TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION: FOOTWEAR
WHICH TYPE OF BOOTS DO YOU NEED?
It is important that you wear footwear that is suitable for your intended activity; within the footwear area, products are assigned to one of several broad categories, to help you make the correct choice.
Sandals: The definitive item of footwear for hotter climates (maybe even the UK summer?!); technical sandals tend to be more supportive and have far better grip and cushioning than pure fashion designs.
X-Functional/Travel: This category includes a wide range of lighter weight footwear, designed to encompass activities such as mountain-biking, scrambling, trail running, short low-level walks or chilling in the bar! This category also includes footwear that is ideal for the travel user; comfortable enough for all-day use in a wide range of conditions.
Light Hiking: This encompasses lightweight walking boots, designed with fairly easy terrain in mind; boots in this category are ideal for rambling along coastal paths and the less broken ground of places like the Dales, Lakes or Wales. This type of boot tends to be light and comfortable, but offers less support than the next category.
Hill Walking & Trekking: This category of boots is designed for more arduous conditions, over more broken terrain and often carrying a reasonably large load. They are tougher and more supportive than those in the Light Hiking category, but are not suitable for use with crampons.
Winter/Mountain: This is quite a wide category, ranging from boots which are suitable for winter walking, with occasional crampon use (B1 category), all the way up to those intended for full-on mountaineering in Scotland, The Alps and beyond. Obviously, the lighter boots in this category are not suitable for the more extreme end uses; if you are in any doubt as to the suitability of a design for your intended end use, please email/call us for advice.
GETTING THE FIT RIGHT.
Your boots are arguably one of the most critical bits of gear to get right; if they don’t fit properly or are unsuitable for your intended activity, they are largely useless (count the number of wrecked ankles in a typical mountain rescue team report!).
However, if you get your boots right and look after them properly (see the boot care section), they should give you years of good service and enjoyment on the hill.
Getting boots that fit properly can be quite involved; if you aren’t confident you know what size you are, we strongly recommend seeing your local branch for advice. All brands vary in the way that they fit and you should never assume your size, if you’ve not
tried the boots on somewhere already. Never assume your size either; your usual shoe size is just a starting point! The following sections cover a few areas to consider when trying boots.
WHAT SIZE ARE YOU REALLY?
Your normal shoe size is just the beginning; it is usual to get walking boots that are larger than your normal shoes. Often this is simply because you tend to wear thicker socks when walking. If you don’t know what size your feet are, get them measured in your local branch. Remember that feet often get bigger, as they get warmer, through the day.
GET YOUR SOCKS RIGHT.
When fitting boots, it is important to be wearing the actual socks that you would be using with them on the hill; altering the combination of socks worn can radically alter the fit of your boots.
Quite a common sock combination would be to wear a pair of thin (high-wicking) liner socks against your skin and then something heavier and more padded over the top of them. Thermal liners are available for use in colder conditions and the fibre combinations for your thick socks is almost limitless, to get the closest match to the conditions you’ll encounter. It is important to get the fit of your socks right too – both too loose and too tight are bad.
TRYING ON BOOTS.
Once you’ve got the boots on your feet, there are a number of things to keep an eye on:
Length: As a very rough starting point, there should be sufficient length in a boot so that when it is unlaced and your foot is pushed right to the front (with toes straight), you can slide a finger behind your heel. When the boot is laced up (making sure your heels are right into the back of the boot), this space is in front of your toes and stops you hitting the end of the boot when walking downhill.
Lacing: Do the laces up properly; this should be done such that the boot is a snug fit (but not too tight) around the instep. If the boot is too loose, your foot will not be secured properly and result in the heel slopping around (causing blisters) and your foot hitting the end of the boot (causing blackened/lost toenails!). The ankle should be fairly snug (but not crushingly tight); if you need the ankle to be looser (remembering that this reduces support), whilst keeping the snug fit over the instep, friction knots can be used to isolate these two sections of the lacing.
Volume and Width: Different manufacturers use widely differing 3D internal shapes (lasts) for their footwear, which have different volumes and widths. These are just as important as length on a boot; if, once the boot is done up, you have too much or too little of either, you have a problem. The easiest way to fix this is to just try a different boot, with a different internal shape. unless some sort of waterproof membrane (e.g. Event or Gore- However, it is often possible to improve the fit of a boot in a Tex) is used; any boot with such a membrane should be comnumber of ways: pletely waterproof, regardless of what the upper is made from.
Change Socks: As already mentioned, the socks you wear have a
Rand: this surrounds the outer base of the upper, helping to dramatic effect on the fit of your boots. If a boot is too loose, protect the join with the sole from abrasion and to resist water thicker socks may sometimes help; if it’s just the heel that’s a touch loose, then maybe a liner with a cushioned heel may help. penetration. The possibilities are almost endless, but bear in mind that what-
Bellows Tongue: most boots feature a padded bellows tongue; ever combination of socks makes your boots fit, then that is this folds beneath the laces and improves water-resistance and what you must always wear them with. comfort for the top of the foot.
Footbeds: Boots that are too wide can be fitted with a thicker
Ankle Collar: Also sometimes known as the ankle cuff; this footbed, which lifts the foot into a narrower part of the boot; be should be close-fitting but not crushingly tight, so as to provide careful that this doesn’t mess up the fit elsewhere e.g. in the support for the ankle, especially on more broken ground. The heel area.
Footbeds that mitigate over-pronation can dramatipadding that is usually present adds to the comfort of the boot cally improve the fit and comfort of your boots, if your feet tend and enhances the protection provided. to over-pronate.
- Clean the mud off with cold water and something like a soft vegetable brush.
- Let the boots dry naturally (not near a radiator/heater – forced drying damages the leather), after removing the footbeds and laces.
- Once the boots have dried apply a suitable proofer, to maintain the boots water-resistance, as necessary – generally more frequently with leather boots than fabric. Note: aqueous Nikwax products can be applied to damp boots.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION: FOOTWEAR www.aktive8.com