Have you ever asked yourself or a fellow hiker, about how much toe room do you need in hiking boots? This is the topmost question a lot of hikers’ think about whenever they have to purchase a pair of hiking boots.
Well, most of them believe that as long as the hiking boots fit them, they are good enough to be worn even during a long route hike. Even though, if you feel that the pair of hiking shoes is good and feels comfortable when you wear it at first, this does not mean it will stay that way once you use it for hiking.
By paying no attention to how much toe room you need for hiking boots, you are setting your feet up for injuries, swelling, and irritation. This is not something that any hiker wants to bet on because any type of issues in your feet can last for weeks or months. For injuries, they might even become permanent, restricting you from doing other physical and outdoor activities.
As such, before you decide to buy your own pair of hiking boots, you should know how much toe room you need and some other important tips when searching for hiking boots.
Let us see how much toe room you need in hiking boots.
Toe Room that You Need in Hiking Boots
There is no accurate measurement for the toe room you would need for hiking boots. Essentially, it effects on your own comfort. If you think that the shoes are comfy to wear and your toe has enough space to move, then it is good enough. On that note, there are still a little thing to do if you want to decide if the specific boots, which you are about to purchase, have enough toe room.
1. Bring Your Trail Socks
No doubt that the customary socks are completely unique with trail socks, and it would be a great mistake if you ever think about wearing your shoes without a trail socks in any kind of session. You will surely wear your socks while climbing, so you need to ensure that you wear them too when you are searching for a pair of climbing boots.
The main thing that you need to do is to put on a pair of socks you would regularly utilize while climbing, and afterward wear the climbing boots. It is important that whenever you have to wear the boots, try to move your toes and check whether there is has enough space to move around.
You can likewise stroll around the store and check whether your toes are sliding in the front region of the boots. On the off chance that your feet are not happy with wearing a specific brand, search for another.
2. Buy the Boots Before the Day Ends
Your feet are likely to get swollen by the days end on account of all the pressure and exertion you have put on them while performing any task. It is normally swollen, so it is the best and an ideal opportunity to take a stab at wearing climbing boots.
Also, when you are climbing your feet will get swollen, and on the off chance that your boots really got tighter as a result of your swollen feet, at that point you will suffer from more wounds in the event that you continue to walk. While you hike your foot can really expand by comparatively a large portion of a size longer than usual so choose wisely.
3. Try the Toe-Tap Test
This one is considered as the most important tip to know if your shoe has enough toe room or not. after you have carried your thickest trail socks and your feet are already swollen and expanded than the actual size of your feet, then you should try the toe-tap test.
For the toe-tap test:
- What you have to do is to first, untie the boots that you are already wearing.
- You than have to stand up.
- Tap your toe firmly to the ground after the heel of the other foot.
- The toe will reach as far as it can at the front part of the shoes, and it will slide down.
- Bent down and put two fingers in the heel of the boot.
- You will have to put the two fingers side by side.
- They should fit easily behind the heel.
- If not, you need to get a bigger size than you usually wear.
- If space is too much, get a smaller size than usual.
4. Try the Boots on a Slope
Most of the clothing stores will have a ramp available in their stores where you can try the boots that you want to buy. If you are up to check the toe room of your hiking boots, you should wear them and try to arrive on the ramp. This will help you check how your hiking boots will work once the weight of your foot shifts forward.
Commonly, it will depend on the trail where you are planning to hike. If you will go for a path with a lot of steep descents, it would be better if you can go a full size larger so that you can prevent wounds and bruises on your toe. If the trail is mostly flat or it has a lot of ascents, you can go for a half-size.
5. Push on the Front Part of the Hiking Boots
This is also one of the main things that you can do to check if you have enough toe room.
For this purpose, you must.
- Wear your hiking boots along with the thick trail socks.
- Push down on the front part of the hiking boots.
- Use two fingers to press down.
- If your fingers went through the front part that would mean the area in your toe is too loose.
- Make sure that your toe still has enough space to move around.
Conclusion
When you go for shoe shopping, it would be best that you look at the price and the other essential elements of the hiking boots, but you cannot ignore the sizing at any cost. Even if you manage to buy the best hiking boots, you have to make sure they would fit your feet properly, especially on the toe area. So, again, how much toe room do you need in hiking boots? It will totally depend on numerous factors.
With all that being said, if you know what to look for and you know how to check if the toe room is enough, then you will not have any problems finding the right one. You cannot make a mistake here because this is an expensive investment, and you cannot simply buy any kind of hiking boots just because it is comfortable to wear.
