How to stop hunting boots from squeaking

On a still morning in hardwoods a squeaking boot is audible at thirty yards, and it squeaks at exactly your walking rhythm, which is the least natural sound in the woods. The good news: there are only four sources, and three of them cost nothing to fix.

1. Stand still and flex your ankle without lifting the boot. If it squeaks, it is the tongue or the upper creasing.
2. Lift your heel in place, keeping the toe down. A squeak here is the insole or footbed moving against the midsole.
3. Press down and twist on a hard floor. A squeak now is the sole unit or a loose shank.
4. Pull the laces taut and release. Lace squeak is distinct, higher pitched, and comes from the eyelets.

By far the commonest cause. The footbed moves a fraction of a millimeter against the midsole, and trapped moisture turns that into a squeak. Three fixes, in order:

• Take the insole out and dry both it and the boot completely. A damp interior is the usual culprit, and this alone fixes most squeaks: how to dry hunting boots.
• Dust the inside of the boot with talc or cornstarch before putting the insole back. It reduces the friction that produces the noise.
• Replace a worn insole. A compressed, curled footbed will not sit flat and will keep squeaking: the insole guide.

Leather creasing against leather, usually where the tongue meets the upper. It is most common on new boots and often disappears with break-in.

• Condition the leather at the crease - a small amount of the appropriate conditioner for your upper, worked in. Do not use oil or grease on a membrane boot: match the product.
• Dust the gusset area with talc if the squeak is dry rather than tight.
• Keep breaking them in. Tongue squeak on a new boot usually goes: break-in.

A distinct, higher-pitched creak as the laces move through metal eyelets. Rub a little candle wax or beeswax along the laces where they pass through the hardware. On a snake boot with a side zip, the same treatment on the zip teeth quiets a noisy zip - a paraffin or zip-specific lubricant, not oil.

The worst case, and the only one that is not a quick fix. A squeak that comes from pressing and twisting usually means the midsole is separating from the outsole, or a shank has loosened inside the boot.

• If the boot is under warranty, claim it. This is a construction failure, not wear.
• If it is welted, a cobbler can often address it when resoling.
• If it is a cemented budget boot, it is usually the beginning of the end. Plan a replacement.