About Footware, Socks and Lacing techniques

About Footware, Socks and Lacing techniques

Measure your boots and gears so that your feet ara at best comfort while hiking upto 7-8 hours per day.

Know about your foot

7 out of 10 hikers wear poorly fitted boots and don't even know it. That adds up to a lot of unnecessary blisters and sore feet for some, even sore knees and ankles. The solution is simple. Learn proper footwear fitting and you'll kiss sore feet goodbye.

Basics of the foot

then Know about your Boots

Lots of trekkers practice five rules when choosing boots:
1) The lighter the boots, the less your legs work. Keep the boots as light as possible, but still keep the support and protection of heavier boots.
2) The boots must be waterproof and also made of materials that let the sweat escape, but will not let water in. If there is water in your boots it can cause smelly feet and blisters.
3) Arch supports keep your feet supported and comfortable under a load. If your feet have no support, they will flatten and make long walks or hikes very painful.
4) The boots must protect the wearer from twisting their ankle and stubbing their toes. The rougher the terrain, the more important ankle protection becomes.
5) When you are carrying a heavy load, your boots should protect your feet from bending too far forward or backward while still allowing the wearer a full range of motion.

 

Basics of boots

Dont forget to know something about socks

A quick primer on choosing the right hiking sock: 

You probably don't even consider it "gear," right? Well, think again. Would you put a set of wooden caveman wheels on your brand new Land Rover? Or, shingle the roof of your new house with cardboard? Then why jeopardize the performance of your fancy new boots with a pair of junky socks?

Good socks keep your feet happier and healthier. They provide cushioning, wick sweat, keep your little piggies warm and dry, fine-tune your boot fit, and reduce friction inside your boot (less blisters!).

Basics of shocks

Common Lacing Techniques

The standard lacing technique works well for many people but not everybody. Correct lacing is taut, but not too tight, from the toe up to the top of the boot or shoe. There should be no loose lacing and the lacing should contact the boot evenly and firmly.

Below are a few tried-and-true techniques. Use this as a starting point and experiment with your own.

Loop: If laces are slipping on a hook, lace "down" a hook instead of "up" creating a loop.

D-ring lock: By bringing the lace around through the eyelet from the top, pressure is applied on the lace.

Overhand knot: The most common means of locking off tension below the knot.

Surgeon's knot: this is a very secure means of locking off any chosen tension below the knot.

Marathon loop: Improves heel lock for low-cut shoes.

Lacing techniques

Other lacing techniques

Cuff Pressure

To eliminate lower skin irritation, finish the lacing by bringing the laces over the top of the hooks before tying the bow knot.

Lacing techniques

Low Volume

To improve performance with lower-volume or narrow feet, utilize on one or more of the "locking" techniques to hold the foot securely in place without causing excessive pressure or irritation.

Lacing techniques

High Instep

To reduce pressure over the instep, simply skip crossing the laces over the sensitive area sometimes associated with having a high instep. It's a good idea to use with a locking procedure before and after. As shown here.

Lacing techniques

 

Boot Heel Lock

To distribute pressure create a loop between two hooks and pass the lace from above and through, then continue upward.

Lacing techniques

 

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