For mountaineering enthusiasts, wearing suitable hiking shoes will be full of fun. On the contrary, if the shoes do not fit, hiking will not only be fun, but also very hard. This shows that it is very important to select a correct pair of hiking shoes before climbing.

Today I will teach you how to choose hiking shoes. Follow the following four tips to find suitable hiking shoes for yourself!

1. Select leather lining material

There are many materials of hiking shoes, which means there are many choices, and different materials will obviously affect the fitness of hiking shoes.
In most people's perception, the soft material inside will be more suitable, but in fact, on the contrary, the mountaineering shoes with leather inside can better adapt to personal foot shape. This is because the leather material has good shaping effect, so it is better in adapting to foot shape.

2. Find the shoe last that fits

Whether a pair of hiking shoes fit or not depends to a large extent on the shoe last used in making. Shoe last is a wooden or plastic foot model, which is the basis for making shoes, so the shape of shoe last is the shape of shoes.
Different brands of shoe lasts are completely different. Mountaineering shoes use several different shapes of last to ensure that the shoes can meet the needs of different foot shapes. So when you try on the shoes, you feel that the style is not suitable. You must try other styles instead. Don't make up for the appearance or budget.
In addition to the last with standard foot shape, there are several special shoe lasts: wide last, which is suitable for users with wider and thicker foot boards, especially in line with the common foot shape of Asians; The hallux valgus last is designed for users suffering from hallux valgus. Broad-toe last, which is the most spacious choice for internal activity space, is outside the broad-toe last and is relaxed at the toe.
The specially designed shoe last is of great help to your feet. It means that you can find mountaineering shoes that meet your personal foot type, and you don't have to choose other styles because the standard shoe type is not suitable for you.

3. Accurate measurement of foot length

If you buy mountaineering shoes in a professional outdoor shop, the shop assistant will help you choose the right mountaineering shoes; But if you choose online shopping, you also need to consider the foot length factor, and it is recommended to measure the foot length very accurately. You can measure the foot length in this way.
After putting on mountaineering socks, put the paper on the ground and step on the paper. The heel needs to align with the edge. At this time, draw an outline on the paper along the edge of the foot. Measure the distance from the heel to the farthest end of the toe with a ruler. This is the length of the foot. The farthest end usually falls on the tip of the big toe.

4 Be sure to try it on

Be sure to try on your hiking shoes before you buy them. The best time to try on is in the afternoon or in the evening, because after a whole day, the feet will usually be slightly swollen, just like when walking; When trying on, you need to match with hiking socks to avoid size errors as much as possible; Try it on patiently, don't make a hasty decision, and try to walk as much as possible after putting on your shoes. If you walk for a period of time, and the pressure point or friction part does not disappear, make sure that your toes will not hit the toe of your shoes when you go downhill, then it is probably the same when you actually walk.

It should be noted that when buying hiking shoes, you should choose a larger size. There should be at least one finger space in front of the toe of the hiking shoes. This space can ensure that the toe will not touch the front of the shoes when going downhill. If the big toe keeps hitting the toe of the shoe, it may cause nail bruise and make it difficult for you to walk on the foot. So when purchasing hiking shoes, You can try on sizes half or even one size larger than usual.