If hiking is your intention, one of the most important things you can do is take good care of your feet. Everyone has different feet. High arches, flat or wide feet are just a few of the things that can make finding the right fit challenging… but if you take the time to make the best decision possible, your whole body will thank you.
Defining your use is the first step. Doing shorter hikes at the local parks with less challenging terrain requires only a good pair of trail shoes. These look like sneakers. The big difference is much better support. If you will be going on a multi-day hiking trip where you will be carrying a pack over more rugged terrain, you will need a pair of backpacking boots.
Viewing the selection at a local outfitters can seem a little intimidating. Making the best choice is based on understanding five components in all shoes and boots and the proper support each part must have.
The tread on the bottom of the shoe is called the outsole. The best outsoles provide traction in all kinds of conditions. Look for tread designs that are staggered and avoid those that are uniform. Staggered treads provide better traction while readily releasing dirt, mud and debris.
The midsole is a layer of material above the outsole. You can only see the outside edges of it. The purpose of the midsole is to disperse kinetic energy shock. Every time the force of your foot hits the ground, an equal and opposite shock rebounds back up through your anatomy. Without a sufficient midsole, your tendons, ligaments and cartilage would be responsible to radiate and disperse most of that kinetic energy. Without a sufficient midsole, your body tires easily, your joints become sore and your muscles sometimes ache.
Determining the level of midsole support in any shoe or boot is easy. Just hold the back of the shoe firmly in your left hand, put the front tip of the shoe against the palm of your right hand and apply pressure, enough so that the front half of the shoe begins to bend upwards. You will notice that some shoes exert more resistance to counter that pressure. The more resistance there is, the more supportive the midsole. Most sneakers just fold in half because they lack midsole support. Keep in mind that you still want your choice to be somewhat flexible. If you choice were too stiff, you may not feel trail debris under your feet causing you to slip. You still need to feel the earth under your feet.
The footbed, commonly referred to as the insole is a thin piece of material cut to fit the inside shape of the shoe providing support and cushioning to the anatomical curvature of the bottom of your foot. Most manufacturers supply insufficient footbeds with their boots and shoes. Once removed, if you can easily twist them out of shape, they will only provide minimal cushioning and no real support. You may choose a shoe or boot and use the original footbed, but over time it will compress and you will loose the cushioning. You may wish to try a replacement footbed with actual support. My favorites are called Superfeet. A good footbed provides proper anatomical support for your feet and body, significantly reducing stress.
The upper is the material of which the main body of the boot or shoe is manufactured. The most common materials are leather, synthetic leather, nylon, ballistic nylon and breathable mesh panels. The upper also contains the tongue, lacing hardware and laces. A shoe or boot made of full grain leather traps more heat, has less breathability and takes more time to break in. Having mesh panels makes for a more comfortable shoe in warmer conditions.
The height of a shoe or boot provides no ankle support, only abrasion resistance and protection from rain, snow, mud etc. Ankle support is provided by something called the heel counter. The heel counter is a rectangular piece of material between layers of the upper at the back of the shoe just above the outsole, wrapping around the heel area.
If you drew an imaginary line straight down the very back center of a shoe, it would cut the heel counter in half. If you compressed the shoe between your palms on either side of that line, shoes with little ankle support would fold flat along the line toward the bottom near the outsole. A shoe with superior ankle support will not easily fold at the lower back of the shoe.
Other than knowing these attributes, you know when a shoe feels right. It may or it may not and the only way to know is to try them on. Once you’ve found the right fit, your outdoor adventures will feel so much better!
Tags: Outdoors
