The Best Cedar Shoe Trees and Why You Need Them

So, you’ve bought yourself a pair of high quality leather boots and you want to make sure they last as long as possible.

Unfortunately, there are too many guys on the internet who obsess way too much over boot care, obsessively cleaning and conditioning them every time they go outside.

The truth is that the average guy doesn’t need to think too much about boot maintenance — but I will concede that shoe trees are a good idea to maximize your boot’s longevity. Especially if they have leather soles or if you wear them in the rain. Here’s why.

What Exactly is a Shoe Tree?

A shoe tree is a foot-shaped device one nestles inside a shoe or boot. It helps the shoe to retain its shape, reduce creasing, and prolong its lifespan by managing moisture.

You’re probably thinking about boots that are wet from rain (and shoe trees are seriously necessary if you’ve been stomping in our puddles) but your boots actually retain moisture from your foot every single time you wear them.

Boots that never dry out don’t last as long, because the moisture degrades the stitching and warps the leather.

All in all, this accessory is a practical must-have for anyone serious about taking care of their favorite leather footwear.

Here’s why you should be choosing cedar for your shoe trees.

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.

Maintaining the Boot’s Shape

This is the main reason for getting shoe trees.

A day of wearing boots leaves them full of moisture from your foot’s perspiration. Of course, the boots have even more moisture if they’ve been worn in the rain.

Every time you wear your boots, you’re meant to let them dry out. Not only because this improves the longevity of the stitching and the leather itself, but also because each time they dry out, the toes slowly curl upward.

Guys who never use shoe trees (especially after a rainy day!) are likely to have toes that point upward like elf shoes.

Cedar shoe trees help your boots dry out and helps them maintain their shape while they do it. Plastic shoe trees help them maintain their shape, but they’re not as good at managing that moisture.

Smell

Another reason you want cedar shoe trees over plastic is the fact that the wood is antimicrobial and antifungal.

They don’t just reduce boot stink because they smell nice, they actively remove particles that cause stinkiness.

Moisture

While some materials (and some wood) may warp, bend, or rot when exposed to moisture, cedar is famous for its water resistance. That doesn’t just mean these shoe trees will last for ages, it means they help your boots dry out.

Moisture is a really big factor in a boot’s longevity: you don’t just want the leather to retain moisture (by conditioning it regularly), you also want the boot’s interior to be relatively dry so that the stitching and other components are less prone to degradation.

It Repels Insects

Cedar wood contains natural oils that actively repel pesky insects, 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 better, it’ll help keep bugs out of your shoes and make the surrounding closet less inviting to clothes-damaging bugs.

Shoe Trees vs Boot Trees

Do boots need boot trees, or will shoe trees suffice?

Boot trees are what they sound like:  shoe trees that are shaped more like boots. Instead of only filling the foot, they also fill a boot’s shaft as well. This means more wood and a higher price.

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 pair of dressy Oxfords.

I only use shoe trees in my boots and it hasn’t been a problem, but there’s an exception: boots with tall shafts. Think cowboy boots: if the shaft flops over whenever it’s not worn, it develops creases and loses its shape.

In short: it might be worth getting a boot tree for boots that are 8 inches tall or more.

The Best Cedar Shoe Trees

The average pair can run anywhere from $16 to $50 a pop, which can add up to a pretty sizable sum.

Cobbler’s Choice Cedar Shoe Trees are my favorite. I’ve bought cheaper ones before, but they tend to split or splinter.

This is actually my favorite brand for boot care products because they’re well-priced and they’re much more transparent than most other brands; you’d be surprised how unusual it is for a leather conditioner to actually tell you its ingredients!

Depababa’s 6-Pack of Shoe Trees is a good choice if you’re buying multiple pairs of shoe trees at once. Amazon tells me I’ve bought this six-pack five times in the past. (Well, it’s a twelve-pack of six pairs.) They wind up at $15 a pair.

Arterton’s Luxury Beechwood Shoe Trees, on the other hand, are the best high-end shoe tree.

Clocking in at around 120USD per pair, they’re shaped to better maintain a shoe’s instep, made with a gap that allows the insole to breathe while reducing the weight, and they’re made of hand-stained beechwood that has all the same moisture- and funk-battling properties of cedar, but it’s finished with carnauba wax for extra moisture absorption.

You can even get them engraved for an extra 15 pounds.

Finally: Don’t Get Plastic Shoe Trees

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that there are shoe trees out there made from plastic or metal. They’re usually fine at maintaining a shoe’s shape, but not as effective at managing moisture and microbes. Show your boots the respect they deserve: get cedar shoe trees!

Reference

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