Taking new boots to the next hiking venture?. New hiking boots can be painful because they do not fit easily. Because they are new, they are tighter due to the fabric and may cause discomfort if you wear them for the first time and go straight for the hike. The boots you buy for hiking must be comfortable to enjoy them.
Even if the hiking boots are exactly your size and you tried them in the store and sought professional help, they will take some time to adjust to your feet. Don’t mistake putting the new pair of hiking shoes on and going directly on the hike because the boots are not molded yet and will itch you, cause pain, or even blisters.
Now, you have your favorite pair of hiking boots near you, and you’re wondering How long to break into hiking boots?. Breaking in means molding the boots according to your feet. It takes nearly a month to loosen the fabric up a bit. It doesn’t mean that your feet will wiggle inside the boots. Rather you will feel room for your fingers, and they won’t touch the sides of the boots.
Lightweight hiking boots are easily mended. That is why they may take a few days or a week to adjust. At the same time, the heavy-duty hiking boots will require months and will be difficult to adjust to the feet. You’ll wonder if you have bought the wrong size, but that will not be the case.
That is why you need to know How long to break into the hiking boots. We have curated the tips to let you know all we know about breaking in the hiking boots. Without further delay, let’s get started:
How Long To Break Into The Hiking Boots?
Is It Necessary To Break Into The Hiking Boots? It isn’t a fundamental law or a compulsory thing to do. If your boots fit you correctly and don’t seem too tight or cause any discomfort, you can skip the testing and straight wear them wherever you like.
Almost all of the hiking boots are built on a foot model. The manufacturers take a model size and then design the boots according to it. That is why you need to make sure that the boots fit your feet because every person’s feet are different. For this purpose, you need certain tips and tricks and start doing them prior (one month) to going on the hiking venture.
Tips On How Long To Break Into The Hiking Boots
Before planning the perfect hikes or the mundane walks around the city, here are some tips that you can follow to break into the hiking boots to feel comfortable in your boots.
Tip1 Wear The Boots At Home
First and foremost, try wearing them at home to adjust according to your feet. Try to be on the tippy toes and take small walks around so that the boots loosen up. Don’t forget to wear trail socks because they will help you loosen the boots. Trail socks are essential to buy because they play a vital role in absorbing the sweat during the hikes.
Also, the boots will be stiffest when bought new, so the socks will protect your feet from the pain and provide softness and comfort. Mind you, do not mix the poor-fit shoes with the tight ones. Poor fit boots will tickle your fingers, causing small painful blisters, whereas the tight boots will squish your feet and loosen up after you decide to swap them with the slippers.
Tip2 Try Going On Small Walks
If you are comfortable wearing hiking boots at home, you can also try going on small walks. Any mundane walk, whether in the park, around a block, or on small jogging tracks, wear the boots and make yourself take the move.
Try walking for a good 20-30 minutes and see if there is any difference in the tightness of the boots. Do the walk daily for weeks or more if you have heavy-duty boots. Doing this exercise for weeks will cause the cushions and insoles of the hiking boots to align with your feet’ shape.
Also, try to lace the boots loosely at first because they are already tight. Trail socks are best to avoid any blisters on your fingers because they are made of breathable and thick fabric that will not let any harm come near the feet.
Tip3 Go On The Trails With Backpack
After you have succeeded in adjusting the hiking boots with small walks daily, try to get into the short hiking tracks. You can opt for tracks that are smooth and less inclined at first. Try hiking on them, and then when you feel like you have mastered it and the hiking boots are in your full control, add a backpack.
Hiking with a backpack on is another level of exertion. If you keep adding weight to the backpack, the hiking boots will provide extra support to you, handling the extra stress or strain from your feet. The most concerning area is the heels because they tend to take all the pressure and balance the weight. Take a first aid kit with you and ointments to treat the heel pain or back pain.
Tricks To Help You While Hiking
You certainly have gotten the answer to your query about how long to break in the hiking boots?. Other tips will help in further making your life easy and your hike memorable:
- The boots make sure that the tongue is in between and not on the side when lacing up. Please don’t make them too tight, especially when the boots are new. Don’t over-knot the boots, as it will become difficult for you to remove the boots when necessary.
- Please don’t go for the shortcuts or DIY on YouTube, as they can be manipulative and harm your newly bought shoes. Directly heating or freezing the boots overnight is not a quick fix to breaking in the boots. Rather they will damage the fabric and overall look.
- There are certain tools, such as boot stretchers. Their purpose is to stretch the boot so that it fits your feet. You can use them to stretch the toe box and also loosen boots.
- Don’t ever think of soaking them in water. It is a foolish mistake to make. Water absorbs in the porous material of the boots, and it doesn’t matter how much you dry them afterward; it will cause damage to the boots.
- You can also try to soften the sole by yourself by taking the boot in both hands such that one hand grips the sole and the other one handles the toe box. Flex the boot upward multiple times.
Avoid Foot Blisters Caused By Hiking Boots
Foot blisters are the main concern and fear of most hikers. The blisters are very painful and won’t let you walk with even slippers on. That is why it is important to get rid of them or find ways to prevent them from happening.
- Don’t wear hiking boots for long periods. Instead, take small breaks in between and take off the boots. When worn for longer periods, excessive sweating is caused by the boots, so you must avoid it.
- Rubbing the trail socks against the hiking boots will cause some heat energy to propel between the feet and the boots. You will sweat, and ultimately your feet will get allergies or blisters.
- If you accidentally step into the mud, try to go home immediately or take off your shoes and let them dry. Whenever you feel like there is moisture present in the shoes, you must take a break and let the boots dry to protect your feet from blisters.
Final Thoughts
Hiking boots are meant to provide comfort to the feet and stability on the trails. That is why manufacturers design them in such a way as to prove durable. However, when you buy new pair of hiking shoes, they may cause pain to your feet or, worse, blisters. It would help if you broke into the hiking boots way early when hitting the terrain to avoid such situations.
How long to break into the hiking boots? If you have light boots, it may only take weeks or so, but if you bought heavy-duty all-story mighty hiking boots, they might take months to fit into your feet.
Tips, tricks, and prevention are all discussed in this article by us, and we hope that after reading our article, you have gotten the information. It would help if you tried to go for small walks, then take the next gear and go for small hikes. Later on, you can try to add weights and make the shoes mend into the feet.
Have a safe hike!