Tag: shoes

To enjoy your hiking experience, it is necessary to have a comfortable and well fitting pair of hiking boots. A poor fitting pair may disrupt your hike or even cause unnecessary injury. Apart from immediate pinching pain; ill-fitting shoes can also cause blisters, bunions, corns and other long-term adverse effects. And while loose fitting shoes do not have the pinching pain, they could still result in the above effects alongside others. There are different types of hiking boots for wide and narrow feet. Learning how to choose boots according to your type of feet will help do away with the discomfort and keep you well geared up for your hiking adventure.

Great tips

Have your feet measured

Measuring your feet will help you know the correct size of shoe to wear as it also takes into consideration the width of the foot, which is often ignored. From the width, you will be able to tell if you have narrow or wide feet. This eases the task of shopping for your hiking boots as you know the right fitting to go for.

Pick a suitable design

Some shoe designs cannot be interchanged between people with broad and narrow feet. For this reason, it is important to get a shoe-style that gives you the best fit. For instance, if you have narrow feet, consider hiking boots with lace-closure as it firmly secures your feet in the shoe.

Buckles and elastic attachments are more ideal for wide feet as they offer more flexibility. Additionally, the toe area is something else to consider. A round-toed boot is perfect for wide feet as it is roomier while pointed and snip toes suit people with narrow feet better.

Consider the material used

The materials used in hiking boots differ in flexibility. If you have wide feet, choose boots made from more flexible materials like leather which is known to conform to the shape of your feet. However, this does not mean that you buy tight-fitting shoes with the hope they will accommodate your feet with time. For narrow feet, man-made materials are recommended as they will retain their fit through several uses.

Fit the shoes properly

Whether you have wide or narrow feet, the appropriate boot will be comfortable immediately you try it on. Try on the shoes with socks if you intend to wear them with any and determine the feel.

You can stand and walk around in the shoes just to be sure before making a purchase. It recommended that you shop for a shoe in the evening when the feet are swollen as then you will get a more accurate fit.