my life. I began to swear by Danner, but that allegiance may wane if they keep commanding a premium while shirking their material. My rusted hardware hasn't gone unnoticed.

I've never bought a pair of Nick's boots but I'm thinking about buying a pair of builder pros because they are nice boots and I need a boot that will last a long time

Everyone who buys a new pair of boots (from Nick's Handmade Boots of course!) should watch this video. It has helped me resolve the tightness and hot spot areas with minimal effort and solid results. My local Cobbler is a fan of this approach (duh!). Thanks for great footwear Nick's!

Man... I still love that hat Grant.

I like your video , and thanks for sharing with you 😍

That exact pair of socks are my favorite.

you guys still doing in store foot messurements for custom boots? wanna come your way in early december

My Urban Drifters arrived today and I absolutely love them except for one problem. The opening where my foot goes in is so tight I about gave myself an aneurism forcing my foot in. It seems like the tongue leather is too tight which keeps the boot from opening up properly. Is there is a trick to this, or am I missing something? Once I finally got my foot in, the boot fits great.

Are you still around would be nice to see another vid from grant

Do you make narrow sizes?

what two model of boots were you using in this video?

When you say “adding one width size” with a good pair of socks would that be size B to a D or B to C for example. The leather insole tip is one I hadn’t read before. Good to know. Thx

I like your hat!

I've been neglecting my boots I need to clean and oil them it's been 6 months almost

Salam siz çox gözəl işlər görürsüz

Do u ship ur boot to Indonesia?

Do the comfort insoles hinder the break in of the boot? Part of the reason I'm looking at Nick's is so I can stop buying insoles for my boots/shoes. I figured the insoles would make it harder for the leather to conform to my foot and therefore be detrimental to properly breaking them in. Was I wrong in thinking this?

👒👒👒Nice look Ranger Bob❗

My boots are a half size too big, can a cobbler resize them for me?

👍

What can u advice instead Greens oil. Can I use butter, or smth else.. what can u advice me ... Sorry. Bad english

Question. Why do leather shoes crack over time .. and how can this be prevented

Mine is tight on My left foot at the big toe knuckle

Них,,я не понял.Но очень интересно!!!

The problem is the leather stretches and they don’t account for this when they build the boots, another great boot company does and wet molds/lasts the boots and they shrink and won’t stretch like a dry boot that’s been lasted ..

I wonder if anyone has tried getting the right size 🤔

I'm sure there's some people in this country who have no idea what it means to "reef" on something. Fortunately, I'm from Wisconsin so it makes complete sense.

All of this is a good idea, but the issue is the boot companies are all about money ! All they have to do is bring back B widths, in the past most companies made B widths and at times a A width ! People check your feet you may have a B width foot and not know it !

Worn out, not "wore" out

Hope they fit better than your hat...joke

Ohh… if you have to do any of these things it’s just a bad fit. 🤦 Seriously? “Tighten the laces”? Lol. If the boot is too big and you over tighten the laces to try and fix it, you can cut off the circulation. How about you just get a better fit?

At 4:21 Turn off the blaring music, I could not get to my sound volume fast enough to turn it down. Folks around me gave me the stink-eye.

lose the hat

Maybe spend more time actually making boots and not RU-vid videos and your lead time wouldn’t be 8 months or more.