Why Good Quality Hiking Boots Are A Must For Serious Hikers
Gregg Hall
If you are going hiking the best advice anyone can give you is splash
out and buy a good pair of hiking boots. Can you imagine being on the
second day of a 4 day trek in the middle of nowhere with your boots
coming apart? Lets make the situation worse your boots are coming
apart, it is raining, you are walking through mud in the pitch black
with no torch and you are lost. I think we would all agree that is a
nightmare scenario. But it is one that can easily be avoided if we
think about what we are going to buy.
First of all you have to think what kind of hiking am I going to be
doing. Is it a day trek, a back packing trek or are you going to be
mountaineering. This all makes a huge difference, as there are
different hiking boots for different disciplines.
A pair of light hiking boots will be perfect for a short hike. While
they are comfortable they are excellent for that quick pace that we
like to get up to on short treks.
A mid weight pair of hiking boots are perfect for a back packing hike
lasting for 3-4 days. They protect the feet better than the light
weight ones and at the same time they will not slow you down with there
heaviness.
The heavy boots are needed for hardcore trips where you will be
climbing and trekking for long periods over rough terrain. These heavy
boots can take a lot of wear and tear and provide a lot of necessary
support.
All types of boots are waterproof and designed for all weathers. Heavy
boots are the most expensive, as they are most specialist boot of the
three. If you don't want to spend a lot of money go to a discount shop
and take your chances. Remember hiking boots are not for style they are
a practical shoe, therefore you tend to be paying for what you get.
The best place to look for hiking boots is in specialist shops. These
shops are expensive but they sell boots that are very well made,
designed specifically for hiking. Because they are a specialist shop
the staff tends to know what they are talking about so if you have any
questions don't be afraid to ask.
They will generally point you to the best boots, but if you want to
know how to check for quality for yourself follow these guidelines.
Firstly check the shoe for strength. This can be done trying to bend
the boot sideways. If it bends easily it is not strong enough. The same
for the toe. Push your fingers hard into the front of the shoe and if
it goes in easily the boot is not strong enough.
Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more
about this as well as quality hiking boots at
http://www.westernandworkboots.com
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