Are my boots worth resoling?
Resoling good boots can give you years more wear. On other boots it's money wasted. Two questions decide it: can they be resoled, and should you pay for it?
1. Can they be resoled? Check the construction
Turn the boot over and look where the upper meets the sole.
| Construction | How to spot it | Resoleable? |
|---|---|---|
| Goodyear welt | A strip of leather (the welt) around the edge, with visible stitching through it into the sole | Yes, usually several times |
| Stitchdown | The upper flares outward and is stitched straight down to the midsole | Yes |
| Blake / Blake-rapid | Stitching visible inside the shoe on the insole | Yes, but it needs a Blake machine, so ask the shop first |
| Cemented (glued) | No stitching visible; the sole is glued on | Often, but less durably and not every shop will do it |
| Injection-moulded | The sole is fused to the upper as one piece, common on sneakers and many hiking boots | Usually no. Some brands say so outright |
Hiking boots are a special case. Many mountain boots have cemented soles that a specialist can replace. Daub's, for example, resoles cemented LOWA models, but LOWA says injected models like the Renegade can't be resoled without compromising the structure. Climbing shoes and trail-running shoes are resoled by specialists such as Type 2 Repairs and San Juan Resole.
2. Is the upper still good?
A new sole won't save a failing upper. Check for:
- Cracks across the flex creases. Small surface creasing is normal. Cracks that go right through the leather are not.
- Dry rot. Leather that flakes or tears like paper.
- A collapsed heel counter. The back of the heel no longer holds its shape.
- The insole. On welted boots, a cracked or rotted insole means a rebuild, not a resole. Drew's describes a cracked, crystallised insole as the point where "resoling only is not an option".
Leather that is scuffed but sound, broken-down padding and worn linings can usually be fixed. A cracked vamp usually can't.
3. Do the maths
A rough rule: if the resole plus shipping both ways costs less than about half the price of an equivalent new pair, and the uppers are sound, resoling is usually worth it. That's especially true when the boots are already broken in and fit you well. Published prices from shops in our directory give a sense of scale. Drew's lists a boot overhaul at $140 plus shipping. Climbing half soles at Type 2 Repairs are $55 per pair. Premium recrafts at McFarland start around $350. Add the cost of shipping in both directions to any of these.
Resoling usually isn't worth it when:
- the shoe is injection-moulded or cheaply cemented, and a replacement pair costs less than the repair;
- the uppers are cracked through, or the insole has failed and a rebuild costs nearly as much as new;
- the shoes never fit well. A new sole won't fix the fit, though a good cobbler can stretch them a little.
4. Don't wait too long
The cheapest resole is the one done before the damage reaches the midsole or welt. Have boots resoled when the tread is nearly flat or the heel is worn at an angle, not after you've worn a hole through. Heel replacement and sole protectors cost much less than a full resole and can put one off for a long time.
5. Who to send them to
Match the shop to the job. Use the filters in the directory to find shops by repair type (full resole, JR leather, climbing, rebuilds) and by footwear (work, western, dress, hiking). Then read how mail-in resoling works before you ship.