Paratrooper Boots

[WildCelt]

Break-in Time

Old thread, but I thought I'd ask a pertinent question. How long did it take you gentlemen (who find your Corcorans comfortable) to break them in? I found an almost brand new pair at the local thrift store (black, unfortunately) and wore them off and on all last winter, but they still kill my ankles. I stripped them with acetone and loaded them with Pecards shortly after buying them, which made them wearable, but after a day at school, I can't wait to take them off. I like the look (and they're cool as anything with my kilt), but I'm starting to get discouraged about them getting broken in.

 

[Harp]

Old thread, but I thought I'd ask a pertinent question. How long did it take you gentlemen (who find your Corcorans comfortable) to break them in? I found an almost brand new pair at the local thrift store (black, unfortunately) and wore them off and on all last winter, but they still kill my ankles. I stripped them with acetone and loaded them with Pecards shortly after buying them, which made them wearable, but after a day at school, I can't wait to take them off. I like the look (and they're cool as anything with my kilt), but I'm starting to get discouraged about them getting broken in.

Run nine miles in 'em on a rainy dawn; spit shine later with Kiwi polish,
and a light coat of Johnson's floor wax; buff---then run another hard niner
the next day, and the next....

 

[MrBern]

impenetrable?

I already own a pair of Corcorans, and I am less than impressed with the quality. They appear as if they were spray painted glossy brown rather than being constructed of deep brown leather. I have tried darkening them with Peckards leather gel, but it didn't take. I even let it soak for about 30 hours and it did absolutely nothing. The outer surface of the leather appear to be impenetrable.

Thornhill, rub down the leather w/ nail polish remover. That should eliminate the shiney coating. Then you should be able to polish them to a deeper color or even dye them. But take care, once they get darker, you'll never get them back to that WWII russet color.

btw, the ATF jump boots arent made as well as the Corcorans.

 

[MrBern]

Old thread, but I thought I'd ask a pertinent question. How long did it take you gentlemen (who find your Corcorans comfortable) to break them in? I found an almost brand new pair at the local thrift store (black, unfortunately) and wore them off and on all last winter, but they still kill my ankles. I stripped them with acetone and loaded them with Pecards shortly after buying them, which made them wearable, but after a day at school, I can't wait to take them off. I like the look (and they're cool as anything with my kilt), but I'm starting to get discouraged about them getting broken in.

REALLY? Ive got corcorans in brown as well as black & never had a moments problem w/ them breaking in properly.

 

[DerMann]

Great - now I'm between buying a pair of Cocoran Jump Boots or another pair of ammo boots from WPG (this time in black with the hobnails).

While my ammo boots are surprisingly comfortable, the jump boots tend to look a little more refined and are more comfortable in general.

 

[DutchIndo]

60 yrs ago they would have kicked your butt if you did not earn them. So I feel wierd wearing mine in public but I do like wearing my French Army double buckle boots. They look similar to the late war combat boots that replaced the Corcorans. The price was great too at the time 30+ is what I paid.

 

[thunderw21]

I've recently been thinking about buying a pair of Corcorans. This thread helps drive me closer to doing that.

60 yrs ago they would have kicked your butt if you did not earn them. So I feel wierd wearing mine in public but I do like wearing my French Army double buckle boots. They look similar to the late war combat boots that replaced the Corcorans. The price was great too at the time 30+ is what I paid.

fftopic:
I too have those French boots. I kept the buckles for about a year and a half for reenacting but decided they weren't authentic enough so I cut them off and now use the boots as roughouts with leggings. I also cut off the lugs. They were a pain to break in but now they're my everyday shoes (except in the summer.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

The Army still had one pair of double buckles in 1953 and they were issued to me - argh! Back then it was very important to the Army that boots be polished to a high gloss. My understanding is that now the boots are rough outs and are not allowed to be polished.

Most of us had our fatigues starched and I have been told that with the current battle dress - BDU or whatever it is called - starching is not allowed.

The Army is changing to a new blue dress uniform over the next few years. It has a lot of gold braid including a stripe up the side of the trousers for ranks either starting with E4 or above E4 - I forge which.

I don't care for it, but I don't have to wear it.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[DutchIndo]

Jiminsocal my nephew is a SEABEE stationed out on Coronado Island he told me the reason they don't starch was because it gets picked up on Night Vision. How I don't know but that's what he tells me he works with the Marines so I goess he's right. Thunderw21 my frenchies were also a pain to break in I finally stuck coffee cans in the ankles and greased the crap out of them. They fit fine now ready for winter here.

 

[arthur]

I was in the 82nd airborne in the early 80's and coccorans were cheap.Hardly anyone wore them we all wore H and H brand which were much higher quality.

 

[bigshoe]

Now HH,Cove and cohcaran are all the same company with different name brands. The paratrooper boots are made on the original munson lasts and they use the original dies to cut them. The leather they use is no where near the quality of the originals and the rubber half soles are no where near as tough as the corded neoprene on the originals.
Tom

 

[JimInSoCalif]

DutchIndo - thanks - I recall that I heard the same reason - it slipped my mind, along with a lot of other things

Cheers, Jim.

 

[Hugh Beaumont]

I served with SOCOM from 84-89 at Fort Bragg and loved my Corcorans. Never had a problem breaking them in. Of course, in the military, they get broken in pretty quick. I couldn't imagine trying to break in a pair as a civilian, unless you used them as a work boot.

 

[MrBern]

I was in the 82nd airborne in the early 80's and coccorans were cheap.Hardly anyone wore them we all wore H and H brand which were much higher quality.

A few years ago I bought some new H&H jump boots. They were nice , but the leather on my brown corcorans is far nicer. Is H&H now more of the budget version from Cove?

 

[WildCelt]

I served with SOCOM from 84-89 at Fort Bragg and loved my Corcorans. Never had a problem breaking them in. Of course, in the military, they get broken in pretty quick. I couldn't imagine trying to break in a pair as a civilian, unless you used them as a work boot.

Yeah, I broke in my Cadillacs pretty quickly (and the uppers lasted through 5 soles), but the leather on those is a lot different from that of the Corcorans--it starts out softer.

As an update on my break-in woes, I laced the Corcorans up and skipped the sixth grommet. I can now wear them without walking gingerly, so I'm wearing them almost everyday. My ankles are still sore at the end of the day, but no more so than in any other boot I've broken in.