Shoe trees, do they really matter? As we all know, purchasing a pair of well-crafted, high quality dress shoes is a major investment in your feet and in yourself. With proper shoe care, a pair of quality dress shoes can last for decades; and shoe trees are generally understood to be an important component in one’s shoe care toolkit. But are they really necessary for the maintenance, and suggested longevity, of your quality dress shoes? Do you even really need them?

In this blog post we try to answer these questions. We also provide a useful guide to determine what type of shoe tree is best for you should.

What do shoe trees actually do?

1. Absorbs damaging moisture

Our feet are kept cool by250,000 sweat glandsthat excrete as much as half a pint of moisture a day. Excessive moisture on a leather shoe, no matter the quality, will cause the leather to crack and the lining to rot over time. So why not just air it?

Airing does help, but because most homes have an average‘relative humidity’of between 40 to 50 per cent, the moisture in the air slows down the rate of moisture to air transfer i.e. evaporation.  Wood used for shoe trees generally has a lower moisture content relative to its fibre saturation. What this means is that a shoe tree will absorb moisture build up on (and around) the shoe much faster than simply airing it - with immediate but also longer-term storage benefits.

Moisture causes the leather to crack and the lining to rot

2. Maintains the shoe’s natural shape

Pressure, moisture and heat conspire to stretch the leather of your dress shoes after each wear. An important function of the shoe tree is to help the leather reform and maintain the shoe's natural shape. If you behove creases, shoe trees will also slow down the process.

3. Prevents shoe odour

In the prevention of shoe odour, cedar wood is the undisputed darling of shoe tree enthusiasts the world over.  Shoe odour is the result of toxins caused by the bacteria on your feet bathing in the sweat that your 250,000 feet glands excrete. Cedar wood, it has beendiscovered, has exceptionalantimicrobial activity that kills anaerobic bacteria and yeastthat live on your feet and get transferred into your shoe. Its essential oils also give off a robust but pleasant scent, which is great ballast against any lingering (or emerging) foot odour.

So shoe trees do serve a functional and important purpose in the maintenance and longevity of our quality leather dress shoes.

But do I really need a shoe tree?

Just like a tailored suit needs aquality hanger, a well-cut pair of leather dress shoes need a quality shoe tree. Although not all shoes are created equal and some argue not all shoes need shoe trees. Justin Fitzpatrick from theShoe Snob blog– a veritable bank of wisdom on all things men’s dress shoes – provides a very useful guide to help gents determine the need for and type of shoe tree for the job. Here we provide a summary of his advice below (price points have been changed slightly to reflect the Australian market):

Sub $250 Shoes:Shoes in thisprice rangeare often made for scale and of lower quality material e.g. cemented sole and lower grade leather. Justin suggests that in all likelihood these shoes will not last long enough to really warrant the cost of a shoe tree.

$250-$450 Shoes:Quality in this price range will vary markedly. But as a rule, if longevity was a criterion when you purchased them then you should consider investing in a quality shoe tree. If longevity is not important, then a basic shoe tree is all you need to keep odour and creasing down to a minimum.

$450 Plus Shoes:You have invested in a quality pair of shoes and you should be using a quality shoe tree for each pair you own.

We at Trimly believe shoe trees form a basic tenant of proper shoe care and an essential habit of the well-dressed man. Even if your shoe is in the sub $250 category, purchasing a basic shoe tree will benefit your shoes and can be reused for many years to come.

Purchasing the right shoe tree

You will marvel at the variety of shoe trees available on the market: fromdesigner shoe treesthat look amazing but rely mostly on the wilful suspension of rational thought; to$1.99 plastic numbersthat come in two sizes, almost never fit, and will be lost in weeks. The choice is vast as it is confusing. But if we use quality as a yardstick, then the process of finding the right shoe tree becomes a rather straight-forward affair.

Basic Shoe Tree - Sub $40

For any shoe under $250. Or for any shoe below $450 if the owner does not considered his shoes a long-term investment.

eBay

This is a 'no thrills version'. They generally come in cedar wood (unfinished absorbs more moisture) and doesn't have a full wooden heel. They may or may not be adjustable via spring pressure and will give moderate support to the shoe shape. They will also reduce some of the odour and cracking. Always check the quality of the shoe tree and especially check the spring pressure especially of cheaper versions - too tight will cause the shoe to warp.

Quality Shoe Tree - $40 to $140

For shoes between $350-1,200.

Red Cedar Shoe Tree -Purchase at Trimly

A quality shoe tree is functional, it should look elegant and it should be affordable.

A quality shoe tree will fill the entire shoe and provide strong support for its shape and structure. This is achieved through the heel and high vamp, which contains more wood than the basic model, and a spring-loaded construction.  It will also have several ventilation slots that, together with the wood, will help with the dispensation of moisture and reduction of odour.

Shoe aficionados might complain that this type of shoe tree will never fit the shoe perfectly, but even the Shoe Snob believes a quality shoe tree is more than adequate in maintaining high quality dress shoes.

Lasted (Bespoke) Shoe Tree

John Lobb3 Piece (Lasted) Shoe Tree

A Lasted (bespoke) Shoe Tree is often a copy of the mould in which a high quality or bespoke shoe was fashioned from. An entire block of wood will be cut, carved and hollowed for a precisely cut and fitted shoe tree. The general consensus is that lasted shoe trees do fit better and often look very elegant, but from a functional perspective, they offer only a slightly better fit than a quality shoe tree. In terms of abetting moisture and odour, there is no functional difference. The price difference, however, can be substantial.

For the travelling Gentleman

Transporting your shoes incorrectly, especially when in one's suitcase, is a sure way to damage the leather. Stuffing newspaper in them may help, but a safer and more efficient approach is to purchase a pair of light-weight, inexpensive travel shoe trees.

The Shoe SnobTravel Man's Shoe Trees

The ultra light-weight Shoemerangby Shoemerang

Is a shoe tree worth the money?

Replacing a pair of quality dress shoes is not a trivial expense. So from a functional perspective we believe a shoe tree is a very good investment. But it also depends on the type and cost of the shoe tree you purchase relevant to the shoes it helps maintain. Say, for example, you purchase a quality shoe tree for $60 to help maintain a pair of Loake brogues worth $500 (12 per cent of purchase price), and you wear them on average once a week. In the first year the per use cost is $1.15. In the second year 58 cents, by the third year 28 cents and so on. Given the durability of shoe trees and its frequency in use, it's a very small cost over its lifetime. A shoe tree will in fact save you money in the long-run.

Do Shoe trees matter?

We say "yes", they do matter, regardless of the cost of your dress shoes. Using a shoe tree - be it basic, quality or lasted - forms an important part of your shoe maintenance ritual. It is an essential habit of the well-dressed man. Your shoes will simply look sharper, smell better and last longer.