Footwear

What makes a good boot?

Footwear should be chosen to be comfortable, durable, protective, and suited to the activity being undertaken. Good boots should give support to the foot and ankle and improve grip on rough or slippery ground. They should protect the foot from bruising or damage caused by protruding stones or boulders, whilst at the same time being flexible enough for comfortable walking. The feet should be kept dry and at a comfortable temperature.

Remember that tougher, stiffer boots are ideal for rough ground and heavy loads, but their extra weight and stiffness may be more fatiguing. Similarly, lighter and more flexible designs are more comfortable for path and meadow walking, but sharp edges of rock may be felt through the sole, and protection from slips and turned ankles will be less than in stiffer designs. Thus, selecting footwear is a matter of careful compromise having assessed the likely usage of the boots.

Generally the more supportive a boot the heavier they are. Extra weight on a boot is more fatiguing than a similar weight added to your rucksack, as you use energy to lift your feet with every step, even when going downhill.

This is the front to back flexibility of the boot, or the ease with which the boot bends during walking. You will need a stiffer and more supportive boot for rougher terrain and for a heavier total weight (i.e. the combined weight of the wearer and their rucksack. The boot flex is also dependent on the personal preferences of the wearer.

Traversing a steep mountain slope without a path requires a stiff boot for better lateral and ankle support. On the flat, however, the need for such support is reduced. Note that stiff boots have a slightly curved sole to compensate for the rigidity and to reduce the ‘flat foot’ feel.

What they do…

The purpose of the boot upper is to hold the foot comfortably within the boot, give it support, and protect it from knocks and adverse weather conditions.

Boots with soft-flexing uppers will mould easily to the shape of your foot and flex comfortably with each step. Stiffer uppers offer more protection from knocks and more support, reducing the risk of turning an ankle on rough ground. To enhance comfort and fit, stiffer boots generally feature a padded lining, particularly around the ankle and heel.

Boot uppers are usually LEATHER or "FABRIC"(often a combination of textured nylon with suede on the areas of hardest wear).

Types of leather…

Leather: comes in various thicknesses and with various waterproofing treatments.

When looked after, leather boots (particularly the thicker leathers) will be more waterproof than a simple fabric boot.

• Anfibio (Italian for "waterproof") leather is taken from older cows and is found on boots where the thickness of the material is 2.5 – 3.5mm. It offers the best durability.
• Calf leather is taken from younger animals and is found on boots where the upper material has a thickness of 1.8 – 2.5mm.

Generally, the thinner the leather, the lighter and more flexible the boot will be. Thick leathers tend to be reversed for stiffer mountaineering boots, so protecting the water-resistant finish.

Types: Most leathers have the smooth epidermis facing outwards.

• Suede leather is the same but with the epidermis sliced off.
• Nubuck leather has had the epidermis rubbed rough.
• Reversed leather has the rough underside facing outwards and the epidermis on the inside.

HS12/Hydrobloc/Waterbloc/Oiled are treatments employed by different manufacturers at the tanning stage. Modern treatments render all leathers waterproof to about the same extent when it leaves the factory.

Fabric uppers are more felxible and breathable than leather boots. The increased number of seams and low water resistance of the components means that these boots are not suitable for very wet conditions but are excellent for hot dry climates. They are generally lighter than their leather counterparts, but the uppers offer less protection and support

• Cordura (textured nylon). Thick strands of 1000denier nylon thread are woven together creating a fabric which has many air gaps for ventilation and is also very hard wearing.
• Suede is less waterproof than conventional leather. A fine 'slice' is removed off the top surface o the hide and discarded. What is left is suede; leather without the most water resistant part!

Other boot upper features…

• Tongue: to combat leakage under the laces. Most boots now incorporate a bellows design in which the sides of the tongue are joined to the body of the boot.
• D-ring and hook lacing systems avoid the need for lace holes, removing another area of leakage
• A rubber rand around the base of the uppers on some boots protects from scuffing when on rocky terrain or scree and makes them marginally less flexible), while internal reinforcing of the toe box protects from stubbed toes should you trip on a protruding rock or tree root.

Leather and fabric boots can be lined to provide a smooth inner surface to the boot.

• Cambrelle - an advanced, hard wearing fabric which offers soft cushioning and a degree of insulation. Also air and moisture permeaable, fast drying, odour and mildew resistant and dimensionally stable.
• Leather - soft leather offers a heavy duty lining which is smooth to the touch and comfortable.

In order to make fabric boots more water resistant they can be lined with a waterproof/breathable membrane, such as Sympatex or Gore-Tex fabric. This lining will have few seams, and those seams will usually be tape sealed. Being on the inside of the boot this fabric is protected from scuffing and abrasion.
These designs combine the benefits of a flexible, lightweight boot and dry feet, and work most efficiently in cold, dry conditions. In continuously wet weather however, the outer and padding of the boot may absorb water since they are not waterproof (surface treatments are available) which will impair the breathability of the lining. These types of boots are therefore not recommended for use in continuously wet conditions.
Linings are made with as few seams as possible to reduce the adverse effect of any rubbing. Some boots are lined around the rear half only, which is where most of the rubbing tends to occur - these are referred to as half lined.

Walking - Considered to be the most traditional type of footwear, these boots are designed for three season lowland valley walking and two to three season hill walking. High quality materials will provide a good degree of proofing and durability ( some designs will have a Gore-Tex/Sympatex lining), though the ankle and foot support provided by the construction will make rocky and steep terrain less achievable and certainly increase the risk of turning an ankle. In particular, none of these designs are recommended for use with a crampon and any attempt to attach one could easily lead to disastrous consequences in icy conditions.

Multi-Terrain - In recent years footwear manufacturers have identified that many outdoor enthusiasts take part in a wide variety of sports, each one requiring a different piece of footwear. In response to this the need and to reduce the requirement for so many items of footwear, several leading companies now produce a 'Multi-Terrain' range to combine a number of sports in one all-purpose shoe.
Using the technology developed from the manufacture of sports training shoes and combining it directly with the design solutions learnt from outdoor footwear (including rock climbing), they have successfully produced lightweight hardwearing footwear that can cross the boundaries between low level hiking, mountain biking, fell running and trekking plus a multitude of other uses.
These designs are not intended to replace Mountain and Walking boots, but rather provide a hardwearing alternative to the lighter weight and more flexible training shoe, for use in the warmer and drier times of the year in the UK and for similar climates abroad. Manufactured in tough leathers and/or durable fabrics, the design features robust sole units, high and low cut ankles (depending on the level of support required), plus a variety of unique features including ventilation panels, heel hanging tabs, and rapid lace up systems.

The midsole is sandwiched between the rubber sole and the uppers, and the boot achieves its level of rigidity from this area.

• Nylon - widely used in modern lightweight footwear. Its thickness varies along its length allowing the most flex under the ball of the foot.
• Metal shank - a metal plate runs for part or all of the boot length. Can give absolute rigidity.
• Carbon fibre - as strong as metal but much lighter. Gives full rigidity to mountaineering boots without the weight penalty.

The midsole may also absorb the micro shocks which occur with every step at the moment of heel strike. This jarring can lead to fatigue, and in extreme cases tendinitis and joint injury.

Dual density sole: harder wearing boots combine a soft rubber midsole (for shock adsorption) with a harder outsole (for durability). In lowland boots the midsole is often a lighter wedge of Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (EVA) or Poly Urethane (PU), which are soft flexing, and economical materials for cushioning.
Stiffer and 4 season walking boots have thicker soles, in which it is easier to fit inserts of shock absorbing materials in the heel block. Various forms of rubber are Sorbothane (which can absorb up to 94% of the shock). Separate Sorbothane insoles can also be bought as an extra for boots which do not include advanced forms of shock adsorption in their construction.

A crutial area for safety. Most serious slips occur when going downhill or traversing step slopes. 2 areas which offer downhill security are the heel breast (the step in the sole across the front of the heel) and the rear of the heel block. The rear of the heel is the first contact point (except when going steeply downhill), so if this does not grip securely your foot may may slide away in front of you before the rest of the tread can com in contact with the ground. High performance boots now feature either square cut heel, with a deep tread pattern, or rows of 'teeth' on the heel. Rounded heel designs without deep tread are dangerous on steep slopes.

gaiter help reduce the amount of debris and water that will enter your boots at the ankle cuff, but because of the zip they are not waterproof. they are often used in place of overtrousers in summer conditions, though overtrouser must always be considered to be part of your mountain kit.