i almost never use leather for hunting but have worn many different types for work through the years.ive gone through quite a few pairs of herman survivors,timberlands, and smith boots. if your talking about treating them i never found anything that great. snow seal is o.k. but doesnt last all that long. you apply it and then hit it with a hair dryer to melt it in. i think its mostly bee-s wax. ive herd of people using boiled bear fat too. as far as breaking them in i was told the quick way is to get them wet and wear them for a couple hours. i dont know if that works. i guess the idea is that the boot will form to your foot and then dry in the same form as your foot.