Stay away from hi-tech socks when wearing cowboy boots. Just pick a plain ol’ sock any top height you like, preferably one with toe seams that don’t rub you the wrong way. But don’t get too fancy…if God had wanted your feet to be “dry, cool and comfortable” all the time he wouldn’t invented things like the great outdoors…or Texas.

There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands on each of your feet…and sweat can be hard on cowboy boots. If your feet sweat too much and too often, the salty perspiration will eventually rot the leather and your boots will fall apart. You’ll know you have “sweated-out” your favorite pair, when you see the leather near the ball of your foot start cracking. This is the spot on the vamp leather which both flexes and takes the pressure of your foot when you walk.

Normally I’m a big fan of technology, but I think “wicking fibers” Coolmax® are bad news for cowboy boots. The sweat’s gotta go somewhere, right? These new socks wick the sweat off your foot, into the sock…then the next place it goes is right into that ostrich or cow “skin” you are wearing.

There are some things you can do to make your boots last longer. Avoid wearing the same pair of boots two days in a row. Trade-off between a couple pairs. This allows your boots to slowly dry out and your boots will last longer. (Yeah…I know this is common sense, wear your boots half as much and they’ll last twice as long…but the thing is they really last more like three times as long.)

And…if your boots are REALLY sweaty when you take ‘m off…you can try stuffing them with newspaper. This will help absorb the moisture (as well as any smells.) Avoid using drugstore sprays; they can leave residue on the lining leather and further reduce any breathability of your boots.