For the adventurous sorts, their hiking boots are a precious piece of equipment. The superior grip that this type of boots offers is essential for when you are planning to go mountain trailing. However, some people face a common issue when wearing their hiking boots, poor traction, and grip.
Does that mean the quality of the boot is bad? It is a possibility, yes. However, that might not be the reason why your boot feels slippery. With hiking boots, there are some minor nuances that you need to consider before you can discard the boot completely.
In this article, we will explore why your boots might feel slippery and might just save you from throwing out a nice pair of hiking shoes.
What Is The Reason Behind Slippery Boots?
Slippery boots are not something you want to use during a mountain hike. Even if you do not slip and fall, having to adjust constantly to accommodate your boot can result in back and foot pain. You will also have to walk slowly and carefully to prevent major accidents, which can drastically hamper your enjoyment.
The main reason behind slippery boots is when the heel of your foot cannot anchor inside the boot properly. Most issues with heel slipping can be solved quite simply. Unless the sole of the boot has gone bad and lost all its traction, fixing slippery boots is not difficult.
Before you start troubleshooting the slipping issue, you need to identify the problem. If the sole is bad, you might try replacing or repairing the boot. But if the issue is your heel finding proper lock inside the boot, there are many ways you can tackle this issue.
How to Fix Heel Slippage in Hiking Boots
Now that you have identified the issue let us discuss what you can do to fix it. Thankfully, fixing slippage in hiking boots is not an expensive fix. You can make do with almost anything lying around the house.
- Try Different Socks
If your feet feel slippery inside the boot, the first thing you want to try is using different socks. When choosing the right sock, make sure you consider the two important elements, comfort, and stability. By wearing thicker socks, you can drastically reduce the chance of your feet sliding forward in your hiking boots.
Hikers usually wear socks made of merino wool. This material is thick and also serves as a cushion to protect your feet from blisters or any sort of discomfort. It also protects from cold and offers an excellent level of insulation. For warm weather, make sure the sock is breathable, which will, in turn, help keep your body cool.
- Replace The Laces
The shoelace is often a silent culprit that causes heel slippage in your hiking boots. Sometimes, it might feel like the shoe does not fit, but in reality, the laces are the issue. In this situation, replacing the shoelace offers an inexpensive and permanent fix for your heel slippage issue.
However, before you replace your lace, try tightening the knot. Unless you have replaced the laces in your hiking boots, you should already have the proper lace with them. So tightening it might be the only thing you need to fix the issue of your feet slipping forward.
If you are still facing issues after tightening the lace, you could try replacing it with a longer, more robust lace, preferably something you can pull tightly without any issue. Make sure you do not hurt your feet by overtightening the lace.
- Use Lace Anchors
Lace anchors can be a lifesaver when you are stuck in a jam and cannot get a different lace at the moment. This might not be the most elegant of solutions nor the most comfortable one, but it will get you through the rest of the trail without too much trouble.
This contraption essentially anchors your shoelace so that it does not come off. If your shoelace is the issue, this method can somewhat reduce heel slippage. But make sure you replace the shoelace as soon as you can since prolonged use of lace anchor is not easy on your feet.
- Use A Non-Slip Insole
Most hiking boots come with a non-slip inner to keep your heel from slipping. However, there are some units that do not come with this element, which can cause a lot of slipping issues for the wearer. If replacing the shoelace or socks did not fix your issue, the insole might be the problem.
At first, check if the shoe has a non-slip insole by taking it out of the shoe. If the answer is no, you can buy an aftermarket insole at a reasonably affordable price. Getting a slightly larger insole might also be a good idea as it can fill some of the extra space inside the shoe, giving you a snugger fit.
- Use Different Tying Techniques
How you tie your shoelace contributes a lot towards your overall experience with a specific hiking boot. There are many tying techniques that can improve the stability you experience while walking. If you are still facing heel slippage, reading up on these techniques might be worth it.
Two important techniques to know are the Heel Lock technique and the Surgeon’s Knot technique. There are a lot of resources online where you can check out these methods and learn them. Both of these techniques are effective in reducing heel slippage in your hiking boots.
- Check Your Shoe Size
If none of the above methods work for you, then you might just have the wrong size of the shoe. In that case, check your foot measurement and see if it matches the hiking boot that you are wearing. With casual shoes, you can usually go a size up; however, for hiking shoes, finding the right size is extremely important.
As long as you have the right size of shoe, the above methods should eliminate heel slippage effectively. But with the wrong size of shoe, the only real choice is to replace it. That is why it is essential that you buy the proper size and check your measurements thoroughly before buying a pair of hiking boots for yourself.
Final Thoughts
If your feet keep sliding forward in your hiking boot, using it for a long mountain trail is dangerous. It not only takes away from the experience and adventure but also puts you at risk of losing your balance.
Good quality hiking boots like Doc Martens offer excellent traction. If you can extend your budget and can buy branded hiking boots you can avoid the problem of slipping feet forward at a great extent.
We hope the tips and tricks that we showed in this article could help you fix heel slippage and get the most out of your hiking boots.
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