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How To Prevent Peeling of Tactical Boots? | 7 Things to Remember

Tactical boots are made for hard use such as police jobs, military service, law enforcement, hiking

At a glance, tactical boots are born not purely for fashion, but mainly for function.

Tactical boots are used for tough terrain so they may get worn out during use.

One kind of tactical boot damage that you can easily see is peeling. This problem happens commonly in leather tactical boots.

The peeling can affect the durability, pressure resistance, waterproof ability and aesthetics of your boots.

So, how to prevent peeling of tactical boots?

We will let you know!

How to prevent peeling of tactical boots?

We’ll have a list of all the ways to prevent peeling of tactical boots. Let’s take a look!

Method 1: Take care of tactical boots properly (clean, condition, polish)

This is one of the easiest and most basic ways to protect tactical boots from peeling off. The tactical boots that stay dirty for too long, if not cleaned properly, can deteriorate quickly. And in the worst case, the material of tactical boots comes off.

You should also know how to clean tactical boots for leather and suede tactical boots separately (as the methods are different for these two materials).

However, it can be difficult to protect the tactical boots from peeling by purely cleaning, especially leather/suede tactical boots.

For leather/suede tactical boots, you must combine cleaning with conditioning methods to ensure the material won’t come off.

Using the conditioner to maintain leather/suede tactical boots is something that almost all hardcore fans of boots need to know.

Conditioners will help leather tactical boots retain moisture and color, preventing them from drying out, chipping and especially not peeling.

All you have to do is clear the tactical boots first, apply a thin layer of conditioner to the tactical boots and wait for them to penetrate, and that’s it.

How often you should condition tactical boots will depend on whether you use the boots more or less.

For example, if you use tactical boots regularly, condition them once (or twice) in 2 months to 3 months. If you don’t really use them much, condition them at least every 6 months.

And if you are a careful wearer, you should polish leather tactical boots. Some polish makes leather shiny, protecting them from external effects, dirt, and water, thus limiting the peeling problem in your tactical boots.

Aside from that, another thing you need to be aware of to take good care of the tactical boots is the storage area.

Keep the tactical boots in a cool, dry place, especially ones made of leather and suede. Avoid humid places or high temperature sources.

Also, keep tactical boots in shape so that they won’t crease – the main cause of flaking.

We have instructions on how to keep the tactical boots in shape below, scroll down for more information!

Method 2: Keep tactical boots dry


One of the most common causes of tactical boots to flake off is that they are moist and damp for a long time.

Why is that? Because when damp, the glue connecting the different parts of the tactical boot won’t stick, causing the boot parts to peel off.

With tactical boots, you will use them for hard use rather than leaving them in a glass case, so it’s difficult to avoid getting wet from sweat, rain, etc.

What you need to do is handle them properly.

There are two ways that hard boot fans of boots use the boot trees or boot dryer to ensure the boots are always dry.

Besides, they are also very easy to use, just put them in a cowboy boot, and that’s it! (for a boot dryer, you have to turn on the switch).

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Or if you want to use household items, you can use some household powder (talcum powder, cornstarch…) to sprinkle it inside the tactical boot.

The powder will absorb moisture and keep the tactical boots from moisture, ensuring they won’t peel off.

Method 3: Buy the right types of tactical boots

You will need to choose the right tactical boots for your purpose.

Tactical boots are primarily divided into two main categories: tactical boots for wet weather and hot weather.

Tactical boots for wet weather are usually waterproof with good insulation, quick dry, and anti-slip soles.

Meanwhile, the tactical boots for hot weather have a breathable design with good air circulation.

The problem is, if you use wet weather tactical boots for summer outdoor, or use hot weather tactical boots in the rain or snow, they will quickly peel off.

The tactical boots for hot weather are not waterproof, so they are easily absorbed by water, resulting in flaking.

Whereas, wet weather tactical boots, when exposed to high temperatures or outdoor summer activities, can come off.

So my advice is if you are thinking of buying a new pair of tactical boots, determine the type of tactical boots and check if they are suitable for your needs.

Method 4: Keep tactical boots in shape

You may not have figured it out yet, but imagine it, when the tactical boot is folded or wrinkled. This can cause the tactical boots to peel off at that point.

So keep the tactical boots in shape by holding them upright.

You can use boot trees – a very popular tool that helps tactical boots stay in shape. And avoid folding your boots to prevent the material from coming off.

Also, if your tactical boots are around 8 inches tall, you can also use the boot shaper to hold the boot shaft upright.

Or you can also use household items like toilet paper and newspapers to fill the tactical boots.

This has two effects. First, your tactical boots will fill up and won’t fold or lose shape, so no flaking will occur.

A second effect is that newspapers or toilet paper also work to absorb moisture, ensuring the tactical boot is dry to prevent flaking.

You can pick a suitable method for yourself!

Method 5: Use a real leather or suede tactical boot

Because genuine products are always better than counterfeits, and so are tactical boots.

As mentioned many times above, tactical boots are made for function rather than fashion, so they are often exposed to many different conditions. A pair of boots made of faux leather will not stand that.

So use tactical boots made of real leather. A full grain leather tactical boot is recommended, as it has a premium, breathable, durable, and highly versatile leather.

The suede tactical boot is also a good choice, as the suede is soft, breathable, and very durable.

Leather tactical boots can be a bit of a pain to take care of, and if you’re too lazy to do that, a tactical boot made from nylon fabric could be a great option.

Method 6: Treat the rips as soon as possible

One of the other important things to keep in mind is getting rid of tactical boot rips as soon as possible. Because the traps can cause flaking around, and things get worse if you wait for a long time.

You can use specialized glue, scratch fillers to deal with the tactical boot rips.

If you’re wondering how to do that, we’ve got an article on fixing rips on tactical boots here!

Take care of the tears right away so they won’t appear more peeling.

Method 7: Break in tactical boots before hard use

Don’t use tactical boots for heavy-duty jobs right away if you haven’t broken in them yet.

The broken-in tactical boots will be softer, more flexible, and resilient. They will eventually get used to the pace of their work.

Just like before you step into a football game, you need to warm up so that your body is as flexible as possible and in the best shape possible. The same goes for tactical boots!

Many people often complain that their tactical boots flake off too soon, possibly partly because they used them for too much work in the first place.

So please break tactical boots in before using them frequently.

If you want to know how to break in tactical boots effectively, you can check it right here.

Before you leave

Do you know how to prevent peeling of tactical boots after our article?

In short, you should take good care of your tactical boots carefully (clean, condition and polish them). The best thing you can do is to keep them dry to prevent flaking your boots.

Besides, don’t forget to choose the right tactical boot for your purpose. Don’t use hot weather tactical boots for wet seasons and vice versa.

Using real leather / suede tactical boots is also a good way to avoid having headaches because of the peeling problem.

Another way is keeping the tactical boots in shape to prevent the boot from folding or breaking so there is no chance that they get peeled off.

Remember to break in boots before their hard use, a lot of people have been complaining about their tactical boots peeling off just in a short time after purchase. Do not repeat that mistake.

If your tactical boots have rips on them, fix them right away, as the tears will spread out if you keep using them and make the situation even worse off.

Good luck!

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