Sunday, December 1, 2013

Tips To Choose The Best Hiking Shoes

By Adam Torres


Since hiking can be one of the most demanding and risky activities, choosing the hiking shoes is a task which you should highly prioritize and commence with extreme precaution. Since it is the shoes which will help you move forward and sustain in the rough hiking terrains, investing in proper shoes is extremely crucial. There are some factors that you should keep in mind before opting for any particular type of hiking shoe. For instance, the harshness of the hiking terrain is a factor that can greatly affect you decision of buying a particular type of shoe.

Some of the most important factors you should consider before buying a hiking shoe are its ability to withstand rough terrains, the type of terrain you are planning to hike in, the comfort factor of the shoe, its break-in time, traction quotient and the types of technology and material used in the shoe.

The process of choosing a hiking shoe can be an extensive one and you should have thorough knowledge of the varieties available before you finally invest your hard earned money on any of those shoes you see in stores.

Material of the shoe Hiking shoes are crafted out of many varieties of material, the most traditionally used being the pure leather ones. Pure leather or full-grain leather hiking shoes are primarily used for backpacking and for rough terrains. Although full-grain leather shoes are not much promising as far as their comfort level and flexibility are concerned, they offer fabulous traction and resistance against abrasions.

Fitting It is customary to never choose a hiking shoe by its looks. Just as the saying goes, "looks are deceptive", you must never rely or choose your shoe depending on how it appears. Rather, the ideal process of choosing a shoe is to slip in and take a nice walk. It is only when you start walking in your hiking shoes, that you will be able to notice the downfalls and fitting of the shoe. Be aware of collapsing shoe fabrics, as the fabric may greatly irritate your skin and lead to the formation of blisters, which is absolutely undesirable for hiking.

On the contrary, hiking shoes crafted out of split-grain leather and synthetic are cheaper and require less break-in time. Some hiking shoes also come in handy with additional features like water-proofing and breathable material.

Nature of hiking terrain Since every kind of terrain has a different set of characteristics, you should try to choose a hiking shoe that will help you advance faster and more easily. While full-grain leather shoes are ideal for rugged terrains where you may need to cross over water and stones carrying heavy loads, nylon-mixed leather shoes will provide you with great comfort while also letting you sustain short and less rugged trips.

Traction quotient Traction quotient of a shoe is a factor that you should highly prioritize in a hiking shoe. Since you may not want to invest in a different shoe whenever you plan to hit a different type of terrain, choosing the one that will provide you with an optimum level of traction in every kind of terrain is desirable. Hence, you should opt for a shoe which will let you get decent grip over mud-filled roads as well as over stony ridges.




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