, In this article, I will discuss five main points of proper care and maintenance of your hiking boots:
1. Breaking them in.
2. Waterproofing.
3. Cleaning and general maintenance.
4. Resoling.
5. Knowing when they\'ve had it.
Breaking In your Hiking Boots
The purpose of breaking in your hiking boots is to soften them so they will not hurt your feet. They must be made flexible at exactly the places where your feet and ankles bend. The best way to do this is to walk in them. The goal of breaking in your hiking boots is to do it in short walks, so you don\'t find yourself in the middle of the wilderness with blisters and an inflexible pair of hiking boots.
Hiking shoes or day-hiking boots might not need any break-in, but try it just to be sure. Very heavy hiking boots might not actually break in, but wearing them will make your feet grow tougher in the places where the boots refuse to bend.
In either case, what you Buying Jerseys From China want to do is to wear your new hiking boots for short periods of time. Wear them around the house, on your morning walk, on your way to work and back (or wear them at work, if your job does not require a lot of walking and if dress codes permit). Wear them on short hikes.
Once the boots are properly broken in, they will feel comfortable as you walk. Then you\'re ready to take them on a serious hike.
You may have heard of leaving your new hiking boots out in the weather, or soaking them and wearing them as they dry out, or other drastic and exotic techniques for breaking them in. If it seems like a bad idea, that\'s because it is. Break them in gently, and they will last much longer.
Waterproofing your Hiking Boots
Most hiking boots are already waterproof when you buy them, but you still have to do some additional waterproofing. Check the manufacturer\'s recommendation, either in documentation that came with the boots or on their Web site.
Different materials require different kinds of waterproofing. Leather, whether full grain or split, requires a wax-based waterproofing compound (which is exactly what shoe polish is). Fabric, especially nylon blends, requires silicone-based waterproofing spray.
Since most hiking boots are made of a combination of leather and fabric, you will have to use both types of waterproofing. And be careful, because the silicone-based sprays can be harmful to the glued seams of leather hiking boots. The best approach for such dual-material hiking boots is to spray the silicone-based waterproofing on the fabric panels while shielding the leather, then spray the wax-based waterproofing on the leather panels and the seams.
If you have full grain leather hiking boots, you can either use a wax-based waterproofing spray or old-fashioned shoe polish. Shoe polish works best on the seams, as you can put it on extra thick and work it into the seams and stitching.
Before you first use them, and after each major hike, clean your boots thoroughly and give them a full waterproofing treatment. Hiking shoes, worn infrequently, might need the waterproofing treatment just once a year or so, but use your judgment. If you see new scuff or wear marks after a hike, reapply the waterproofing.
Cleaning and General Maintenance of your Hiking Boots
Clean off the mud and dust from your hiking boots after each day of hiking. Each time you stop for a major break on a hike, check your boots and remove any excess mud or dust. To clean your boots while hiking or camping, just kick against a rock, bang your boots together, or scrape with a stick if necessary.
If you let the mud dry on your boots, it will both leach out the waterproofing and soak into the boot. This slowly destroys leather, and it\'s not good for nylon, either.
Once Buying Jerseys From China you get home, or at least every few days on a protracted backpacking trek, wipe your boots with a damp cloth. Be sure to get off all the foreign matter, so there is nothing to interfere with the waterproofing chemicals, and so you can inspect them for damage.
If a seam is coming undone, cut off any dangling threads. If the dangling thread catches on something, the seam will simply come undone that much faster. Depending on the extent of the damage and the cost of the boots, you might want to bring them to a cobbler for repairs, or simply apply extra shoe polish to hold the loose ends in place and to ensure that the seam is waterproof.
If your boots have gotten soaked, dry them out slowly. Rapid drying will make the leather parts shrink and pull away from the fabric parts and from the rubber sole. Pack the damp boots full of wadded newspapers, and replace the newspapers Buying Jerseys From China every few hours until the boots are dry.
In between hikes, a pair of shoe trees will help your boots to hold their shape. And this will be very important to your comfort on your next hike.
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