How to choose hiking boots you will not curse

Boots are the only piece of gear that hurts you when you get it wrong. That makes them the most important purchase, and the only one where we genuinely insist you come to the shop. The internet is excellent for flasks and stoves; for boots you need your own foot, a hiking sock and fifteen minutes of walking on a ramp.

Start by answering honestly where you actually walk. Marked trails up to a hut? A light hiking boot with ankle support is all you need. Trackless ground, scree, autumn and snow? That is when a stiff-soled mountain boot earns its place. Trail shoes are wonderful for fast and light days, and wrong for carrying a heavy pack.

When you try them on: in the afternoon, in a hiking sock, both boots. Your foot swells through the day, so a boot that feels “just right” in the morning is too small on the descent. Keep a finger of room at the toes, and the heel must not lift.

A membrane in a boot is not compulsory. In dry summer weather your foot is happier without one, because it breathes and dries faster after you step into a stream. A membrane earns its keep in wet grass, snow and on multi-day trips. Plenty of people are best served by one pair of each.

Break new boots in gradually: around town first, then a short walk, only then a full day. A leather boot needs longer than a fabric one. That is normal, not a fault.

And when the sole wears out years later: good boots do not go in the bin. We resole in our workshop, because a broken-in boot with your own print in it is worth more than any new one. We give you the bad news plainly here too: if the upper will not take another resole, we will not charge you for hope.