Guidelines on Selecting
Hiking or Backpacking
Boots
Hiking and backpacking boots can be among the most difficult footwear to
size properly. The biggest mistake most people make is buying the first or second pair
that they try on that feel okay in the store. You should go to several backpacking specialty stores and
look at a number of different boots in the appropriate size
and price performance range before you
even think about buying anything. The best places in the Baltimore - Washington area are:
Recreational Equipment Inc., and Eastern Mountain Sports. They are specialty stores and most
of their staff are
fairly knowledgeable.
Light Fabric vs. Heavy Leather
In the last couple of decades, boot makers have brought out light weight boots as an
alternative to heavy all leather boots. The light boots are typically a hybrid of fabric
and suede leather. The fabric may or may not be Gore-Tex lined. These boots are primarily
suited for day hiking with a light daypack. I have never been
very impressed with what I have seen for light boots, but then I admit to being prejudiced
in favor of heavy all leather boots. The light weight boots that I've seen have very
little ankle support or footbed support. They appear to be running shoes with a higher,
padded top, and a sole with a better grip. For backpacking you definitely want heavier
boots that provide as much ankle, and footbed support as possible. Your carrying a lot
more weight and your feet really take a pounding by the end of the day. Also you really
don't want a badly sprained ankle or broken foot thirty miles into the boonies.
The only advantage to light weight boots are: the light weight and the lower
cost. Other than that, virtually everything else is a disadvantage. Good quality
heavy leather boots are frequently made from a single piece of leather that
encases your entire foot. After three days of backpacking in the mud, water, and
goo of Dolly Sods my feet were still dry. The people wearing the fabric and
suede boots were soaked by lunch time of the first day. Also you get tremendous
foot support. My feet ache when I wear my pair of light weight boots relative to
my heavy boots. Recently I had a need to buy a pair of light weight boots for a
backpacking trip to Utah where we will be wading through water over our boot
tops for much of any given day. For this kind of trip, heavy leather boots are
not recommended for several reasons. First, waterproof boots cannot drain while
the lightweight boots (non Gore-Tex) will. Second the hard rubber Vibram soles
used on heavy boots doesn't grip slickrock as well as a softer rubber sole. And
finally, keeping these heavy leather boots continuously soaked for a week may
destroy them. The pair I ended up with are very different than most light boots.
They are constructed like heavy boots but out of light weight materials.
Light boots are perfect for Utah / Arizona river canyon
backpacks. Heavy boots for everyplace else.
Winter Boots
Contrary to popular misconception, Gore-Tex boots don't work that well in winter
due to freezing up. Heavy leather boots are superior in just about every
respect. For really severe conditions, you should consider plastic
mountaineering or alpine touring ski boots which can be made to do just about
anything including hiking, mountain climbing, alpine skiing, and Nordic skiing.
But, I'm guessing the fit is probably even trickier to get right.
Socks
Try the boots with the socks that you plan on wearing. Normally a thin, light , synthetic
liner sock worn under a heavier wool outer sock. You may have to experiment with different
sock types and weights especially after you bought the boots and they fit pretty well but
not perfectly. For example I use thin synthetic liners and medium weight wool socks with
my old leather backpacking boots, my backcountry ski boots (heavy leather), and my new
light fabric and suede boots. For my new heavy leather boots I found that a thin cotton
liner works best with a very heavy wool outer sock. You have to experiment. Some new socks
to consider are Gore-Tex liner socks, and smart wool outer socks. Both should work well in
wet environments, but I don't know how well they would work if submerged for long periods
of time. Heavy wool outer socks provide more cushioning as well as taking up more internal
volume in the boot if you need that. In very hot weather, the
synthetic liners can cause a heat rash: cotton, wool, or silk liners will reduce
or eliminate this problem.
The Fit
If the boots are too short your toes will slide forward and hit the front of the boot when
going downhill. This can cause serious toenail bruising or the loss of toenails. If the
boots are too long, your heel will lift and cause blisters on or around your heel. If the
boots are too big in volume over the instep you will have to really crank in the laces
which can drive the metal eyelets against your ankle bone. Once this gets really sore,
you're effectively done hiking. There is little tolerance for improper fit, it has to be
perfect or close to it especially for stiff, heavy leather boots.
Some simple tests to conduct in the store include the following.
Wear the proper socks when trying the boots.
Walk up and down on an incline plane, testing for toe jam and heel lift.
With the boot unlaced, jam your toes all the way forward in the boot. Now you should be
able to insert one finger behind your heel.
None of these tests are foolproof, they are just time tested indicators of
proper fit.
In the store, the boots have to feel PERFECT! Any fit
problems here will be a problem.
Boot Surgery
If the fit is close, but you still have some problems you can take the boots to a
boot repair shop. Some potential repairs include: stretching the toe box width,
softening the scree collars, adding or removing heel cups, add padded material
to the tongue, and adding insoles. It may take 50-200 miles to break in a
pair of heavy leather boots. Light boots will require little break in.
I find that my legs get used to the weight difference of the heavier
boots but my soles
never get used to the increased pounding that they take in the light boots. Another common
mistake that people make is that they give up. It can take tenacity to get the right boot
and right fit. Although heavy boots today (2023) weigh about
3.5 lb/pair compared to 5.5 lb/pair twenty years ago.
Typical Costs
Light boots will cost about $75 to 100+. Heavy all leather boots will cost from $200 to
$500.
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