Hiking is an outdoor activity that involves walking in environments surrounded by nature. It is often done on hiking trails. Research has it that hiking is a sport that keeps the body fit. The sport involves more than just trekking.
It helps the body lose excess weight, decreases hypertension and other heart-related problems, builds the body muscles, helps improve one’s mental health, and many more. People often tend to mistake hiking for walking. Quite alright, hiking involves or is generally about walking.
However, while it is mostly done for fun, walking isn’t. Also, you can spend days on the road when hiking; this is called backpacking. But then, it is barely heard that anyone spends days on the road, just walking. When walking, you have a targeted destination and an estimated time to catch up.
Hiking requires more experience and safety. A person cannot hike with mere shoes. This is because, when hiking, you are going to come across so many insects (like bugs, mosquitoes, bees, etc.), sharp objects on the ground, and whatnot.
Thus, hiking requires one to have a specific boot called hiking boots. Asides from just the boots, you need to be fully prepared when going hiking; you need
- Your backpack
- Enough food
- Excess water
- Navigation tools such as compass, maps, GPS device, or satellite messenger
- First aid kit
- Flashlight
- Headlamp
- Extra clothes
- Sun protection, such as protective glasses, sun-protective clothes, or sunscreen.
- Gloves
- Tent
Even after getting the hiking boots, some people still tend to step on these bugs and some other sharp particles on the ground because they do not know how to fit hiking boots properly. If you fall in this category, you don’t have to worry much; this article will guide you.
How to Fit Hiking Boots
What are hiking boots?
Hiking boots are explicit footwear specially made to protect the feet and ankles during outdoor exercises like hiking. Just like a pen being the most important “weapon” for a student, hiking boots are one of the essential things to take along when hiking.
With these boots, hikers can go long distances without sustaining injuries because they’re durable and made of high quality.
These boots provide comfort when a hiker is walking on a rough/harsh landscape. Most hiking boots are additionally intended for other open outdoor exercises like;
- Backpacking
- Mountaineering
- Hunting
- Climbing
Should hiking boots be a size bigger?
Naturally, your feet tend to swell up at the day’s end, regardless of your age, or the kind of sports you engage in, or even the state of your health.
As a hiker, walking and standing all day is a usual activity. But when you tend to find a resting place, the first thing that comes to your mind is to fling your boots. Why? Because your feet are swollen, and the longer the boots stay on your leg, the more your feet swell.
When this question “should I buy bigger boots size for hiking?” springs up in your head, your answer should most definitely be yes! Oversized hiking boots create room for you to move your toes when stuck freely.
“How much bigger?” for sure, this is the next question that would come to your mind; well, it depends, and it’ll be discussed as we go on.
How much room should you have in hiking boots?
We’ve accepted that having a bigger hiking boots size is better because there’s room for your toes to move freely. Now, the thing is, how much space would you need in your hiking boots?
This question is disregarded when hikers first buy their hiking boots, as many think that they know their size and want to pick significantly bigger boots without even trying them on.
What hikers fail to understand in actuality is that hiking boots should feel somewhat cozy around your foot while additionally giving squirm space for your toes. Your toes need to stretch inside your boots openly. However, the freedom shouldn’t be so much that your whole feet will be juggling inside the boots.
The amount of space you need to create in your boots solely depends on you, and it is always advisable to try your boots on to know which fit correctly and have enough space for your toes to move freely. If you create a reasonable amount of space in your boots, you’re less likely to have blisters.
How to properly fit hiking boots
- Check the length of the boots
- Check the width when the boots have been laced
- Put on your socks when the boots are being worn
- Check the boots comfortability by walking on inclined surfaces
- Test the boots at the day’s end
- Wear a heavy load
Bottom Line
Hiking in the great outdoors is fun, but it could be dangerous if done without preparation. Choosing hiking boots that fit could be pretty confusing, but with the help of this article, the processes are set to become easier for you.
This article is beneficial for veteran hikers and aspiring and beginner hikers because it entails so much information you should know about hiking boots. It additionally tells us how to fit hiking boots properly and why it is necessary to leave space in your hiking boots.
