Shoe trees for every pair?
Basically title, does every pair of shoes need shoe trees or is rotating them sufficient? If the latter, how much time can a shoe safely spend treeless?
12 Replies
I dont have any shoe trees at all. If i want to uncrease it, for sneakers i usually pack the inside with packing paper and use a hot fan (with varying results, im definitely winging it)
Even for my leather moccasins i just leave them as is, and they’ve been fine
What is it that you are worried about?
Interesting! Upkeeping shape and removing odor
Ah yeah i get that, def not a bad thing to have for leathers and suede pairs!
Not every pair needs them in at all times. Couple days with trees in should be fine before rotating.
This is a really funny debate that happens on various forums every now and then. I remember trying to research on my own but kind of gave up because there’s not a “definitive” answer.
Men's Clothing Forums
The Shoe Tree Myth
i'd def get a shoe tree if you have high end shoes that are made of leather
i'd avoid ones made of plastic, go for something made of cedar
helps retain the shoes shape, and there's no real limit as to how long u can keep it in, but i'd be careful as to not oversize the tree and stretch the shoe
I assume the real question is not how long can I put trees in shoes, but “can I get by with not purchasing a tree for every single shoe I have”
I don’t think you’ll be able to get an answer because no one is willing to actually put in the amount of effort and time it would take to test it out. So anything will mostly be based on hypotheticals/theory
I think it’s very probable that you don’t actually need shoes trees in each shoe at all times, but this is one of those things where it’s probably more about your peace of mind
agreed, you'd be better off buying shoe trees for anything that costs over say 3/400 dollars
i wouldn't invest in a shoe tree for a stan smith, but i'd invest for my best pair of loafers. i think its a personal decision at the end of the day, you gotta play it by ear.
Very good point
anecdotally I have a pair where i accidentally didn't tree the right boot for about a year and there's no shape difference
back when I wore more welted stuff and didn't have enough trees, I used to take them out after about a week because I assumed that any warping from drying would stop at that point
That makes sense! Good to know