Hiking is not a time pass hobby, but a love of life for many people. So, when you do something with all your heart and soul, you prefer to be equipped with all the necessary items to make it successful.
Now, imagine, you order a new pair of hiking boots. It arrived, you are excited to try them. Wait… They are tight.
How Do You Know That Shoes Are Not The Right Fit?
Of course, they are tightening your feet. We know that, but hiking boots are sometimes hard to find out. They will look great in the store, but the moment you start walking, they start tightening.
So, it is better to check them before you start taking jumps on the track. Try walking in it and see if the height of the heels is uncomfortable or the toe box is too narrow and small.
The major sign that your shoe doesn’t fit in your toes doesn’t face straight ahead, and they overlap each other.
Finding out anything difficult while wearing the shoe, make sure you are not taking the chance because it is not worth it.
However, if you have already bought them, you still have a solution to your problem.
It is worrisome, but only if you don’t have ideas to stretch hiking boots using the right tools and techniques for it.
Yes, we know you fought with your sibling to buy these shoes because of the way they look, and they are also trending these days. Sadly, they don’t fit right, and your sibling is probably making fun of you or chanting “told you so”.
Would you leave that pair of shoes only for this? Look at them again; they are attractive and fashionably in trend. All you need is a stretched toe box. It doesn’t require any heavy machinery to do it. Some simple tools and methods with work in your favor.
You will be glad to know that there are tools available in the market to stretch the hiking boots at home.
Feeling like Cinderella? Well, if you get your boots fixed, I can assure you that you are going to have a better life ahead than Cinderella could imagine.
We will talk about the simple home remedies and some of the tools you can use to solve your problem quickly.
Tricks To Stretch The Toe Box of Hiking Boots
Some of the tricks may sound old, and you may think that a few don’t work. It is because different types of tricks work for different shoes.
But, we have to give it a chance before rejecting the method completely. Despite the old ones, let’s see if they are still worth trying or not.
What tricks work and the ones you must avoid with hiking boots…?
Does The Thick Sock Method Still Work?
If you remember from your childhood, your mother might have applied this trick. Soaking the soak in warm water, place them on your feet, and now slip your feet into the shoes.
They used to do it to help you with the perfect fitting of the shoes. The question is about its effectiveness.
It was a great idea in childhood. But the issue with this method is that it doesn’t work for hiking boots. Mostly hiking shoes are made of leather material, and stretching them using this wet sock method is a complete disaster.
So, even if your mother was right back then, she may have got it wrong.
Few Tricks You Can Follow
Now, let’s have some tricks picked from the basic science lessons.
Water Bag
It is an old trick as some of you may refer to as the science lesson from the 5th grade. Here is the method of using it.
Get a zip bag (you may need multiple bags), fill them with water, and fill them half. Make sure it is not leaking and remove all the air.
Put the bag in a place where you want the shoe to stretch (toe box), Put it in a freezer for at least 4-8 hours, take it out, and see the result. You can repeat it if it is still a bit tight.
Remember that moisture should not touch the shoe as it might make it shrink. Well, this might not be the case for your hiking boots. But check the material before you apply the trick.
Keep the Silica Gel Pack
Ever noticed a silica gel in a new pair of shoes? The reason is that the gel is moisture absorbent. If you are hiking more often, you are going to pass through the waters, take the hard road, and may have to walk it up in the rainy environment.
So, make sure that you are not taking the silica gel out of it. Keep it inside and let it take away all the moisture or your shoes will be tightened by the time, and you will then look for ideas to stretch it.
Are Remedies not working? Time to switch to the new ideas…Referring to the new and latest tools at your rescue.
Use Shoe Stretcher Spray
You can find some of the top-notch companies offering the best stretch sprays. There are various factors to consider before purchasing them, but the time is worth the results.
So, give them a chance as this might be your greatest hack for stretching the hiking boots, especially the leather ones. Start looking for the best one you can buy as per the suitability of your shoes.
Do you need Sprays and Liquid?
You may need the sprays and liquids too as they are an effective solution also. Just spray on the right area of shoes and walk into your shoes.
Use a Shoe Stretcher
Show Stretcher is another option that you can use for stretching. This is a tool used by hikers. It is easy to carry along, and you can use it at home without any hassle.
You can use the shoe stretcher and spray it together as many experts tell it. There are many different kinds of stretchers available in the market. However, the simple one is easily operated through a knob; it helps in increasing the length of the shoe.
Then, there is a two-way stretcher that can also help with the length along with increasing the width of the shoe as you need it. You may also find some stretchers that are shoe material specific.
So, you can find the ones suitable for hiking boots. While you are searching, you will come across the Proper fit stretcher, and it is to expand all the areas.
Now, you are the one to decide and make a final choice.
Emergency? There are no immediate tools available?
Try Using a Newspaper
A newspaper can be your ultimate tool for stretching the toe box of the shoes. Yes, it seems surprising, but it is a helpful trick. All you need is to tight the box up and to use any type of paper that can do it for you.
Leave it overnight in your shoes, and see the results in the morning. If nothing happens, try to repeat it for a few days. Remember that you need to stuff the shoes with paper to get the desired result from this trick.
Shoe Trees
Shoe trees are now the hottest thing in the market. It has betrayed all the old remedies so far. Yes, the tricks can still work, and they are useful, but they also take more time than a stretcher.
Therefore, people prefer the tool that is solving their problem in a short time and helping them get back on the hiking track as soon as possible.
Contact Pro Show Repair
This can be a final tip for you since you are looking for ideas and solutions that are also inexpensive and worth trying. One of the other option to try is professional help.
A shoe expert or a shoemaker can always help you in choosing the best solutions. They are aware of the types of materials, and once you tell them about your shoes, they can figure out the most appropriate toe box stretching solutions for you.
Now, your toes may need some stretching too…
Wearing tight shoes for a long time can affect your toes too. So, to get back them in your natural state after stretching the shoes, you can try wiggling your toes daily and let them some sunlight and air daily.
Final Verdict
Before you go through the whole searching and solutions of finding the stretching tools and ideas, you can be careful about shopping the hiking boots. The shoes you are buying for hiking has to go through many ups and downs.
So, they have to be strong and comfortable for your feet. Check the toe boxes carefully and ensure that they suit the shape of your feet. If you are a woman with wide feet, try men’s shoes.
Little care can save you from facing the feet of relevant problems. So, save time and yourself from hurting by keeping it all in your mind.