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You’ll rarely, if ever, find cowboy boots on a “best travel shoe” packing list; they tend to be heavy, bulky, and difficult to fit in a checked bag, let alone a carry-on suitcase. But if you’re committed to the recent resurgence in Western wear popularity—and feeling inspired by Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, Bella Hadid’s appearances on the rodeo circuit, or vintage Ralph Lauren photos—you’re more than likely plotting how to pack a pair of cowboy boots for upcoming travels. They are, after all, essential for trips to places like Nashville and Austin, and fit right in at a country music concert.
As someone who regularly spends time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where cowboy culture prevails, my luggage typically contains at least one pair of boots—sometimes two, depending on how long I’m staying or how many outfit variations I’m hoping to create. Countless flights later, I’ve honed my own boot-packing techniques. To help corroborate the best ways to travel with cowboy boots, I also spoke with Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, founders of Dallas-based luxury boot brand Miron Crosby, who shared their tips and tricks for keeping boots safe and sound while in transit.
Our best tips for packing cowboy boots:
- How to fit cowboy boots in your suitcase
- How to protect the shape
- How to protect the material
- How to make boots more versatile
- Our favorite cowboy boot styles
How to fit cowboy boots in your suitcase
“Having traveled from city to city with cowboy boots almost my entire life, I have tried many different methods for packing boots in all shapes and sizes of suitcases,” Means says. Her tried-and-true process, however, is one that was also recommended to me by the Lucchese team in Fort Worth: “Laying the boots flat, stacked one on top of each other, with the soles facing opposite directions, is the best way to ensure the boots take up the least amount of space,” she says. This way, they’ll be relatively compact, but they’ll also have “space to hold their shape as best as possible.”
The height of your boots will also affect how much suitcase real estate is taken up. If you’re limited in space (or packing in a smaller suitcase), opt for a pair of ankle boots. You’ll still get the pointed toe and angled heel, but the shaft of the boot has significantly less volume.
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Looking to save even more room? Wear your boots to your destination. Just be sure you’ve had a bit of time to break them in beforehand. Means recommends sporting them for shorter periods of time while you’re home: “Although it may sound silly, I will slip on a pair of shoes while I’m cooking dinner, getting ready for the work day, or doing another at-home activity in order to help break them in.”
How to protect the shape
Any time you pack something malleable in a full suitcase—whether it’s a straw hat or pair of shoes—you run the risk of altering its original shape. This is particularly a concern when packing taller cowboy boots. To combat any potential damage, you’ll need to support the shaft and the vamp of the boots. Means recommends boot inserts to keep them supported.
Instead of boot inserts, I like to stuff mine with clothes—tightly rolled leggings, T-shirts, workout shorts, or socks. Not only is this effective for holding the boot’s shape, but it also allows me to pack a few more items in my suitcase. “Stuff them with clothes, paper, or anything else—whatever will help the boots keep their shape will do just the trick,” Means says. You can also choose to then pack the boots inside a boot dust bag, which she says will “not only protect the boots, but also the other items in your suitcase.”
Once your travel day commences, it’s important to immediately unpack your boots. Leaving them inside the suitcase for an extended period of time will increase the chances of long-lasting distortion. “When I get home from any trip where I travel with my boots, I always take them out of my bag first thing and stand them upright with the inserts inside of them,” Duplantis says; this will allow them to “conform back to their original shape after being packed in a suitcase.”
How to protect the material
Like any shoes or clothing items, cowboy boots can experience a bit of wear while on the road—scratches, stains, etc. To keep them as fresh as possible, always follow the boot brand’s recommended care instructions. For most styles, though, Duplantis says leather cream is great for “any and all on-the-go boot care.” A little dab should do, and you just need a clean cloth to apply and buff it into the material.
How to make boots more versatile
Cowboy boots may be having a moment right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re merely a passing fad. There’s a reason they’ve transcended Western culture and appeared on runways over the years: They’re both versatile and comfortable, and they’re just as easy to wear with casual clothes as with more elevated looks. “Before starting Miron Crosby, Sarah and I both lived and worked in New York City and would often wear our boots to the office with a slip dress, to dinner with an all-black denim outfit, or to happy hour with a mini dress or skirt,” Duplantis says.
Whenever I travel with cowboy boots, usually the Tecovas Annie or the Lucchese Priscilla (which didn’t need a single second of break-in time), I’ll wear them with wide-leg jeans and a tank top, a simple sundress or sweater dress, or jean shorts and a button-down. Cumbersome as they may be, I find the right pair of cowboy boots end up replacing most other shoes in my suitcase—including heels.
