Best boot buying tips for long distance hikes
“We don’t stop hiking because we grow old — we grow old because we stop hiking”
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My friend and I once completed the Great Lake Walk, a one-day, 56 kilometre run/walk route on gravel logging roads around Cowichan Lake. OMG. Along with a huge sense of accomplishment, my feet were a mess afterwards, dirty, blistered, cracked, minus a toenail, and covered in duct tape. If I learned anything from the experience it’s that going any long distance means you need to take care of your feet!
No, I don’t mean getting a pedicure - although that did come later! I mean treating my feet with the right hiking boots.
With a 4-day, solo long distance hike planned in a few short weeks, I was thrilled to spend an hour with Sarah Jones, certified pedorthist and manager of Walk the Coast, one of my favourite locally owned shops. Walk the Coast takes pride in paying attention to proper biomechanics when helping customers choose quality footwear. I met Sarah at the store and grilled her with questions about when to get new hikers, different types of boots, what to pay attention to when trying boots on, and how to take care of your feet once on the trail.
Need new boots for a hike?
How do you know when to replace your old boots? Sarah shared three key signs that boots need replacement.
Tread wear.
As you can see below (right) on my old boots, my tread is GONE! I might just slide down the mountain in these! The more you walk on concrete, the faster your tread will wear down.
Creases below the heel.
If you have deep creases in the space below the heel, it indicates that the shoe has lost its bounce-back ability (my term) and the compression is no longer providing adequate support with the pressure you are adding by walking or running. If your shoes don’t recover well neither will your feet.
Misshapen structure.
Sit your boot on the ground. Does it sit up nice (mine are actually ok in this regard!) or have they lost their structural integrity and taken on a misshapen wonkiness? This indicates that the boot is just not supporting the foot in the way it was intended.
Sarah also acknowledged there isn’t a golden rule in regards to how long a shoe lasts. It is completely dictated by how often you wear them, your weight, and the kind of trail you are on. Thus, it’s likely a heavier person who walks every day on concrete will have to replace their shoes more frequently than a lighter person who only walks weekends on flat dirt trails. Go back to 1, 2, and 3 above to make a more informed judgment.
Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again.
And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek,
you will witness beauty every step of the way,
not just at the summit.”
Anonymous
So many choices!
Match the shoes to the activity. Sarah asked me a number of questions such as what trail I was doing, how far I was going, and what size of pack I was carrying. In my case, I want to carry as little as possible on my four-day, 70 km long distance hike on groomed trails with some incline but not mountain climbing. This type of hike can be done with a pair of lightweight hikers right out of the box. No break-in period required. Ideally your feet and shoes will form an initial friendship before embarking on a long journey.
Your best bet is to find a shoe store with knowledgeable staff. Your feet are too precious to randomly grab something off the shelf, but if you are self-fitting there are some key things to pay attention to and tips to follow:
Take your time.
Don’t rush this. Sarah had me try on a few different boots and walk around the store and climb some stairs. And then she made me try the boot I liked the best back on because even though I seemed to fall in love at first, after trying on the others, it’s good to check.
Consider the material.
I live in a place where it rains. A LOT. Heavy, hard, bounce-on-the-ground-multiple-times type of rain. Walk the Coast doesn’t even bother bringing in hiking boots that are NOT waterproof. It’s the “Wet Coast”, and my long distance hike is in March so it is very likely that my feet are going to be wet! My beautiful, new Salomon X Ultra 4 mid GTX boots have breathability using Gore-tex technology that lets sweat out and prevents/reduces water from soaking in. It’s not 100% water proof - that would be a rubber boot!
Get the basic fit right first
These feel like I’ll be able to walk forever in them! But just because they feel dreamy on my feet - don’t assume they are the right match for you.
Basic fit is ensuring that your biggest foot (we all have one) is fit best. The other one can just go along like a little sister. My left foot is bigger (who knew?!) so we paid most attention to it.
Give your toes lots of room - toes HATE to be squished. Just don’t do it. Obviously you don’t want the toe area to be cavernous, but you don’t want it to be super snug lest your toes rebel against you. Wiggle your toes, make sure the big toe is away from the end.
The rest of the foot should be fitted and supported and without any rubbing spots. Sarah says that it’s ok to have a little room when first trying on the shoe because with wear, the shoe will mold in and support those areas. But on the extreme, you don’t want your heel to flip up at all or have your feet floating around.
Use boot lace hacks
I asked Sarah about lacing and loved her answer: there is NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO WEAR A SHOE/BOOT.
Get the shoe fitting properly to begin with and then get creative with laces to avoid any pressure points or ease a boot around a bunion.
For more ankle support - triple wrap at the top before tying.
If you feel a hot spot at the top of foot, that’s because there is a nerve there - take the laces up the side and avoid crossing in the middle over the spot.
Avoid a bunion by starting the laces on the second level up.
I ❤️ Darn Tough socks
(not an affiliate but I love them enough to be!)
Wear the socks you are planning to wear hiking into the store when you pick out new boots.
Here’s me in my absolutely favourite pair of socks. Merino wool socks are awesome, and I am a big fan of Darn Tough. I know it sounds gross but I have been known to pull my favorite pair of socks out of the dirty clothes - on multiple occasions - simply because they are the sock I prefer to wear. They actually never seem to stink (well, never might be stretching it) and they are oh so comfy.
Sarah says - avoid cotton socks because they result in too much friction against the foot and they hold in moisture. Merino wool is expensive but give them a try and you will ignore all the other socks in your drawer. Trust me! And to avoid reaching into the dirty clothes, get more than one pair!
Find them at your locally owned shoe store… and if they don’t have them order online!
Concerned about blisters on your hike?
Some people are more prone to blisters than others. As I mentioned at the start, I’ve had one crazy experience when I did the ultra marathon and hobbled over the finish line with my feet wrapped in duct tape because of the blisters.
I had read that wearing two socks on a long distance hike is a good thing. Sarah confirmed it and recommends that you ensure that the socks are of the same material so that any friction between the two doesn’t damage fibers. I’ve got a thin pair of merino wool socks and as long as there is room in my boot, a second pair will help prevent blisters.
Sarah’s bonus tip: If you are prone to blisters and doing the double sock thing, put vaseline on the top of the thin inner sock where you often get blisters so there is a layer of vaseline between the first and second sock. It’s preventative, does no damage to the sock fibers, and simply increases the ability for the socks to glide in those areas. It might sound strange but you’re on a hike not a fashion runway!
Where to shop?
What about buying online? Unless you buy a bunch of hikers and are prepared to return the ones that don’t work, buying hikers online might not be your best option. If you have already found a boot that works really well for you, buying the same make and model without trying them on is safe! Otherwise, make the trip to your local shoe store and chat with staff that know shoes and know how to fit them.
I was initially a bit sheepish when I described my simple four day hike on the Vancouver Island Trail. Walk the Coast has fitted boots for people hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the Camino, Machu Picchu, serious mountain climbers, and even people who have done the entire VI-Trail trail from Victoria to Cape Scott. But how short, or flat, or not-so-far away your adventures might be - they are your adventures, and your feet need the right shoes!
If you are in the neighbourhood of the Alberni Valley - for our great hiking and/or on your way to the spectacular west coast (Tofino and Ucluelet) - stop by Walk the Coast for a beautiful west coast shoe & clothing store owned by wonderful community-minded people.
I almost got into a fist fight (I’m greatly exaggerating) because the store owners were adamant to gift me my new hiking boots. Because that is NOT why I wanted to write about picking out boots, I am paying their generosity forward and donating the equivalent to the Take a Hike Foundation, a non-profit organization that engages youth through outdoor experiential learning in partnership with public schools. They empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.
Thank you Walk the Coast!
