Tips for Buying Hiking Boots

Hiking season is trickling in for the year so let’s talk hiking boots y’all! (Save this post for when you’re ready to jump into some hiking boots!) I put off buying boots for quite some time because I was overwhelmed with all the options and things to consider when buying boots. And when I finally dove into the research I thought I knew for sure which ones I was going to get when I walked into REI to try them on. Turns out I didn’t have a clue 🤪 and thankfully the guy who was helping me knew what he was doing and in a last ditch effort I agreed to try on a boot I hadn’t heard of. And they were PERFECT! I landed on some @obozfootwear boots that have a wide toe box but still fit my smaller ankles! My biggest piece of advice when going into buying hiking boots is to do some research for requirements of things you want like waterproofing, height of the boot, and what level of activities the boots are best for (ie. long backpacking trips carrying big packs vs quick day trips) and then go into a store and try every boot on that you can! Two things to keep in mind when trying on boots: 🧦The kind of socks you’ll be wearing with the boots (I wear thicker hiking socks so I made sure there was space for them) 🥾Make sure when they are all tightened up to tap your toe against the ground behind you to see if your toes hit the front of your boot. This tests if it’s a better fit and will let you know if you’re going to end up with blisters or sore toes from going downhill and sliding into the front of your boot. Do you have a pair of hiking boots? If so, what kind and do you live in them? I totally live in mine because they are better than any other shoe I own 🤪