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Original poster

Please help me with my new Doc Martens!

88 replies

MrsWhites · 25/10/2020 19:26

Bought a new pair of Doc Marten Chelsea boots, they were going to be my new wear with everything boots but my god they are like torture devices!

It literally takes about 2 minutes of huffing and puffing, pulling at the tab at the back and at the leather at the front to wiggle my foot into them and then they hurt so bad! Does anyone have any tips to break them in?

OP posts:

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FannyFernackerpan · 25/10/2020 21:20

I have 23 pairs of DMs in different styles from sandals to loafers, clogs, wedge boots, Chelsea boots, walking boots ... collected over decades, and there's only ever been one style that were so persistently uncomfortable I had to flog them on eBay, which was these - pictured (Persephone). No amount of 'breaking them in' made them any more comfortable. They were agony.

However in every other instance, they have been the most comfortable footwear I have ever had - hence me having so many pairs! And of course, they last for ever.

Just keep wearing them. Even if it's only for a few minutes a day. My most recent ones (Caitlin) were very difficult to get on and off and were incredibly stiff and rubbed the back of my heels, but now they are as comfy as anything - so much so that I bought two pairs in different colours!

Persevere OP and if you really can't get on with them, you will get good money for them on Ebay.

Harleyisme · 25/10/2020 21:23

I have 5 pairs of dms all were horrible to wear in. I have manged to do so with 4 pairs still working on one pair. I wear them with tights and dresses i love them once broke in they are the best and most comfortable things ever.

OnceUponAMidnightBeery · 25/10/2020 21:23

Stick plasters on blister points, 2 pairs of socks and massage/knead the stiff bits

They’re fab OP, love them!

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DrCoconut · 25/10/2020 21:25

I have the fur lined ones too and haven't had to break them in really. But I remember my old ones back in the 90's. I made the rookie error of walking home in them immediately after my first purchase. Never again. But I persisted and they really were the best boots ever eventually. Pant liners are your friends here as you can stick them right round your heels or over the tops of your feet for extra padding!

BlackLetterDay · 25/10/2020 21:34

I tried twice with them and gave up, I think like most people one of my feet is bigger than the other so the unwieldy leather just shredded the smaller foots heel, no matter how long I wore them or how many pairs of socks. A smaller size was a no go too. Meh il stick to shoes which I don't have to have some bizarre s&m torture with

MrsFriskers · 25/10/2020 21:37

You can also bash them with a mallet, along the strengthened bits, to make them a bit more flexible. The DM socks are good too.

dudsville · 25/10/2020 21:38

This won't help you necessarily but I think Solovair is a better shoe of the same ilk. Comfortable from out of the box.

homemadecommunistrussia · 25/10/2020 21:44

I remember reversing over my friend's docs in 1990. Good times!

Pandaa · 25/10/2020 21:46

You can take the insole out for extra room, I've got the same boots with the fur inside and they killed me and were so hard to get on and off, once I took the insole out they were bearable and stopped rubbing.

MrsRoyCropper · 25/10/2020 21:47

Are dm’s true to size would you say, do those that have them wear their regular size? Wondering if I should consider sizing up for a comfortable fit 🤔

ThousandsAreSailing · 25/10/2020 21:48

I had a green pair with red laces back in the 90s. The breaking in was a nightmare
I worked 5 mins from home and walked there and back every day in them for months looking like I'd crapped myself because I couldn't bend my foot. The they became the most comfortable things ever for about 2 months and the sole split😭

Freetodowhatiwant · 25/10/2020 21:52

Yeah I feel the same, I can't wait to wear them. Mine are actually in the softer leather (Virgina leather maybe) too. Must make more time to break them in at home.

FamilyOfAliens · 25/10/2020 21:52

I had to google mink oil as I thought there’s no way it would actually be an animal product and it turns out it’s a by-product from killing mink for their pelts.

How lovely

homemadecommunistrussia · 25/10/2020 22:16

Ick

noodlezoodle · 25/10/2020 22:20

I had a pair in the 90s that I never, ever managed to break in, despite taking a hammer to the back of them. After a few weeks of blood and agony I gave up.

Last year I bought some of the Pascals in soft leather and they've been really comfy from the get-go. Glad the weather is cooling off so I can get them out again!

PanamaPattie · 25/10/2020 22:27

I have an Ox blood pair, patent leather pair and two sixteen hole boots - one pinky silver and one with red roses. I wore all of them with two pairs of socks for a couple of months. No blisters. Just comfort.

midlifecrash · 25/10/2020 22:31

big plasters on your heel for the first week. Once they've worn in, you won't look back (and will be amazed all over again by how stiff they are when you have to get a new pair in about 5 years constant wear)

Shizzlestix · 25/10/2020 22:38

Got a pair of 1460s as a student, boy they were obscenely painful to wear in! However, I now have multiple pairs of them and none were a trauma to wear in bar a pair of narrow purple ones. To be fair, one pair was already worn in by a mate. The6 are mad comfortable otherwise. I don’t know why they’ve been easy.

I have riding boots which are a trauma to get on. Fortunately, they have a tab at the back and I use a bike iron to haul them on, very awkward as my mobility and balance are dire!

Anordinarymum · 25/10/2020 22:49

I have a shiny purple pair and two years on I am still breaking them in

lookingatthings · 25/10/2020 23:04

Wear two (or three) pairs of thick socks. Out the boots on. Blow-dry on your feet whilst wiggling toes / moving ankles. Then walk around the house or whatever for 20 mins. Do this every day in addition to wearing them out. They will loosen up in a few weeks and when they do they'll be the most comfortable boots you've ever owned.

Original poster

MrsWhites · 25/10/2020 23:12

@FamilyOfAliens yuk, I’ll look for a more humane substitute to that then.

Thanks for the tips everyone - hopefully they’ll loosen up before I have to resort to hitting them with a mallet or running them over (those ones must have really hurt)!

I will report back!

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsWhites · 25/10/2020 23:17

@lookingatthings I did the hairdryer trick earlier, will do that again a few times.

@Shizzlestix that’s exactly what these are like to get on, I end up hopping around trying to balance whilst desperately pulling at the tab on the back!

I look forward to the days of comfort that you all speak of! The guy in the shop said ‘oh they’ll be so comfortable they become like a part of you’ - at the moment that seems like a far away dream!

OP posts:

Shizzlestix · 26/10/2020 00:02

that’s exactly what these are like to get on, I end up hopping around trying to balance whilst desperately pulling at the tab on the back!

Sit on the stairs, get a tyre iron, go for it!

Potnoodleforbrains · 26/10/2020 00:14

I put panty liners on my heals then socks. Magic trick that works!

Potnoodleforbrains · 26/10/2020 00:19

Heels

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