Boot Jack - The Cowboy Boot Removal Tool

Boot Jack

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:13:07 -0600

I wanted to write up a bit more about the picture of the John Geiselman collection boot jack from Gettysburg. This boot jack was found soon after the battle and is about a foot and half long and a half foot wide.

It’s homemade and has a very cool engraving from the unit of the original owner that states “OCT, 1862 / CO x B ’ 158, REGT”.

In my search, it’s just incredible how much cool information that I’m finding out there about boot jacks. Not only am I learning about bootjacks in general but also about historical use such as this one found at Gettysburg.

Until next time,
Chris

Boot Jack from Gettysburg. Part of the John Geiselman...

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:08:56 -0600

Boot Jack from Gettysburg. Part of the John Geiselman collection.

How A Boot Jack Helps You

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:04:43 -0600

I thought a good boot jack informational piece would be to talk about the benefits of using a bootjack for those of us not familiar with them.

The Boot Jack Saves Your Back! - As you probably know, taking off a boot can be a pretty hard task and doing it yourself usually results in hurting your back or some other part of your body. You know what I’m talking about, you have to get in some weird position and try and pry the boot off and stretch or pull something leaving you in pain for the rest of the night. A boot jack makes sure this doesn’t happen!

You Don’t Need Another Person - You have probably had a time or two where you just couldn’t get both of your boots off and a boot jack would have come in real handy. You may have had a friend take off your boot or your wife. If you’re a bit guy like me, you know that you do need someone to help you take off your boots!

You Extend The Life Of Your Boots - A boot jack also has a side benefit of making your boots last much longer. When you try to get your boot off yourself, without a boot jack, you usually end up putting one boot down sideways on the floor and stepping on the heel as you try to pull your foot out. This loosens up the stitching in your boots as well as the sole and makes them wear much faster. With a boot jack, you can prolong the life of your boots 3-4 times!

I’m really enjoying doing this blog site and will continue to post new information as I think about it.

Until next time, use your boot jack and save your boots and your back!
Chris

Boot Jack Origins

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:13:54 -0600

Today I was thinking of some of the history of the boot jack and started thinking about when cowboys roamed the range here in Texas where I live.

If you take a look at the boot jack that I’ve included a few pictures of on this blog, you will see that it’s a rough creation. You can obviously tell it’s a roughly created item that’s mean to serve it’s purpose and be tough.

You can imagine a cowboy riding around with his boot jack strapped to the side of his horse. Chances are, it was used for many other functions such as cooking food over an open fire rotisiree style (if they had two boot jacks).

There’s also a very good chance that Spain was using boot jacks a long time ago as they also have a love for nice leather boots. What country began using a bootjack first will probably always be a mystery.

Very cool how this one little piece of simple history connects us to people across the world.

Until next time ya’ll,
Chris

Here’s a second shot of a vintage boot jack that shows the...

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:06:15 -0600

Here’s a second shot of a vintage boot jack that shows the part that touches the floor. Very good example of a class bootjack and how they were made back in the good old days.

Boot Jack - A Cowboy's Best Friend!

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:35:30 -0600

If you use a boot jack like I do, you know that there isn’t much information on the subject.

After all, that cool little device can save a cowboys back after a hard day at work.

I have made a few out of Mesquite trees on my ranch and have already posted one picture in my previous post.

Some of you may know a boot jack as a “boot device” or some other name. It really depends on what part of the country that you’re in.

I’ll be filing in this blog with information about the use and benefits of using a bootjack over time as well as sharing images of various ones I find.

I love most things cowboy so if you have something related to say, drop a line here on my blog!

Thanks ya’ll!,
Chris

Here’s a bootjack that was hand carved from a tree. This...

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:19:49 -0600

Here’s a bootjack that was hand carved from a tree. This is a great example of a classic boot jack design used by cowboys for a long time.