We’ve seen a lot of tips about finding the right fit when buying hiking boots.
While it’s easy to follow the instructions, it’s hard to figure out if the shoe fits you perfectly.
You want a snug fit that’s not too tight and not too loose, so answering "How should hiking boots fit?" is important before you start choosing hiking boots.
How Should Hiking Boots Fit?
It’s easy to tell if a shoe fits you. Just put your foot inside, wiggle your toes and make sure that it has enough room to move.
Then, check if you feel any hot spots or seams, and you’re good to go.
However, it’s not the only thing that you should do if you’re buying hiking shoes.
If you want to know how should hiking shoes fit, here are a few tips and tricks to follow:
Try Them Like You’re Going on the Trail
You’ll be using your hiking boots on the trail, so it makes sense that you would try to mimic your foot's conditions on the trail.
There are a few tricks on how to tell if hiking boots are too big, including:
- Try the Hiking Boots at the End of the Day
At the end of the day or after walking around for a few hours, your feet would swell a bit.
When you’re hiking, your feet will also swell as you go along on the trail.
If your hiking shoes don’t have enough allowance for that swell, your feet will hurt.
To know how tight should hiking boots be, you should try the hiking boots while your feet are in their swollen state.
That would help you figure out what size to get when fitting hiking shoes.
- Bring Your Hiking Socks and Insoles
Bring your socks with you when fitting hiking boots. If you usually wear insoles, make sure you bring them as well.
The best way to get the right fit is to wear all the accessories on your feet before choosing a hiking shoe.
Once your feet are already in their swollen state, wear the socks you usually wear during hikes and your insoles.
Try to move your feet around inside the shoe and see if it’s too tight or too loose.
You can move around the shop to test the shoes. You can even ask the salesperson if they have a slanting platform where you can try your shoes.
Consider the Length of Your Feet
Your feet don’t have the same length. Well, most people don’t have symmetrical feet, so one foot would be slightly longer than the other.
Before you start fitting the shoes, check your feet and see which one is longer.
We often use the right foot to fit any shoe type, but the trick is to try and look for the longer foot.
Loosen the laces of the boot and remove the insole. Slide your longest foot in and push it forward until the toes hit the end.
Stand up and make sure that your toes are still pushed forward and ask someone to slide their finger down at the back of the shoe.
To get the right fit, the finger should slide easily between the back of the boot and your heel.
Take note that you should never do everything on your own.
Someone should do the finger trick because your foot and your heel will lift forward if you bend your body.
Check the Width
After checking the length, the next step is to check the width of the boot.
Put on the other boot to your foot and lace them up.
Stand up and move your feet around. If the boot feels snug but you’re not feeling any discomfort, it means that it’s a good fit.
High-quality hiking boots usually stretch to make sure that your feet will have a comfortable fit.
If the sides of your feet felt like something is pushing them down, it means the shoes are too narrow.
In contrast, if you can easily slide your foot from side to side while the shoes are all laced up, it means that they are too wide.
That is not a good choice since it would cause blisters on the sides and bottom of your feet.
Look at the Heels
Now that you’ve checked the sides and the length, the next step is to check the heel fit.
One of the things that you want to prevent is the blisters at the heel.
If your feet slid up and down from the boots while you’re walking, it would cause blisters.
To check the heel, slide both of your feet in the boots and then loosen the laces.
You should leave the laces at the top of your foot loose, but make sure that the ankles are all laced up.
Walk around, run, or climb some stairs to see if you can feel any heel lift.
If there are no movements on your feet, it means that the shoes are too tight.
If there is a bit of movement on the heel, but it doesn’t completely lift, that should be a good fit.
Get Used to the Fit
A lot of people ask, "How are hiking boots supposed to fit?", especially after buying them from the store.
You should break-in most hiking boots before you wear them on a regular hike.
Some boots may need around a week or two, while you can use other models almost immediately.
It is better to try the hiking boots on for a few hours every day.
Walk around your area and go to the mall to shop around while wearing it.
Do this for a few days until you get used to the fit.
Should Hiking Boots Be a Size Bigger?
How are hiking boots supposed to fit? Do you have to go one size bigger to get the right fit?
The answer is no. You can only go for a size bigger if you think that the shoes you fit right now are too tight.
You can go half or full size bigger depending on the fitting issue that you experienced.
Usually, going a half size bigger will only make the shoe wider.
The length is the same, but the width is bigger than the previous size.
This is a good choice if your problem is the width of the shoe.
If you need a shoe with more length, you can go a full size bigger.
Remember that you cannot decide to get a half or full size bigger just because you feel discomfort on your feet.
It is very important to check where the discomfort comes from before you decide.
How Much Room Should Be in the Toe of a Hiking Boot?
When you’re asking, "How should hiking shoes fit?", one of the things you should pay attention to is the toe.
Most people would say that your toes should have enough space to wiggle around, but how much space are they talking about?
The average distance should be around 15mm from the end of the longest toe and the end of your insole.
Make sure that your feet are all swollen already, and you are wearing your hiking socks when doing this.
The goal is to prevent any injury when walking downhill since your toes will move forward and bang to your boots.
How Do You Know if Your Hiking Boots Are Too Big?
If you want to know how to tell if hiking boots are too big, try and move your foot around while wearing your hiking shoes.
Make sure that you are wearing your hiking socks and the shoes are all laced up.
Try to move your feet inside without moving the boots.
If you can move your feet from side to side and you can lift your heel with ease, it means that the hiking boot is too big for you.
Should Walking Boots be Tight or Loose?
How tight should hiking boots be? It should be a snug fit.
There are no tight or loose areas around your foot.
It would also depend on the level of comfort you want.
You have to remember that your feet should still have enough room to move around while wearing the hiking shoes.
However, the phrase “enough room to move around” is a bit vague.
A good rule of thumb is to insert a finger on the sides.
Make sure you only do this on one side, and your feet should be touching the wall of the shoe on the other side.
Get the Fit Right and Enjoy the Hike
Learning about “how should hiking boots fit” is a crucial thing to do before you start your hiking saga.
If it’s your first time, it won’t hurt to spend a bit of your time trying out different hiking shoes to get the right fit.
You won’t have to guess blindly if a hiking shoe fits you or not.
Just follow the simple tricks and tips above, and you will never go wrong.