Determine What Footwear is Appropriate for Your Camping Trip

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Dan and I am here with Expert Village. Today we are going to talk about boots and other sorts of footwear for hiking and backpacking. There are a few different options. You can get a light hiker or a heavy weight hiking boot. There are a few things you want to look for when choosing the right footwear. If you are going to be going on a long-term backpacking trip, you are probably going to want a heavy weight hiking boot. I find boots with as few seams as possible to be a little bit sturdier as they don’t leak and they don’t crack. With a shoe, you want to find a shoe with a good solid sole, a fairly aggressive tread and depending on your Terre rain, possibly water proof. When trying on footwear, you want to step up a ramp if you are in a shoe store and when walking up the ramp, see if your heel comes out of the heel cup of your shoe. That is one tell-tale sign that you are going to get blisters. The next test you might want to do is turn around and walk down the same slope, this time scuffing your feet forward. If your toes run into the end of your boot, then the footwear is probably too small and will eventually lead to blisters and possibly broken toenails or the loss of your toenail. Your footgear is very important. You want to make sure there aren’t any tight spots. You want to get a good solid fit, not too tight, not too loose. With hiking boots before taking them out on an extended expedition, you want to make sure you break them in which might involve wearing the around the house or up and down the street a few times. "