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[at-l] New boots!

I am sitting here in my office/studio wearing a new pair of boots (and 
spending a lot of time walking around on the carpet!) I had a pair of 
light/midweight Asolo 520s for the last 4 years, and though I loved the 
light weight and the comfort, they were just too light. (I weigh in at 
about 210, and have relatively small feet at size 10. The flex in light 
boots leaves me with very painful feet at the end of the day.) So I 
tried lots of different mid-weight boots, and none of them quite gave me 
the support I wanted, especially with a load.

I really liked the fit and the feel of the Scarpa SL's. They have a wide 
forefoot, extreme rocker (my feet seem to jump forward when I walk), and 
fit like they were made for me. But again, with a load, they had too 
much torsional flexibility (twisting lengthwise).

So I ended up with a pair of Scarpa Mantas, a heavy version of the SL. 
They fit perfectly, have lots of support on foot and ankle, and are just 
beautifully made. And as an added bonus, they accept step-in crampons. 
Boy, I'll get a lot of use out of that feature <grin>. 

I know that the superlight types on this list are just aghast at me 
putting over four pounds on my feet. Let me just point out that the 
average guy at 160lbs, and the average pack at 40lbs, weighs less than 
me nekked. Add in a monster load packing in the family, and you might 
change your outlook.

So, two questions for the experts:  1) any advice on breaking them in, 
(and no, I won't wear them in the shower), and 2), any advice on 
waterproofing thick rough-out leather (the store recommended Nikwax 
suede treatment).

Thanks in advance.

Ken
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