Everything you wanted to know about shoe trees

I know the title is ambitious, but the magic of GYW shall make it so. I did search and got lots of sorta-helpful posts, a lot of question-posts as well as the link to the Shoe Snob page below, so hopefully this will be a more complete repository.

 

I’ve read the guide from the Shoe Snob, but I felt like there were still some things that could be consolidated and live here at GYW. Everything below is what I’ll call informed opinion. You might disagree, and that is fine.

 

I'm editing/adding the most helpful comments and information in the thread into this post as much as I can.

 

Why do I need them? Shoe trees help maintain the shape and condition of your leather shoes by providing a form to keep the leather from retaining larger creases between wears. As (or maybe more) importantly, they absorb some of the moisture that accumulates during wear, which prevents mold/mildew/etc. Both of these benefits help extend the life of your shoes. Cedar has some deodorant properties, but my guess is this diminishes over time. Lastly, cedar is a deterrent for bugs like moths, silverfish, etc. I don't know how much those critters like leather, but I like knowing I probably won't have to find out...

 

As I hoped, this post generated some great discussion, including some terrific comments from u/thatisgrossman, who states he is an environmental/atmospheric chemist. Below is an edited summary of some of his comments:

On the topic of moisture dissipation and the value of wood vs. plastic vs. air:

Air does not always dry out a shoe better alone than with cedar. Not all air is equal, perhaps air with zero humidity might dry it out better, but you usually will not have 0% RH (relative humidity) no matter where you are. Average indoor RH is around 40-50%. Water vapor is quite abundant in air and shoe trees help to dry the shoe by wicking away moisture, both in the shoe and air, therefore drying the air in and around the shoe as well, thus promoting better drying of the shoe. This is quite important in areas with higher RH's as shoes won't dry very well at all in these conditions.

 

A comment from u/JOlsen77 on air alone:

Unless you're blowing it with a fan, the air within a shoe is not going to circulate at a rate that will rapidly exchange the moist air with the dry air outside of a shoe. So what ends up happening is that your humid air lingers within the shoe. It's not a net effect of zero, but the air doesn't circulate within a shoe like a convection oven.

/u/thatisgrossman on the the comment above:

This is most likely why brands like Alden recommend a whole hour to air out your shoes prior to putting in trees because that's likely on the time frame of how long it takes for a complete air exchange.

 

When should I use them? Use shoe trees between every wearing if possible. Let your shoes sit and air out for 20-30 minutes after taking them off, then insert the trees until the next wear, which ideally means giving the shoes at least a full day (24 hours) in the trees to rest. Alden recommends up to an hour of breathing for boots before inserting the trees, though I find that often means I forget and fall asleep without doing it. I’d opt for a system you can work reliably – putting the trees in the shoes or boots earlier is probably better than putting them in the next morning because you forgot.  

Another comment from u/thatisgrossman

I definitely would say the "breathing" without trees is good for the general air exchange. Especially when the shoes have been worn all day as the RH in the shoes is most likely higher than the ambient unless you're in a very humid place. It's also just good in a sense that it airs out any smells a bit faster since air exchange is higher without the trees than with even though the trees help with odors a lot, a complete air exchange for a bit most likely starts the process best I believe.

 

What should they be made of? There’s a lot of hype around exotic woods, but I’m going to say there is no downside to a quality pair of cedar trees and the more expensive woods aren’t worth the money. Since they don’t have the absorption properties of wood and often have a peg handle at the heel, plastic shoe trees shouldn’t be used other than as travel trees. When I travel (which is very often), I just keep the same (cedar) trees in my shoes. Unless you’re very close to a weight limit or just trying to keep your bag light, it’s worth it in my opinion.

 

What are the best kind/type? (and where do I get them?) There’s huge debate about things like solid vs. split-toe, materials, etc. Here’s where I land on the topic: any decent cedar shoe tree is fine. Split-toe is probably better than solid since it allows for different shape and lasts of shoes. A fuller, taller heel is better than a simple cedar handle or rounded end. I recently got several pairs of the two-post, hybrid-split toe “Epic” trees from Woodlore, and really like how they fill the toe, vamp and tongue of my shoes and boots – they aren’t lasted trees, but offer some of the benefits in terms of filling the shoe fully. I like the pull-knob for removing the trees too. They run roughly 50% more than basic trees at around $30 a pair currently, which I consider a very good value. A “lasted tree” (trees made in exactly the same shape as the form the shoe is built around) is great if you can get one for a price you consider reasonable. They tend to be pretty expensive, but you’re generally buying a high-dollar pair of shoes if they are offered. Here's some photos of my trees (and OCD closet...): http://imgur.com/a/BJFV3  

As for where to get them, it depends on what you’re shopping for. I’ve read in several places that Woodlore makes the vast majority of trees you find in most retail/men’s/department stores (e.g. Jos. A. Bank, Nordstrom) and even many shoe manufacturers (Allen Edmonds, Alden, etc). I don’t think it really matters much. Woodlore also sells their trees directly for roughly the same price as you’ll get retail at the department stores but they don’t run sales as often. Occasionally you’ll see the Woodlore Epic trees on MassDrop that removes the 50% premium. Lasted trees come from the company that made the shoes. Jos. A. Bank runs sales fairly often that get the price down to as little as $8-$10 a pair.

 

What size should I get? Personally, I don’t want shoe trees to be overly large and tight in the shoe. If there is tension, it is typically at the back of the shoe, and I’m conservative about any risk of stretching at the heel. I’ve seen some variation in the Jos. A. Bank trees I’ve bought over the years – the XL I used to buy is now closer to the current L. As a Brannock size 12, their sizing recommendation is an XL, but I’m finding those too tight, and am replacing the XL’s with L’s. I’ve also recently picked up several pairs of Woodlore Epic Shoe Trees in XL and find them much more comfortably sized. You can find WoodLore's sizing guide here. They do make XXL sizes in some of their trees for sizes up to 16D and beyond for narrower widths.

 

Some people leave the heel out of the shoe, but I find that takes up a lot of vertical storage space (I don't have enough to do this) and complicates use of bags. Net: You want to fill the shoe without stretching it. If you’re on the edge of the size recommendation, I’d personally recommend you size down vs. up. YMMV.

 

Do I need a pair of trees for each pair of shoes? I'd say trees are cheap insurance for the price, considering you can get very decent cedar trees for around $8 if you can catch a sale at Jos. A. Bank - probably less than the sales tax on any GYW shoe. That said, if you only have one pair of trees, you're getting benefit if the trees are in the shoes for the 24 hours while the shoes are resting. My only concern is that the trees then don't have a chance to dry out - they're always in a pair of shoes that is recovering. So two rotating pairs are probably the minimum to get the majority of benefit of having trees. My recommendation would be a pair for each pair of shoes, opting for the cheaper trees if money is an issue.

 

How do I put them in? I start with the tree running vertical, with the outside (flat) edge running against the insole and letting it twist into place as I push it in. I squeeze the front half of the shoe a bit to make sure everything is fully seated. This seems less wearing on the back strap and top edge of the shoe. You can just jam them in straight, too.

 

How do I maintain them? Every once in a while you can refresh the cedar by running over the shoes with a fine grit of sandpaper. The intent isn’t to remove a lot of material, and I generally go more than a year between sandings for shoes that are lighter in my rotation. It isn’t a big deal if you don’t do it. I'd guess you would lose some of the bug deterrence and a bit of the deodorant properties of the cedar.

 

A note on bags IMHO the partner of trees is shoe bags. I brush my shoes before and after every wear, and always bag the shoes before I put them on the shelf. Their benefit during travel is obvious for keeping the shoes from being scratched, etc. and ensuring polish, etc. won’t wind up on your clothes. Keeping bags on shoes at home has a different set of benefits. It keeps any dust from settling on the shoes, which means less brushing, but also ensures the dust isn’t sucking moisture out of your shoes, especially ones that aren’t in regular rotation. Lastly, bags protect the shoes from being scratched by their neighbors as I’m putting them on/taking them off the shelf. I use the Allen Edmonds shoe bags, which are nice quality for $10.