Hiking Boots
Hiking Boots Is there anything peculiar about hiking boots? Apart from the fact of being expensive, are they really needed in your hiking tour, especially when you are a beginner in the field?
The answer to this question is “Yes.”
Hiking boots is the most important thing that you cannot do without in the entire hiking gear. It is a foot that is used more than any other organ of your body during hiking, and this is the reason you must give them ample protection. Sturdily constructed hiking boots can give protection to your feet from harsh trails.
Following is a list of guidelines to be followed while choosing to buy your hiking boots:
That “Solid” Feeling
This ought to be the prime quality of hiking boots. The good-quality boots provide us with a solid feeling at the bottom, which prevents the feet from feeling rocks and stones through their soles. What is the immediate result?
You may soon have the possibility of getting hurt after traveling for miles, and certainly that is not good, especially when you must travel for a few more miles before breaking your camp.
Test for the solidity before you buy a pair of boots. Press your thumb against its sole at the bottom. These boots would not be able to give your feet the required protection if they are soft. You can also evaluate them by twisting the soles of the boots. These boots, if they are soft enough to be twisted, are also not fit for hiking.
You must keep in mind that the trails may not be as smooth as the pavement ahead of your home. More often they would be rocky, and if your feet are not given adequate protection using good hiking boots, they can even exert huge pain.
Side Protection
It is not only the bottom part of the hiking boots that is important. Good boots should also be capable of providing protection to the sides of your feet. In fact, the reason for their being called “heavy” is that these boots are given extra padding to protect your feet from rocks, stones, and branches of trees, which you may place your feet on, and which could pierce into the sides of your boot.
If at all you have decided to buy fabric boots, you must get those boots with protective “welts.” Welts are fixed at about one-half inch or more up above the soles to give additional protection.
Ankle Support
It was obvious that Achilles did not know anything about boots, so he was not able to give protection when his ankle was hit with an arrow by Paris. You need not follow Achilles’ footsteps. Good support for ankles is necessary for hiking boots.
Follow these when you pick them:
- Take hold of the top side of the boot.
- Try bending it sideways.
- It is not likely to give the ample level of protection required by you on the trail if the boots are to bend easily.
The top part of the boot ought to be firm enough to hold the ankle in position. These are the criteria to choose a pair of hiking boots with superior quality and support.
Do not Let the Water In
A wet foot is the cause of blisters. Blisters are certainly painful. They are evil too. You must prevent their occurrence at any cost. A solution is to get hiking boots with waterproofing ability. Even if your hiking boots are not waterproof, see that they could at least be waterproof. One way of getting fabric boots waterproofed is to use special waterproofing solutions, like liquid silicone. However, such solutions are not capable of waterproofing them enough to make them useful.
Regards, Coyalita
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