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Five Essential Must Knows About Hiking Boots |
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Written by The Gear Sage
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Friday, 05 February 2010 |
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Choosing a hiking boot (otherwise known as 3 season walking boot) isn't rocket science. It only appears so when you submerge yourself in the scientific literature put our by the manufacturers and when you suspend common sense whilst reading the anal prose oozing from the outdoor gear review Mafia - which I suppose includes me, sometimes.
So let's keep this simple, shall we? Like really, really simple. Here's the five essential things you need to know about hiking boots.
Sweet Sole Music
The sole unit has one job to perform; to keep you up on your feet and off your arse. Think of the sole unit on a hiking boot as you would the tire on a 4*4 car. If you're going off road then you need a deep tread pattern to provide grip and that tread pattern also needs to be designed for self cleaning. If the tread clogs up you may as well be driving on F1 slicks.
It's the same with boots; the tread gives you grip and the tread pattern needs be self cleaning. The only other thing you need consider is consistency of the rubber compound, which is always going to be a compromise between hard and durable or softer with more grip on rock. Somewhere between the two is best and your local gear shop should be able to advise on that. If they can't take your custom and money elsewhere.
More Sole MusicThe midsole is hidden between the rubber outer sole unit and the insole. It's possibly the most important component in a boot, responsible for providing lateral stiffness and dictating the degree of forward flex.
In a good comfortable hiking boot the lateral stiffness will be firm and supportive and the forward flex generous in the forefoot (where your foot flexes) and stiffer towards the heel.
To test for lateral stiffness hold the toe in one hand and the heel in the other and twist in opposite directions. If there is no resistance and the boot twists too easily it will offers little in the way of underfoot support. The general rule with forward flex is; the more a boot flexes the more comfortable it is on the foot. However, if you envisage wearing walking crampons go for a boot with forward less flex.
On Yer UppersThe upper protects the foot and should hold it firmly and comfortably in place. The materials used range from one piece full grain leather to fancy combinations of leather/fabric/plastic. Generally speaking I look at it this way; ask a motorcyclist the question 'if you were to slide down a road at speed would you want to be wearing leathers or fabric'? The answer will be a good leather every time.
Leather is more robust than fabric though the thicker and stiffer the leather the more the boot needs to be worn in. In practice, modern day fabrics do the the job just as well and most people end up choosing a boot because they like the looks and can afford the price.
Singing in the Rain A good one piece water repellent leather will resist all but the most sodden of conditions though a waterproof lined boot will keep you dry a little longer. One possible downside of a waterproof membrane is that some find lined boots to be warmer in use and less breathable than leather. Most, including me, find there to be little difference between the two.
Fit, Fit, FitUnless your boot fits you can forget everything I've said up to this point. So the best boot for you is the one that fits you best. The rest is almost irrelevant. Simple, eh?
You can check out our reviews of hiking boots here
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