Lacing Tips

If your shoes aren't fitting quite right, don't throw them out just yet. The solution may be as simple as changing the way you lace your shoes. Here are a couple of techniques that have worked for me.

Sore Toes?

Your laces just might be making your toe box too tight. I have one of those pinky toes that tends to ride kind of sideways underneath the adjacent toe, creating the perfect place for a blister to form. I'm sure it's from years of jamming my feet into shoes that aren't wide enough for my feet. If you like your shoes to fit snug everywhere but in the toe box, try this....

You can lock in the tension of your toe box by pulling the lace through the hole, then going around the lace and through the same hole again. Then lace the remaining holes like you normally would. Now when you pull your laces tight, your toe box won't tighten up. In the photo below, the shoe on the left is locked in on the third hole up, the one on the right on the second. Play around with different settings to find what feels best for your feet.

Sore Spot?

Many long distance hikers have been known to hack out part of their shoe in a desperate attempt to relieve their pain. Before you go to this extreme, simply try lacing straight down over the sore spot as shown below. This will reduce the pressure in that area, and hopefully eliminate your pain.

Happy feet are essential to a good hike. If there's a spot on your foot that doesn't feel right, stop immediately and address it or it will just get worse. Preventing foot problems is much easier than dealing with painful blisters or injuries!