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Your boots are
the most important piece of equipment you will every buy for hiking,
camping, or back country treks. The reasons for this is no matter
where you go or what you do, you will always have your boots on your
feet. You should treat them as your trusted friends.
This guide has
been designed as a Boot 101 primarily to help you select the right boot
for you feet. OutdoorPlaces.Com makes a strong attempt at having
an agnostic approach to our gear guides, and we do not endorse or
recommend one particular style.
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Hiking boots
range from department store no-name brands, to custom manufactured
delights that can cost hundreds of dollars. You don't have to have
a large budget to get a good boot, but you do need to use some common
sense.
Before venturing
out to buy your boots ask yourself a series of questions.
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How much am
I willing to spend? A reasonable expectation would be
between $90 to $150. If your thrifty, you can find bargains
on sale for less, and you can easily spend a lot more.
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What kind
of hiking will I be doing? Do you plan to stroll on paved
trails at the local park? Do you plan to spend days in the
backcountry in wet conditions with seventy pounds on your
back? The type of boot that is best suited for your planned
usage can be very specific, and if you plan to do a wide range of
activity, you may need to consider getting a couple of different
styles to meet this need.
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Do I have a
history of problems with my feet? Does your ankle twist
easily? Are you nursing an old injury? Do your feet
sweat a lot or are they prone to getting blisters? If you
have previous injuries to the joints in your feet, you should
consider above ankle cut boots. If your feet sweat a lot (or
abnormally) you may want to consider synthetic or split grain
leather.
When trying on
your boots there is only one hard and fast rule, trust your feet.
Even if the magazines, the experts, the press, your friends, and the
store clerk tell you that brand X in this style is the best, but it
doesn't feel right on your foot, then don't get them. Generally
speaking, you can trust your feet and you will know when you found both
a good match, and when they are properly broken in.
Like other
products under our new format you can navigate two ways. You can
read this information like a magazine article by using the navigation
buttons found on the bottom of each page, or you can use the drop down
menu above to jump to specific topics. If you have specific
questions, you can always send e-mail to contact@outdoorplaces.com
and we will be glad to help you out. So select a topic from above,
or click the Next Page icon below and enter into the world of
Hiking Boots 101.
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