How to Make Sure Your Hiking Boots Fit

Each hike is only as good as your footwear. After all, your boots are the interface between your feet and the ground. They protect your only form of locomotion, keeping your feet (hopefully) warm, dry and safe from the various pokey, stabby and abrasive things that litter many a beautiful outdoor setting.

(Actually, I prefer to hike in trail running shoes and sometimes even sandals — but that’s a different topic entirely. Most people like to have solid hiking boots underfoot, so for the purposes of this article I’m going to stick with boots. If you hike in shoes like I do, you can — and should! use the same tricks to make sure those light shoes fit.)

Before You Shop for Hiking Boots

So. You’re about to drop the cost of a very nice dinner (easily anywhere from $100 – $350) on a pair of boots that will, hopefully, last long enough to accompany you on many adventures. Believe it or not, the two most important things you can do to prepare for that decision are:

• Shop toward the end of the day, when your feet are as swollen as they’re going to get. (Yes, this is a thing.)
• Wear the same socks and pants you’d typically wear to go hiking, so you can make sure your boots work with them.

Let Them Measure Your Feet

That’s THEM, right there in front of you. The hiking boots of your dreams! But wait, before you strip off your old footwear and dive into the try-ons, you should ask the salesperson in the store to measure both of your feet for you.

Even if you don’t realize it, one of your feet is probably a bit bigger than the other, and for some people that difference can mean you need a different shoe size on each foot. (Yes, that’s a thing, too!) The salesperson can also help you figure out if you need extra-wide or extra-narrow boots, which could narrow down your selection quite a bit.

The Secret Try-On Tricks

Okay: The rest of this is very straightforward. Slap some boots on your feet and do these tests to see if they’ll keep your feet happy on the trail:

Walk around the store. Easy peasy. But pay attention while you’re at it. Do your heels slip around in the boots? Do your toes bunch up against the front of the boot? Are there any “hot spots” or friction points in the upper?

A “yes” to any of these is a deal-breaker, and unless you’re looking at leather boots that will somewhat mold to your feet or boots with customizable/moldable liners, just ignore anyone who tells you the boots will break in. It’s your feet that will adjust to the boots instead, and it won’t feel good.

Stand in place and roll back and forth from your toes to your heels. If the boots fit correctly, the heel of the boot will move with you so that your heels don’t slide up and down inside the boots. Ditto for the toebox moving along with your feet, without you feeling like your big toe is about to break through to freedom.

Walk uphill and downhill if you can. Most outdoorsy stores have a faux incline of some sort available to you so that you can see how your boots feel on uphill and downhill slopes. Pay attention to heel slippage on the uphill stroll (even if it’s just a few steps), and watch out for any contact between your toes and the front of the boots on the way downhill.

If your heels slip or your toes contact the front of the boot, that’s not the ideal pair for you. What feels like a mild slip here and there, or a little bump of your toes inside the boot while in the store, can turn into blisters and lost toenails when you’re out on the trail.

It’s Just That Simple

That’s it! If you can find a pair of boots that suits your footwear priorities (Which is most important to you: Breathability? Traction? Waterproofing? Foot protection?) and passes those three simple tests with flying colors, buy them.

If you’re shopping online, you can do the same tests at home as soon as you get the boots; and if they don’t fit, send them right back for a different size or model.