Repairing boots

I have a pair of hiking boots that have served me well until recently. The upper is still in really good condition, but the soles started peeling off all at once. I'm going overseas and during the trip I will be doing some hiking and yard work. I was going to bring my new hikers, which I mainly use for hunting, but I don't want to destroy them while doing yard work. I was thinking that instead of doing that, I could repair my old hikers, use them there and maybe leave them there for the next trip.

I've read that the best glue to glue soles back on to uppers is contact cement (or rubber cement), which I have at home. The only issue is that the soles are not completely off, so I'm not sure if I will be able to use it effectively. For example, you are supposed to apply the glue separately to the two items you want to bond, let it dry, then press the two items together and clamp them. I won't be able to do that very effectively because the soles are still attached. Has anyone used Shoe Goo for this type of repair? How did it work out? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I can't bring them to a shoe repair shop because I am leaving in a couple of days.

I've used the contact cement method a few times..works the best. Just make sure you let both surfaces dry a good 30-45 minutes before to press them together.

I have also used Shoe-Goo, it does hold, but not for as long, you may have to re-do it once in a while depending on usage. I wouldn't count on it to hold while I was hiking but good enough for a pair of 'beater' foorwear. :)

I've used shoe goop quite a bit - never had to reglue anything a second time. It's easier to apply that contact cement. I do clamp what I glue overnight.

If the soles have separated from the EVA foam core, they're toast. The foam deteriorates (crumbles like sand) with time and will only get worse.

I have used ShoeGoo on a number of occasions, for various repairs, and it has held up well.

If you're going to bet the farm on the repair, do it now and give whichever glue you choose a good workout.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

I've used shoe goop quite a bit - never had to reglue anything a second time.

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...maybe wearing my boots in the muck, crime, manure and water everyday cleaning barn stalls etc abuses my footwear more than your's.....:silly:

I have tried several approaches to repairing separated soles, none with much success. If I was heading overseas I would buy new boots rather than mess around with DIY repairs.

Pretty tough to find a cobbler these days. Had a guy in killaloe give me some glue to patch a pair of waders. Still have the waders by the way. I don't think it would be legal to use in our oh so green province anymore though.

if you can get them to vics shoe repair in north bay the old italian guy will resole them

I have a cousin in the Netherlands who is a cobbler that people ship boots and shoes to from all over the world. If your interested let me know and I will get his contact information for you.

I used Shoe Goo and I did what I thought was a decent repair job. I brought the boots to Italy and hiked in the mountains for a bit and did some yard work over there. Unfortunately, the soles started coming off again. I bought some more glue and tried to reglue them while I was there. The second glue job lasted one hike, so I tossed the boots in the trash instead of bringing them back. Overall, the repair lasted for about 20 km of mountain hiking and about 10 hours of yard work. It seems that the issue was as another poster mentioned - the lower portion of the boots was made of a Vibram sole that was glued to some sort of foam. Once the inner part of the foam was exposed to the elements, it just disintigrated very quickly.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

...maybe wearing my boots in the muck, crime, manure and water everyday cleaning barn stalls etc abuses my footwear more than your's.....:silly:

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I used to property manage for the Racetracks when I got out of the Army. As good as I treated the uppers and leather of the boots, The soles and area they attached would always fall apart due to the high alkalinity of the stall areas. I can only guess it would have the same degrading effect on any glue.