4 Tips To Make Your Walking Boots Last Longer

Everyone wants their walking boots to last till the end of days, especially if you have had them for a long time and have walked everywhere in them. So we put our heads together here at Simply Hike and have come up with 4 tips that will help your walking boots last longer!

Lace your boots differently

Everyone walks differently and this should also be reflected when lacing your walking boot up. A lot of hikers think that you just go from eyelet to eyelet and tie the boot at the top. Of course this works for a lot of hikers but there are loads of different ways of lacing your boots. Doing this will give you a better fit and better comfort overall. Lucky for you we have made a video (if you didn't know that already) called How To Tie Walking Boot Laces.

Change your insoles

Although you get insoles in all walking boots they sometimes can either be too thin or do not give you much support in your arches. It's a good thing there are companies like Superfeet that specialise in insoles for hiking and walking! The best advantage about brands like Superfeet is that they design their insoles specially for hikers and walkers and they don't try to "cross over" their products. This ensures that it will give you the support and comfort that you need when walking because it is specifically designed for purpose.

Clean and reproof

The next thing to do to give your walking boots a longer life is to clean and reproof them. Brands like Nikwax will help keep your walking boots waterproof, breathable and if you have a leather boots, help keep the leather supple and conditioned. Cleaning and reproofing them also helps maintain the waterproof membrane like Gore-Tex or eVent, thus prolonging their life. Try to clean your boots as soon as possible after use, don't just take them off and pop the in the shed or garage because if you do they won't last that long.

Change your socks

Happy feet (not the film) will mean happy boots. So what's the quickest way to make your feet feel better? Yup you guessed it, new socks! Putting on a fresh pair of socks can mean the world of difference. There are of course lots of different types of brands out there but the two big boys are Smartwool and Bridgedale. Smartwool use a brilliant mix of merino wool and synthetic which give you amazing breathability and due to the merino wool their socks have great anti-bacterial properties. Bridgedale are the traditional choice. They offer a merino and synthetic mix, but the comfort you get from Bridgedale is pretty much second to none, it's no wonder they are one of many hiker's favourite walking sock brands.   What do you do to keep your walking boots last longer? Just comment below with any tips you have...