UKH

I just did a 3 day expedition, about 20km a day walking for 8 hours (for my gold Duke of Edinburgh award). I'm not a trained hiker or anything but have done similarly difficult hikes twice before.

For this particular expedition I got new boots, as on my last expedition I got a very painful blister on my pinky toe due to pressure, which I believe was coming from my shoes not being wide enough. My trainers for everyday use are size 11, and the new boots that I got were size 12. They seemed to fit quite well when I tried them on at the shop but after about 10km on the first day I started to feel the same blister forming. It was very painful by the end of the expedition just like last time.

I think the blister is because of shoe fit, as I feel slight squeezing at the end of the day (when my feet have swollen a bit from hiking) but please suggest anything you think it might be. I've also been advised to measure my feet which I'll try when I go to the shops this weekend, but I thought I should post this now to get some info.

Finally, if you have a show recommendations for people who experience this sort of blister please do share. I hope I'm not alone!

Tl;Dr I keep getting a pressure blister on my inner pinky toe, I think it's because of shoe fit but maybe not? Any shoe recommendations/other solutions would be great.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

Finding footwear that properly fits is rarely easy (unless you happen to get lucky), and any minor fit issue is going to be exacerbated on a longer walk. Sounds like you've been unfortunate to pick boots that are a bit too narrow at the front.

A few thoughts in no particular order:

• Do get your feet measured, and try to work out if you've got wider forefoot etc (sounds likely). That may then give you some idea what to ask for in a shop.
• Some boots are comfy straight out of the shop but most will be better after some wearing in. Don't do a long walk in brand new boots: break them and yourself in gently. You'll spot any issues before committing to a full day. 
• Experiment with different insoles, and socks.
• Expect to get more rubbing if it's hot, or if your feet are wet all day.
• Try wrapping the offending little toe in surgical tape, that can buy you extra time/km.
• If it's not winter, experiment with using trail running shoes rather than boots. They'll be softer, more breathable and generally more forgiving. They can still be crippling if the fit is wrong of course.
• Or look at different sorts of boot upper: full leather minus a waterproof lining can be quite a different feel to fabric with Gore-Tex. What works best is what you find most comfy on a given day, there really are no right answers with boot types or brands. Fit is paramount.
• Walk/run more and your skin will maybe toughen up a bit.
• If you cannot get the current boots to work for you after trying some of the above then don't persevere and suffer: sell them on while they're still new-ish and try something else.
• Try, try and try again in the shop. Spend hours if you must, walking around the shop, lunging like a loon to try to get your toes to bang the end, going up and down inclines/stairs if available. Look out for old foes such as heel lift, pinching, and toe strike (all pretty self explanatory). Try several models, using socks that you'll intend to wear with them. Go to more than one shop. Don;t worry about annoying sales staff if you take ages and then don't even buy something: you have to be pretty damn sure it fits before you part with cash, and any shop worth going to will understand that.
• Take them home and wear them all day indoors -  if no good, they can be returned if still box fresh.

Here's an article about choosing/fitting boots:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/series/top_tips/ten_for_buyin...

This article on blister prevention is maybe worth a look too:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/how_to_beat_blisters-5286

Hey Lippy, I have horrendous feet for any boot being both long, crazy lanky and super low volume. I've tried virtually every boot brand and done everything there is in order to improve the fit, and the suggestions below all really helped me:

1 try orthotic insoles, they hold your feet much better than the ones that come standard.

2 try different knots to really hold your ankle in place. Look up a "surgeon's knot".

3 volume reducers (both for the sole and the tongue). This may sound counter intuitive for you if you're feeling pinching, but if the foot is firmly in the boot it will move less and may help with the blister

4 breaking in the boots. The boots will naturally become less stiff which should help. You also need to break your feet in to get them used to long days

​​​​​​5 find a brand that best matches your foot shape. Prob not something you want to hear if you've just spent a tonne, but sometimes that's the only option. 

6. Try different sock configurations, this can be a game changer! Try 1 thick sock, then thin sock and thick sock etc

7. Just get some approach shoes, they are far more comfortable anyways 🙂

​

for reference, I have just under a size 11.5 foot and a size 12 boot is fine for me but it has to be la sportiva or Arc'teryx, no other brand will work (and I have tried!).So I don't think it's a sizing issue you have, more likely you need to tweak the fit using the above or the boot just isn't brill for your foot shape.

hope that helps 

Also experiment with lacing patterns.  A double cross lower down may - it depends on many things, but it may - allow the lower part of the laces to be under a less restrictive tension than the upper part.  This may in turn relieve pressure on the affected area.

T.

Thanks so much for all the info, I'll have a look at a couple shops over the weekend and hopefully find some better fitting shoes. Perhaps it's best to go for another hike with my current boots just to check that my feet simply hadn't adjusted to the boot yet, but I'm fairly certain that they are just not right for my foot. Thanks again

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I'll try loads of different brands and see what works

What is a double cross exactly? Thanks.

This is an absolute footsaver for me. I have a wide forefoot so need to avoid overtightening the lower laces, whilst ensuring I maintain tension at the ankle. (Thankyou Cotswolds, Betws-y-coed)

You can do an awful lot to improve comfort with lacing, socks and insole combinations. But you do need a reasonably well fitting boot to start with.

Normally when you tie up your laces they cross over once between each hook or hole each time they pass over from one side of the boot to the other.  A double cross, which you could also think of a twist, is just winding them together a little.  The lace that started on the left still ends up on the right, and vice versa, they're just crossing over each other a bit more.

Perhaps easier to show that describe, but it's obvious enough once you try it.  You should do this just once, at whichever part of the boot feels best for you, so that rather than having laces that are taut all the way up the boot, the laces below this double cross can be at a lower tension that they are above it.  The boot shouldn't then pull in on your toes the way it once did.

It doesn't work for every boot and every foot, but try it and see whether it works for you before spending money on a new pair.  

As others have mentioned, footbeds and sock combinations can also help.  

If none of this helps and you end up looking for new boots, it'd be worth updating your profile to include your general location, so that others can point you towards good places to get boots fitted by staff who know their stuff.

T.

Also, google 'walking boot lacing patterns'.  If nothing else, the pictures on many pages may make evident what words struggle to clearly describe.

T.

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/expert-advice/how-to-lace-walking-boots

The top photo is how I do mine. Keeps the heal tight at the back of the boot but means I can keep the foot relatively loosely laced. 

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/expert-advice/how-to-lace-walking-boots

The top photo is how I do mine. Keeps the heal tight at the back of the boot but means I can keep the foot relatively loosely laced.