I got a pair of combat boots really cheap, but the cath was that they were only available in 10R. I tried them on, and they fit, except that the heel is digging in. I was wondering if the leather softens much during break in, perhaps enough that I won't need a bigger size? I know there are plenty of former military, and I was wondering if anyone has hints on how to best break them in?

Kris Lee

The biting you are feeling is quite ordinary. I used to use combat boots as duty boots when I ran EMS and this was the usual deal. I've also experienced this with my Dr. Martins 8 eyes. It goes away with time. I suggest boot socks and wide band-aids until you get them broken in, unless a few bloody blisters doesn't bother you.

Jake

They do break in after a while. When I was in basic we had knot/no-knot days. You are issued 2 pairs of combat boots. One pair had to have a knot tied in the laces between the 2 bottom eyelets. The 'Knot' boots were worn on odd number days of the month. This was so both pairs got broken in properly.  

When I got to my permanant party Cavalry unit, I bought the Tanker style boots because they were authorized for us and nobody else wore them, not even the guys in my unit. They had leather straps that wrapped around the boot several times instead of laces. They also had shiny chromed buckles and looked good with the silver spurs mounted on the back for formations. Good Luck

 Here'e an old grunt's trick - soak your boots in warm water for 30 min. then put them on and walk intil they're dry.  It will be a miserable hour or so but they'll actually break in efore half the heel wears off