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.

There has always been a sort of push-and-pull between trends among custom boots and the “ready to wear” pairs. If people have seen something on the shelf they’ll often want it with a custom fit, for instance the past popularity of the round toe, and the unexplainable fondness for the double stitched welt. Conversely, if a boot is popular enough to generate lots of custom orders, you are likely to see it showing up on the retail shelves…a good example of this is ostrich skin boots. Ostrich boots used to be an eye-catching luxury item, but now with inexpensive imports…they are well within reach for most boot wearers.

Ostrich is a good leather for boots. It’s soft yet fairly sturdy…makes an ideal dress or everyday boot. One of the benefits of its growing popularity has been the increasing number of color choices. But with such popularity do we still get to call ostrich, an exotic leather?

When I looked up the word “exotic” in the dictionary, it gave two meanings. One was “exotic” meaning non-native, like a plant…the other was “exotic” meaning strangely beautiful or alluring, like an exotic dancer.

I certainly consider ostrich to be “non-native” to a cowboy boot. I would probably say this was true of any leather not indigenous to the cattle drive. What is “native” to a cowboy boot is probably a question that was settled back around 1880.

On the other hand, individual taste will always make the final decision about beauty. One thing I will say about ostrich is that it’s lost its edge. Part of what makes a cowboy boot exotic is the What is it? factor. Do you remember when you saw your first ostrich boot…that What is it? moment?

When too many people can identify a leather…or when you see it silk-screened on swapmeet handbags, for many boot wearers it has lost its allure.

Bootmaker Luis Jovel and I agree about some trends we’re seeing in exotic boots. Custom boot wearers who are dead set on something exotic are no longer satisfied with ostrich, anteater, or alligator…they want something DIFFERENT. Where will these new critters come from? Are we going to see a return of “novelty” leathers like bullfrog and rattlesnake? How long will it take before these fill up the shelves. Only time will tell.

And what about custom bootmakers? Where are their customers headed next? I predict a booming business for bootmakers offering “re-invented exotics”…new finishes and treatments of existing exotic favorites. New on the scene is shark in new matte finishes…also buffed and/or painted stingray. Each guaranteed to get a proper What is it? response from bystanders.

(NOTE: I saw the painted stingray when I visited Bangkok…sure to appear in the U.S. soon)

Is it legal to sell a vintage pair of sea turtle boots? What about a bootmaker making new boots from an old skin that they’ve held onto for years? Well, the answer is …it depends.

The international and interstate sale of sea turtle products is illegal. That’s why eBay won’t allow sellers to post old cowboy boots made from sea turtle hides. Occasionally, I will see a pair placed up for auction as “vintage” or “fake alligator.” These boots will often have the glossy shine of alligator leather, but the “tiles” will be smaller and rounder. Some of these eBay sellers might be genuinely confused, and there may be others trying to sneak their boots in under eBay’s radar.

The sale of sea turtle boots may be legal, if the buyer and seller are located in the same State (…not interstate, get it?)…AND provided their State’s laws allow it. In these cases, both the buyer and seller often need permits. (Contact your State’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office for more details.)

There are other exotic hides such as anteater (a.k.a. “pangolin” or “Manis temmincki”) which remains legal for sale in the U.S. only if a seller can prove the hides were legally obtained/imported. If you travel wearing exotic boots, you may save yourself some trouble by keeping a copy of your sales receipt tucked in your suitcase…especially if you are transporting more than one pair. Never attempt to enter or return to the U.S. wearing sea turtle boots! (More help with travel & souvenirs)

In California, the list of unlawful species is contained in the California Penal Code: Section 653.o. It reads as follows…

653o. (a) It is unlawful to import into this state for commercial
purposes, to possess with intent to sell, or to sell within the
state, the dead body, or any part or product thereof, of any
alligator, crocodile, polar bear, leopard, ocelot, tiger, cheetah,
jaguar, sable antelope, wolf (Canis lupus), zebra, whale, cobra,
python, sea turtle, colobus monkey, kangaroo, vicuna, sea otter,
free-roaming feral horse, dolphin or porpoise (Delphinidae), Spanish
lynx, or elephant.

Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of
a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not less than one
thousand dollars ($1,000) and not to exceed five thousand dollars
($5,000) or imprisonment in the county jail for not to exceed six
months, or both such fine and imprisonment, for each violation.
(b) The prohibitions against importation for commercial purposes,
possession with intent to sell, and sale of the species listed in
this section are severable. A finding of the invalidity of any one
or more prohibitions shall not affect the validity of any remaining
prohibitions.”

NOTE: At the time of this posting, the California State Attorney has chosen not to prosecute bootmakers for selling cowboy boots made with kangaroo hides, if they can prove that the skins were legally imported/obtained.