Hiking Boots - What To Look For In One!

The best hiking boots is what you should be searching for. Different brands of hiking boots are available in the market nowadays. Some of the branded boots are not meant for trail. You should never compromise on quality when buying hiking boots. Or else you may even have some brand in mind for your hiking shoes which you may opt to buy for hiking.

It does not matter which brand you are buying but quality should be given extreme importance. Keep the use of these hiking boots in mind and the quality which is required for the best results. There are different options available for you to get the best quality possible with the cheapest price.

Important Features to Look for:

Think of the expectations you will have from your hiking boots, in which way they should be best to suit your requirements. Whether they should be durable, or comfortable or good looking, or all of these. And which company do you thing will offer you all this. Do bit of research online .Your hiking boots need to be able to withstand rough terrain, slippery surfaces, rocks and also the mud.

Definetely you would want your boots to be able to go through all this and also not be damaged .Also your hiking boots should be comfortable enough for you to move easily, therefore they should not be too heavy. The hiking boots should also give stability while movement. The combination of all these important features should be there in a hiking boot for you to land on buying best hiking boots.

The most important feature you should always look for in a hiking boot is how well it fits your feet. Now to get the best hiking boots you do not have to go to a professional to get the measurements of your feet. You can do all this yourself buy trying on few before you make up your mind to purchase it. The hiking boots with the right fit will fulfill your needs you desire in your hiking boots. These hiking boots should support your hips and back to help you to go up and down the trail without any problems and without causing any aches in your body.

You can also get your hiking boots customized from the manufacturer.

When getting your hiking boots customized, keep the quality a major point for consideration. Also find out from your family and friends to find out that which brand or company make hiking shoes have got good reputation in the market and are also popular among the general campers.

A good quality hiking boots will last for years together in all types of conditions during hiking. Check the boot by flipping it over to see its make. Bend these hiking boots back and forth a bit to find out whether they are with hard sole or soft. After you try them on your feet, see if they are heavy or light on you. The hiking boots should be comfortable enough and well designed.

If your are planning to find the best hiking boots and also keeping price and brand into consideration ,you may have to do lot of research to land with this kind of desired deal. You may consider looking for discounted sales in sports shops to get your good quality hiking boots. These types of sales are usually on during off season. From a discounted sale you may get your brand and also at a reasonable price.

About the Author:

Abhishek is a Camping freak! Visit his website www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget. But hurry, only limited Free copies available ! www.Camping-Guru.com

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Lightweight Hiking - an Example

By: Steve Gillman

Is lightweight hiking and backpacking viable in cold weather? I think so. Last Fall I was in four feet of snow at 13,000 feet - in my running shoes and with just 11 pounds on my back for an overnighter. Crazy? I don't think so. Anyhow, I have been going lightweight for too many years to want to go back to a heavy pack and hiking boots.

Heading For Crestone Peak

It was September 2006. I was in the Sangre De Christo Mountains in Colorado, hiking up the trail to South Colony Lakes. I just surprised a large buck, who snorted and ran off. I started to see more patches of snow as I went higher. I poked at the frozen puddles with my walking stick.

I had hoped to climb Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle earlier in the month, but was rained out. Then it snowed heavily in the high country on September 18. I started checking the online forums to see if anyone was still climbing these "fourteeners" (mountains higher than 14,000 feet). Someone did mentioned climbing Crestone through the snow - which I didn't want to do.

However, by the 28th there had been several warm days, so maybe the snow melted. It had where I parked the car. But by the time I hiked to South Colony Lakes a few hours later, I was almost knee-deep in it. Then, up above the lakes and beyond the last of the trees, the snow was even deeper.

My shoes and socks were soaked, but the sun and the climb kept me warm. I continued because it really looked like there was bare rock up near the peaks. Eventually I adjusted my goal to just getting to Broken-Hand Pass, where I could look down into the San Luis Valley. I made it to within 100 yards.

It was so steep and the snow so deep, that I slid back at least as far as I stepped each time. Then I slipped and needed to self-arrest with my walking stick to keep from sliding down a few hundred feet. It was clear that I was under-equipped for climbing any further.

Lightweight Backpacking

Hiking down was worse (it often is). I sunk into the snow and hit my shins against rocks hidden there. I walked on top of the snow crust at times, until I suddenly broke through - which I did when I stopped to look at some bobcat tracks. At least I didn't have much weight on my back.

I had 11 pounds, to be exact. The pack itself weighed a pound or so. My down sleeping bag weighed 17 ounces, and the tarp 16 ounces. I also had food and water and dry socks. Going lightweight meant I hardly even noticed the pack - even after 13 miles of hiking.

Back down near the lakes it was time to put my lightweight hiking and backpacking skills and equipment to the test. It would be about 24 degrees Fahrenheit that night.

I found a nice grassy area where the snow had melted away. The sun was still bright and warm, so I laid out my wet socks and shoes to dry on a large log while I ate mixed nuts, wrote some notes, and then took a nap. Several deer walked by an hour later. I woke up gripping my walking stick like a weapon.

Everything was dry, so I put on my shoes and got busy. It took about 20 minutes to collect dry grass and old thistle stalks to make a thick mattress. This was for comfort as well as for insulation to keep me warm. I set a piece of plastic over this, and strung the tarp overhead. Then I laid out the sleeping bag to fluff it up.

I collected some dry wood and tinder and laid a fire, just in case I needed it later (I never did). I covered this with a few pieces of bark to keep frost, snow or rain off of it. I ate some wild currants and rose hips. I saved my corn chips for a bedtime meal. The fat would heat me up as it digested. I used my walking stick to lift the bag with the rest of the food up to a high branch where it would hang for the night.

I put on my thermal underwear, hat and gloves. I used my shoes with the backpack on top of them for a pillow. The wind started blowing, so I lowered one side of the tarp before going to sleep.

The frost was heavy and the ice was thick on the puddles in the morning, but I had managed to sleep well. I packed up, scattered the mattress materials so they wouldn't smother the plants underneath, and I ate some crackers. The sun was just rising as I hit the trail.

I probably had just 9 pounds total on my back by now. That may seem very lightweight for backpacking, but I had everything I needed. I even had a camera with me. I stopped hiking long enough to take a photo of Crestone Needle in the morning sun. I'll be on top of it this summer.

About the Author

Copyright Steve Gillman. To get the ebook "Ultralight Backpacking Secrets (And Wilderness Survival Tips)" for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wilderness survival section, visit: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com

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