- Buying new boots – do your research.
New Boots – this is the best part of starting out. The trip to the store to buy those rather costly, very impressive leather hiking boots. Tried and tested on many trails, you will be beguiled with fancy terms like ‘upper,’ ‘split grain,’ ‘outsoles,’ ‘lowers,’ ‘midsoles,’ Gore-Tex® and ‘heel brakes.’ It may be worth brushing up on your understanding of some of the basic terms before you prepare to part with your well-earned dollars. Either way, the important thing is that the boots must be relevant to the hike. The key pointers to look for is that they must be waterproof, breathable, have good ankle support, a built-in ‘tongue,’ and good lug patterns on the sole with a solid heel brake.
- Buy the correct size
This may sound really silly, after all, who would buy a boot that is the wrong size? You would be surprised! When you head off to buy your boots, take the socks that you will be wearing on your hike with you. Thin cotton socks that you wear to the gym are certainly not the correct sock to use to try on your new boots.
Having put on your new socks, take the inner sole of the boot out of the boot, place it on the floor and stand on it. You should have a good 1.5cm gap between your big toe and the end of the inner soul. The width of your thumb is also a good measure. Many people lose toenails on the descent of a climb because their boots are just too small.
- Shop at the end of the day.
Saturday morning first thing is not the ideal time to buy your new boots, or any morning for that matter. It is better to buy your boots in the afternoon after you have been walking around all day, as your feet will swell a little.
- Wear your boots in
Having bought your new boots, gets us to the first most important point, wear your boots in. Leaving them to stand on the mantle piece so that you can admire them daily is not going to do any justice to your feet come the big day. The first thing, is to put them on and wear them around the house for an hour. You will quickly learn if they are not entirely the right fit, giving you a chance to take them back before you wear them in.
Once you know they will be comfortable, wear them in. Take them on walks; wear them on weekends; wear them around the house. On the first few days when they start to hurt, take them off, give your feet a break and start again the next day. The last thing you want is to spend a fortune on a hike only to find you are riddled with blisters on day one, and many days still ahead of you.
- Keep your boots clean
Just like an expensive car, boots need to be cared for, protected and serviced. Take the inner souls out to help the boots dry on the inside. This is also a good habit to get into at the end of each day of a hike.
On returning at the end of your hike, clean your
boots with a soft brush and water and remove any mud buildup and dust
particles. Then let your boots dry naturally. Putting them in a warming
drawer or in front of a heater to speed up the process is the worst
thing you can do. If the boots are damp on the inside, stuffing some
newspaper in and changing it regularly will help to absorb excess
moisture. Once your boots are dry, treat them to a leather care and
waterproofing treatment. There are many different brands on the market
such as Nikwax.