How to Lace your Boots for Walking

In our last newsletter, we featured our first 'boot lacing masterclass,' showing you how to avoid sore toes by lacing correctly. We've since released an even more up-to-date and complete guide on boot lacing tricks to keep those hiking boots firmly on your feet.

For those who didn't read our newsletter (shame on you) - here's some advice that could help to keep you feeling spritely at the end of a day's walking and protect your toes from soreness and damage:

With a third of the body’s bones located in the foot, as well as joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, every foot varies in shape and size. So, unless you have your boots hand-made to fit and ergonomically designed, that Holy Grail of boots may never come along. Nevertheless, there is no reason that you can’t achieve the best possible fit from your normal walking boots and this is why your laces are so important.

Knowing how to lace up your walking boots correctly can ease areas of pressure and support areas of weakness. What’s more, your laces can be adjusted to respond to the ever-changing needs of your feet and prolong the life of your boots. It is a skill that is often overlooked and is very easy to learn.

Boots that are too small or tied too tightly put pressure on the toes and restrict their movement, causing soreness that makes walking extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, boots that are too loose or ill-fitting can cause the foot to slip down into the front of the boot, damaging the toenails and creating soreness.

To ease soreness in the toe area, thread your laces loosely around the toes to give them plenty of space.

When you have moved up past your toes, tie a ‘lock’ in your laces by wrapping them over and under each other. This will allow the area below the lock to remain loose while the laces above can be tightened. The lock should also prevent your feet from slipping forwards into the front of the boot.

Keep your eyes peeled on our newsletter for more tips and advice: http://www.contours.co.uk/mailing_list/mailing_list_subscribe.php