The best western gifts for a beginner

The first week in cowboy boots teaches everyone the same lesson: they are harder to take off than to put on, and the usual method - standing on the heel of one boot with the toe of the other - crushes the counter and scuffs the vamp. A boot jack is a notched block you step into; it grips the heel and you simply pull your foot out. The wooden ones are a few dollars, last forever and are the single most-used accessory any boot owner has. Get one before you get the boots.

What you give up: You give up portability. A boot jack lives by the door - it is not something you travel with, so you will still need the careful hands-on method away from home.

The boot problem nobody warns beginners about is the shaft collapsing: leave a tall boot standing empty for a few months and it folds at the ankle, and the crease becomes permanent. Boot trees - or the cheaper boot shapers - hold the shaft upright and absorb moisture while they do it, and cedar does the second job better than plastic because it actually wicks. For a first pair this is a $20 purchase that protects a $200 one, which makes it the highest-return thing on this entire site.

What you give up: You give up closet space, and cedar needs light sanding every year or so to refresh its scent and absorbency.

Bick 4 is the conditioner to buy if you only buy one, and the reason is a single property: it does not darken leather. That matters more on boots than on anything else, because the usual conditioners and oils will take a light brown boot several shades darker and there is no undoing it. Reviewers consistently note that Bick 4's non-darkening claim holds up, that it absorbs well and that it works across a range of leathers, with the caveat that it can leave a little surface build-up if you over-apply. Use it two or three times a year on a boot in regular wear, and after any soaking.

What you give up: You give up waterproofing. A conditioner is not a weather treatment - it keeps leather supple, it does not keep water out.

Most of what beginners blame on the boot is actually the sock. A cotton ankle sock in a cowboy boot does two bad things: it stops below the shaft so the leather rubs bare skin on the calf, and it holds sweat against the foot, which is both uncomfortable and hard on the boot's lining. A mid-calf or over-the-calf sock in merino or a synthetic blend fixes both, and a slightly thicker sock also takes up the small amount of slack that causes heel slip in a new boot. Buy three pairs with the boots, not after.

What you give up: You give up a little coolness in summer. A taller, thicker sock is warmer - which is why straw hats and lighter socks go together in July.

If you are buying one hat and it has to work at a concert in July, buy straw - and the Cisco is the straw hat that comes up most. Resistol lists it as a 6X straw with an average 4 1/2-inch brim and a crown about 3 3/4 inches front by 5 1/4 inches back. The reason it suits a beginner is that straw is cheap enough to learn on. You will sit on your first hat, leave it on a car seat in the sun and get caught in rain in it; doing all of that to a straw hat costs a fraction of doing it to 6X felt. Sizing is the one thing to get right - measure your head and buy the size, do not guess between S/M/L.

What you give up: You give up formality and lifespan. Straw is a warm-weather hat, it will not take a season of hard use, and it cannot be reshaped like felt.

A western belt is wider than a dress belt, usually 1 1/2 inches, and that width is what makes the outfit hold together - a narrow belt with boots and a pearl snap looks like someone borrowed the wrong pieces. Nocona's leather belts are the common honest starting point: full leather, tooled or basket-stamped, with an interchangeable buckle on most models. Interchangeable matters, because the buckle is the part you will upgrade later and a belt with a snap-off buckle lets you do that without buying a second belt. Size up two inches from your trouser waist, not your jean size.

What you give up: You give up refinement. Tooled leather at this price is pressed rather than hand-carved, and the finish will crack at the fold eventually.