• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Stridewise

Stridewise

It's a Boot Time

  • Best Boots
  • Boot Reviews
    • Popular Reviews
      • Thursday Captain Boot
      • Red Wing Iron Ranger
      • Wolverine 1000 Mile
      • Viberg Service Boot
      • Grant Stone Diesel Boot
    • Cowboy Boots
    • Work Boots
    • All Reviews
    • Comparisons
      • Red Wing Iron Ranger Vs. Wolverine 1000 Mile
      • Timberlands Vs Doc Martens
      • Thursday’s Captain vs President Boots
      • All Comparisons
  • Boot Guides
  • Gear
    • Bags
      • Backpacks
      • Leather Bags
    • Denim
    • Jackets & Outerwear
      • Leather Jackets
      • Waxed Canvas Jackets
  • About
    • About Nick
    • Review Process
    • Our Experts
    • Revenue
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
Home › Footwear › Boots › Boot & Leather Care

3 Reasons You Need Cedar Shoe Trees

Nick EnglishEditor-in-Chief
Updated May 26, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from.

So, you’ve bought yourself a few pairs of high-quality leather boots. Congratulations! Your wardrobe and I thank you. Not only have you upped your fashion game, you’ve made a long term investment in your appearance. (Those babies will only get better looking with age.)

But now that you’ve spent the money, how do you ensure that you get the most bang for your buck? Aside from the physical maintenance you can do with the best boot conditioners and scrub brushes, one of the best ways to preserve your favorite boots is to support them with shoe trees. Here’s why they’re worth the investment.

 

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • What Exactly is a Shoe Tree?
  • The Benefits of Cedar Shoe Trees
  • Shoe Trees vs Boot Trees
  • The Best Cedar Shoe Trees

What Exactly is a Shoe Tree?

A shoe tree is a foot-shaped device one nestles inside a shoe to help retain its shape and prevent the development of creases. The gadget is also useful for wicking away potentially harmful moisture from the interior of leather boots. All in all, this accessory is a practical must-have for anyone serious about taking care of their favorite kicks.

When it comes to picking shoe trees, you have a few options, but it basically comes down to choosing ones made of plastic, stamped sheet metal, or cedarwood. While all three are technically fine for maintaining the integrity of your boots, most experts agree that the only shoe tree really worth its stuff is one built entirely of cedar.

Here’s why.

[Related: The Best Boot Conditioners On the Market]

cedar bark

The Benefits of Cedar Shoe Trees

Though they might seem innocuous, there are quite a few reasons to opt for a cedar shoe tree, which I’ll highlight below.

Smell

One of the most obvious benefits of cedar is its fragrance, a woodsy scent that’s both pleasant to the olfactory system and remarkably good at covering up offensive odors. When incorporated into a shoe tree, this potent perfume results in a fresh-smelling closet free of the noxious stench of well-worn boots.

cobblers choice boot tree
The boot tree from Cobbler’s Choice

Moisture

Cedar is a resilient type of wood notable for its imperviousness to water. Whereas other materials may warp, bend, or rot when exposed to the moisture released from leather boots, cedar has been shown to preserve both its shape and quality in the face of it. In fact, it actually absorbs this moisture, resulting in dry boots all season long.

Repellent Properties

Cedar wood contains natural oils that actively repel pesky insects(1), including termites, cockroaches, beetles, and cloth-eating moths. Keep a collection of cedar shoe trees at the ready will not only help your closet smell effortlessly wonderful, but it will also rid your shoes of creatures that could damage your clothes and footwear.

shoe tree vs boot tree
Boot trees in the Thursday Captain Boot

Shoe Trees vs Boot Trees

Do boots need boot trees, or will shoe trees suffice? It’s a question as old as time, 

Boot trees are what they sound like:  shoe trees that are shaped more like boots. The sections of a boot tree fill not only the heel and toe but also the boot shaft, helping it to maintain its integrity and shape over time. 

Will you have the same results using a shoe tree in a boot? Well, the good news is that boots are typically made with thicker leather than shoes, so in some respects they’re in less danger of losing their shape than a pari of dressy Oxfords. However, after several years of use you can usually tell if someone used a boot tree or a shoe tree: boots that have had no support for their shaft wind up with wrinklier, floppier shafts. This becomes more obvious the taller a boot is. 

Boot trees help to avoid a shapeless and wrinkly boot, but given they require so much more wood than shoe trees, they’re a lot costlier. Red Wing’s boot trees, for example, cost about 50% more than their shoe trees.

So what are the best value options?

cedar shoe tree

The Best Cedar Shoe Trees

The average pair can run anywhere from $16 to $50 a pop, which adds up to a pretty sizable sum if you’re in the market for more than just one.  

My favorite brands:

  • If you’re buying one at a time, the best value I’ve found isHousehold Essentials Cedar Shoe Trees ($15.02/pair)
  • If you’re buying multiple shoe trees at once, the best value is this 6-pack of shoe trees from Depababa. ($12.66/pair)
  • For boot trees, you can’t go past Cobbler’s Choice Cedar Boot Trees. ($52/pair)

I would be remiss to write about cedar shoe trees without acknowledging that there are more expensive ones made out of plastic or metal. They won’t be as effective, though. I’d recommend cedar over anything else.

Reference

1. Eller, FJ et al. Bioactivity of cedarwood oil and cedrol against arthropod pests. Environ Entomol . 2014 Jun;43(3):762-6.

Nick English

Editor-in-Chief

Nick English, the founder and editor of Stridewise, combines a rich background in journalism with well-recognized expertise in welted footwear and casual menswear.

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn More articles by Nick English

You Might Also Like

venetian shoe cream how to use
Venetian Shoe Cream Review and How to Use
how to clean leather boots featured image
How to Clean Leather Boots: 6 Expert Tips
How to store leather boots
How to Store Boots & Shoes for Maximum Longevity
red wing boot oil vs mink oil featured 3
How To Care For Red Wing Boots (and Every Leather They Come In)
Stridewise team

About Stridewise

by Nick English

Founded in 2018 to help men buy the best boots, we’ve since expanded our team and purview to review and celebrate casual footwear and menswear that’s as close to “buy it for life” quality as possible. We take great pride in being a trusted source for information while maintaining complete editorial independence. At no extra cost to you, we might earn a commission from a brand when you purchase through our links, which helps us keep our mission alive. Learn More

11 Ways to Save Money on Boots

Subscribe for an exclusive article to help you find the best deals on quality footwear.

Primary Sidebar

Want to dress better?

See which boots suit your preferences and style.

My Top Picks

Most Popular

Best made in usa boots

The 10 Best American-Made Boots

Best chelsea boots for men 1024x576 1

The 10 Best Chelsea Boots

Best moc toe boots red wing

The 6 Best Moc Toe Boots

Stridewise team

About Stridewise

by Nick English

Founded in 2018 to help men buy the best boots, we’ve since expanded our team and purview to review and celebrate casual footwear and menswear that’s as close to “buy it for life” quality as possible. We take great pride in being a trusted source for information while maintaining complete editorial independence. At no extra cost to you, we might earn a commission from a brand when you purchase through our links, which helps us keep our mission alive. Learn More

11 Ways to Save Money on Boots

Subscribe for an exclusive article to help you find the best deals on quality footwear.

Most Recent

Satchel and page leather jacket review

Satchel and Page Leather Jacket Review: 3 Years In a Calfskin Bomber

Lightweight summer jackets men

The 5 Best Lightweight Jackets for Men, From Casual to Dressy

Cravar interview featured image

Cravar: The Indonesian Brand Perfecting The Non-Girly Leather Bag

How to wear fatigues

How to Wear Fatigues: The Most Underrated Casual Pants

Red wings in movies

9 Movies That Starred Red Wing Boots

Trending Now

  • a man pondering the best boots for men16 Best Boots For Men to Buy Tested By Experts (Spring 2025)
  • doc martens alternatives6 Doc Marten Alternatives That Don’t Suck
  • Best leather briefcases for men, Satchel & Page Counselor on the right, and Saddleback Pilot on the left11 Best Leather Briefcases for Men in 2025: High-End, Budget, Vintage, and More
  • Casual summer loafers menMy 5 Favorite Summer Loafers You Can Totally Wear With Shorts
Stridewise

Casual Durable™.

Yup, we even trademarked it. Just because you’re dressed down, doesn’t mean you have to dress bad. 

This site started to help guys find the best boots for their dollar and has since expanded to cover the highest quality casual menswear, from leather jackets to selvedge jeans to canvas bags — the kind of simple, fashionproof classics that help you get dressed without overthinking your “style.” Read more

  • About
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Our Experts

11 Ways to Save Money on Boots

Subscribe for an exclusive article to help you find the best deals on quality footwear.

Articles by Category

  • Accessories
  • Backpacks
  • Bags
  • Boot & Leather Care
  • Boot Guides
  • Boot Reviews
  • Boots
  • Briefcases
  • Clothing
  • Comparison
  • Cowboy Boots
  • Culture
  • Denim
  • Denim Jackets
  • Denim Review
  • Fabric
  • Footwear
  • Hats
  • Jackets & Outerwear
  • Leather Bags
  • Leather Conditioners
  • Leather Jackets
  • Loafers
  • Pens
  • Shirts
  • Sneakers
  • Waxed Canvas Jackets
  • Women's Boots
  • Work Boots
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • X

Copyright © 2025 · Stridewise · All Rights Reserved · Terms · Privacy · Affiliate Disclosure · Accessibility