Western gifts under $50

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.

A kit is worth buying over separate items for one reason: the brushes. A horsehair brush for buffing, a stiffer brush for dried dirt, a dauber for working product into the welt and a lint-free cloth are the tools that make care take five minutes instead of twenty, and bought separately they cost more than a kit. Check what conditioner is included and whether it darkens - if the kit's product is an oil or a wax and your boots are light brown, keep the brushes and use Bick 4 instead. That is not a criticism of kits; it is how everyone's boot-care box ends up.

What you give up: You give up control over the chemistry. Kit conditioners are generic, and on a light or exotic leather a generic product is a risk.

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.

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.

If cedar trees are more than you want to spend across several pairs, plastic or fabric shaft inserts do the structural half of the job for a few dollars a pair. They hold a 13-inch shaft upright so it cannot fold at the ankle, which is the fault that actually ruins a tall boot in storage. They do not wick moisture, so give the boot a day to dry before inserting them, and do not use them as a substitute for drying a soaked boot properly.

What you give up: You give up moisture absorption and the cedar smell. Inserted into a damp boot they make things worse, not better.