HIKING BOOTS

DRAKENSBERG

KwaZulu-Natal South Africa

Mountain of the Dragons

South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.

Where Adventure beckons..........

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

“AVOIDING DANGER IS NO SAFER IN THE LONG RUN THAN OUTRIGHT EXPOSURE. LIFE IS EITHER A DARING ADVENTURE OR NOTHING”

HELEN KETLER

HIKING BOOTS

Your footwear is probably the most important piece of kit you will buy before you head for the Wilderness. As with all hiking equipment, there is a huge range available to suit most budgets and the various terrains and conditions you are going to be out in. Choose the right boots for the right walk and you will find that you can spend more time on your navigation and admiring the views than worrying about blisters, sore feet and slippery soles.

Fit

No boot is worth having if it does not fit properly. The inside of a boot should be around 13-15mm longer than the length of your foot.

Support

A good shop will have an uneven test bed of wood or rocks for you to walk on. Do this and see if you can feel the terrain through your boots – if you can, you are looking at sore feet at the end of the day.

Waterproofness

Broadly speaking, lots of stitching on a boot means lots of holes for water to get through, even though the best and most expensive three-season footwear comes with waterproof linings like Gore-Tex. Whether you want or need a lining on leather boots is a personal choice: with one, you get drier feet for the lifetime of the lining (not the lifetime of the boot) but also hotter and more humid walking. Some leather boots have cheaper unlined cousins that, if well and regularly waxed, are usually fine for all but the most prolonged boggy conditions. They also tend to be less sweaty and thus more comfortable in summer. All leather boots need regular treatment with wax (covering the stitching) to ensure a reasonable level of water-resistance.

Upper

Thickness of the upper determines how much protection your foot can expect on rough terrain. To test it, squeeze the sides of the boot from above, comparing several models to get a feel for the different thicknesses. The more sturdy the upper, the better the protection; and thick uppers also help keep the boot well shaped for longer and offer more support to your foot. The down side is that they weigh and cost more. Conversely, thin uppers might be better if you plan on mostly keeping to wilderness paths. Although leather is still the most popular material, some boots use lightweight synthetic alternatives and winter boots may have extra insulation.

Ankle cuff

Ensure the ankle cuff is comfortable enough to walk in, particularly at the back of the heel where rubbing can be a problem. It should also rise high enough up the ankle to protect the foot against knocks and grazes from stray boulders and to prevent water getting in when stepping in puddles.

Footbed

Pull out the footbed and compare it to other boots: you will find they offer different levels of cushioning. Air vents help minimize sweat and some of the better versions will be contoured to offer improved support, particularly under the arch. Make sure the footbed fits the boot well, as creases and wrinkles mean blistering walks of entirely the wrong kind.

Tongue

A padded tongue is vital for a comfortable boot. Also look for a ‘bellows’ design that bridges the gap between tongue and upper to stop water or snow creeping in.

Cushioning

Find a hard surface and thump your heel down to get an idea of how much cushioning the boot offers. Cushioning is often mad of ethyl vinyl acetate or polyurethane, or a mix of soft rubbers, it often varies across the sole unit, so be sure to stamp your whole foot on the hard surface, too. More cushioning is best for Wilderness hiking and winter work; less will give you better sensitivity for climbing. The best boots manage a good balance between the two.

Midsole

The midsole is the hidden part of the boot between the outsole and footbed that determines a boot’s stiffness. To asses it, grab the toe and heel and bend them together. Next, twist the toe while holding the heel. You should now have a good idea of how stiff the boot is – stiff is best for mountains and rocky ground; giving lots of support to feet tiring on a long day, whereas soft is better kept to woodland and valley paths. Four-season boots should be very stiff so that crampons stay fitted to the boot, and to enable the wearer to kick steps in hard snow.

Rubber rand

Look for a rubber rand between the sole and upper for greater durability. For rocky ground, one that runs right around the boot is perfect.

Toe box

To see how much protection you can expect from the toe box, press it with your thumb from the top, end and sides. Mentally replace your thumbs with rocks and you’ll gauge how battered your feet will get on rough ground. The stronger the toe box, the better the boots will perform on rough terrain, so if you are looking for a four-season boot, make sure there is plenty of internal stiffening around the toe.

Outsole

The all-important traction bit. Deep lugs on the outsole give better grip and longer walking life. Compare the thickness of a pencil to the depth of the grooves on the sole – you want them to be deeper than the pencil for a useful level of traction ad longevity. To prevent clogging, the lugs should be the thickness of two pencils apart. To keep you moving over snow, rocks or mud, modern rubber compounds have been developed that stick reasonable well in the wet without wearing out too quickly. Shallow threads wear down quickly especially when worn on rocky ground. Deep threads should cut through the snow and mud without problems, but some clog easily.

We as hikers, explorers, and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses. Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

The End.

Safe Hiking.