About that boot glue

Plowing through the gear shelf I found a forgotten boxed pair of hiking boots. For how long shall remain unknown but must have been awhile because the boots had completely come apart. Virtually every glued joint had separated and I had a box of boot parts instead of a pair of boots.

They were not heavily used and were stored in the house, so no temp extremes and no exposure to light to accelerate degradation. The only good news was not having a big cleanup because the mess was boxed.

Here's hoping glue has improved since those things were made.

Asolo brand FWIW.

"completely come apart" ?...that leaves everything to glue back together again. going strictly by your description- step up to the counter and buy outright.- I'm about as cheap as they come..but to be truly cheap you have be realistic, as well

To clarify, they were my boots that had been overlooked at the back of a shelf at home for some extended period. Not a bargain purchase, but a tale of unstable materials from an established manufacturer.

I had the same thing happen to two pairs of Lowa boots, the Renegade and Klondike models. On mine, the midsole completely disintegrated, making repair nearly impossible.

If it's just the glue, however, it might be worth trying to repair. If you're going to try to do it yourself, Barge Cement is the stuff to use, and readily available at hardware stores. I've reglued a number of soles with it and never had it come apart. Tanner's Bond contact cement, available at leather supply shops, is good, too, and much like the original Barge Cement.

I just started wearing the last pair of Montrail Hardrocks that I bought up (with much online searching) after they were discontinued. So far, they are holding up fine, even though about 10-11 years old. Will they disintegrate due to age? Not so far, but we'll see!

At least they still fit and support better than any other shoe I've had. New Balance shoes with SL-2 lasts give a comparable fit, but they don't have lug soles so are less stable on uneven ground. I'm taking along a spare pair of shoes on my upcoming car-camping/dayhiking trip, though, just in case!

I have two pair of Lowe Renegade boots. One I wore out and the second I'm still working on. Both remain waterproof in spite of the use. (I think the tongue can be a source of leaks, but I fixed that; another topic sometime perhaps). They happen to fit my foot well and while i thought they were a bit expensive the comfort is (was) worth it for me.