My Decathlon leather hiking boots literally disintegrated.
I own a pair of Decathlon Quechua leather hiking boots that I only use during winter hikes, usually just a handful of days each year. Looking at the outsole, there’s very little wear left on them—they’ve probably seen only a fraction of the use they’re designed for.
I’ve always tried to take good care of them:
- Cleaned them after every hiking season.
- Applied leather wax/conditioner every year.
- Stored them indoors in a dry room.
- Kept them inside the cardboard shoe box.
- Stuffed each boot with the shoe paper/tissue to help absorb moisture and maintain their shape.
- Used them only occasionally during winter hikes.
Despite all that, when I recently took them out, the black midsole had turned completely white and chalky in places, developed cracks everywhere, and the material literally started crumbling apart. Even some of the outsole lugs are beginning to crack.
The strange part is that the leather upper still looks almost new, while the sole is completely falling apart.
Since they were leather hiking boots, I made an effort to maintain them properly so they’d last for many years.
Has anyone else experienced this with their boots or is this just something that happens with polyurethane midsoles as they age?
Is there anything I could have done differently, or was this inevitable?
Attached photos showing:
- The excellent condition of the leather upper.
- The very light wear on the outsole.
- The severe cracking and crumbling of the midsole.
I am genuinely sad to see them end up like this. They were my favourite hiking boots, and I had hoped to use them on many more hikes over the years.
Edit: To clarify, I live in an extremely hot region where summer temperatures often exceed 45°C (113°F), so these were never meant for regular use. Knowing that shoes generally age better with occasional use than prolonged storage, I wore them whenever I had the chance—mainly on winter hikes in the Himalayas. The boots are around 8 years old.