[Books]

I was the guy who commented about using the Neet's oil for a boot soak. It worked wonders with some old black Welco ripple sole jungles (took forever to get the oil out though). I haven't tried it on tan boots, nor do I intend to now that I wear Asolos in the field mostly.

Taking the toe and heel cups out is a double edged sword. On one hand, you gain ballet slipper comfort and on the other hand you lose parts of the boot's structural support. For example, when I dropped my infil ruck on my toe without toe cups and the frame smashed my big toe, the resulting trauma could have been less had I had the toe cup. . . or it might not have been. It's sooo much fun smashing one's toe to the point of rupture and eventual toenail loss just before an infil . . . effing murphy. And so it goes.

One thing I did to speed up the break in process was to fill my boots with super hot water, drain them, and then (wearing two pairs of socks to prevent blisters from the inevitable rubs) wore them dry. It will take a while. . . and the suede is a sponge unlike the smooth leather - super crappy in the jungle.

Read the book Fixing your Feet for other tips. . . Good luck.