There is nothing worse than putting on a nice pair of boots you’re excited to show off only to discover they’re a half-size too big. You can, however, learn how to make boots tighter with a few tips and tactics.

While getting your boots swapped for a tighter fit is sometimes the best option, this simple guide to tightening ankle boots may be a smart alternative.

12 ways to make ankle boots fit tighter around the ankle

Use a Metallic Strap to Tighten the Ankle area

Metallic or plastic strips are firm strips that go within the boot and are attached to the interior of the boot. These hard strips protect the cloth from bunching up around the ankle or anyplace else inside the boot, and they hold securely to the fabric.

The strap will help tighten the loosened region, preventing slouching. When a firm strap is placed, one end is fastened to the heel and the other to the shaft, securing the ankle area.

You may also use a long wooden craft stick or a metallic or plastic strip to connect to the inside of your boot around the ankle.

To keep them in place, use sticky tape

Boot Stay or Boot Straps are two types of adhesive tape for boots. Simply take the protective covering off the adhesive tape and attach it to the inside of the tops of the boots. The adhesive tape will protect your boots from slipping down and slouching at the ankle by sticking them to your jeans or stockings.

To protect your boots from sliding down, wear a boot band.

The Boot Bra and Snap Strap are two-part boot bands. You put one piece to the inside of the top of your boots, which features the male component of a snap button.

Then, where the top of the boot meets your leg, you wrap the second portion, which includes the female part of a snap button, around your leg. To protect your boots from dropping down or bunching up, snap the sections together.

Reduce slouching by padding the ankle region.

Since the ankle is thinner than the calf, boots typically sag there. To avoid the cloth from bunching around the ankle, one approach to prevent slouching is to cushion the region. To fill up the gap between your flesh and the cloth, wear tall, thick socks and comfortably gather them around your ankle.

If the boots are too snug to fit thick socks on your feet, you might tie a piece of fabric over the ankle.

Avoid putting too much pressure on the material.

The more you look after your boots, the less likely they are to droop owing to worn-out material. When putting your boots on and pulling them up, avoid straining, pulling, or harsh handling them. Instead, try to put your foot into the boot as easily as possible.

Split your footwear and store them separately.

Do not keep your boots stacked undergarments or other objects in your entryway. Make sure your boots are well-cared for and have their own storage area. Put a piece of fabric between them and lay them flat in your closet. Or, you may use binder clips or boot clips to hang each boot.

Fill your boots with stuffing to keep their shape.

When storing boots upright when not in use, boot shapers can be purchased to fill out the shape of the boot. You could also pack your boots with newspaper or rolled-up magazines, or cut pool noodles to fit inside.

This will keep your boots upright when you’re not wearing them, making them less prone to slump when you do put them on.

Wear a Pair of Thick Long Socks

When your leg skin comes into direct touch with the boot material, the material may glide down the length of your leg.

When you wear thick, high socks, however, friction is created, and the material of the boot stays in place and does not slump.

Try wearing fitted pants that are shorter than the length of your boots.

Fitted pants fill in the gaps between your legs and the length of your boots in the calf area, which may seem strange. Your boots become snug-fitting, preventing slouching.

Boot clips or binder clips can be used to hang the boots.

These clips keep the boots straight and in form, which helps to minimize slouching.

Simply hang your boots backwards.

This is perhaps the most simple method to avoid slouching. When you go home and unzip your boots, simply hang them upside down somewhere. This will keep the form of the boots without requiring much work or money.

Stop conditioning your boots throughout the length of your leg.

Conditioning the boots with boot conditioner or oils will nurture the leather and make it soft; but, the softer the leather becomes, the more it will sag as it loses its ability to keep its shape.

How Do You Pick Slouch-Free Boots?

Choose boots with a tight fit.

The boots will surely clump up if they are slack around your leg. Choose boots that are snug around the ankle and calf, but not too tight at the top. Try on a few pairs and choose the ones that best fit the curves of your foot, ankle, and calf.

Choose boots that are made of strong materials.

Even if you adore the look and feel of suede boots, the flexible material will cause them to sag at the ankle. Choosing boots made of a more durable material will keep the material from bunching around the ankle.

The least likely to slump are rigid leather boots or boots with ankle support.

Choose boots that have zippers or laces.

Boots with zippers or laces are more likely to remain up than those that are simply pulled over your foot and leg. Zippers and laces are natural supports that will improve the fit of the boot around your foot and leg, resulting in less slouching. To keep your boots standing tall, tighten the laces or zipper around your ankle.

Why Do Ankle Boots Slouch?

Slouching is caused by a variety of factors.

Boots will slump sooner or later, and there are good reasons for it. I’ll go through a couple of them with you:

After a long period of use, leather boots get softer. When it gets soft, it can no longer support the weight of the shaft, resulting in slouching.
The ankle slouches the most since it is the area of the body that is bent repeatedly during walking. First, wrinkles appear, followed by slouching as the creases grow worse and the portion becomes too slack.
Slouching can also be caused by ill-fitting footwear. Slouches are likely if the boots are either loose or too tight. The calf portion of most boots is typically broad and bends while walking.

Only by purchasing a snug-fit boot will you be able to cease slouching since the weight of the shaft will be evenly distributed.
Another issue is storage. The manner you keep your boots has a major impact. Calf-length boots have the difficulty of needing a support to keep steady since they are hollow along the length. If you leave them empty without filling them with something heavy, they will slump.
Slouching might also occur when you place your boots on the floor casually.

What if you merely used a piece of cloth?

Yes, you read that correctly. This may result in wrinkles at the boot opening, but it will prevent you from slouching. Simply cut a piece of material into the shape of a band.

While wearing the boots, bind the material around the boot opening in a knot. This will keep the boot length in place and keep you from slouching.

Takeaway

The most important thing we learned from our slouching research is that the key to preventing slouching is not to overload the ankle area and to keep the boot in an upright posture as much as possible.

We hope our ideas will help you avoid slouching in your boots because you definitely do not want to see all of your hard work go to waste.

Stay safe and avoid slouching!