Starting out?

My wife and I both bought Brasher Hillmaster boots after spending 2 or 3 weekends trying on boots. My wife even took a pair of Berghaus boots home and wore them indoors for a week but they were not comfortable and had to be returned. Both pairs of boots have completed about 350 to 400 miles and are fine except for our heels. After about 6 miles we both suffer with the boots rubbing on our heels in approx the same place. I have tried different makes of socks and using a liner sock but always with the same result, sore heels. The only way I can get around it is to tape up well before I go out. My wife gets by with gel heel pads, but I can't get on with these.

Does anyone have the same problems with these boots and does anyone know the best way round it.

This is my first post by the way as a new member.

Thank you for having taken the trouble to read my post.

try a heel lock with the lacing. this can be as tight or as loose as you wish without affecting the tension above or below.

I don't think it will be that they're Brasher Hillmasters, particularly: just the particular shape of your feet in relation to them.

You might try some volume adjusters inside the boots which will change the position of your foot a little, which can make a surprising difference.  A good outdoor shop that knows its boots should be able to help there.

For tape, I'd suggest gaffer tape if you're not using it already.  As well as being pretty good at sticking the smooth, glossy back makes it easier for the sock and boot to glide over the affected area.  Compeed and similar padding may help but may actively hinder: it pushes the effective foot volume outwards and makes rubbing easier!  If it's always the same spot it may help to build up a ring of tape/padding around it, but not over it.  That leaves an air gap so the problem point itself isn't rubbed.

Pete.

Hello Richard, welcome to OM.

Has the rubbing happened from when the boots were new or has the rub started happening  only after you'd been using them for a while?

It's also, just possible, that a boot fitter may be able to use a rubbing bar to change the shape of the boot slightly, though if the problem is the heel cup, which is probably plastic, then that may not be possible.

From memory, some Brasher boots have quite a straight heel cup shape, so it may be that your heels are able to lift relatively easily. If the problem's developed, it may be that internal padding has lost enough volume that your foot isn't held down.

Generally, I've found Brasher's last to have quite a loose heel fit. Worst case scenario may be that you need to try a different brand.

I had a chat to a shop assistant about this problem as I find most boots I've tried on give me heal lift, apart from the Scarpa ZG65's I currently wear.

I was told most boots are made with excess heal volume as its always possible to reduce the volume using inserts but obviously if too small then the boots will only fit a minority. Try getting some volume reducers it might help

I'm having the same problem with my Brasher Hillmasters.  I bought them in October to replace a 12 year old pair of Hillmasters that have never given me any trouble. 

However the new pair rub one of my heels as soon as I start to ascend any kind of slope.  They are fine on the flat / downhill and I've done shorter walks, gradually building up the distance in them so I would assume they are broken in.   I spoke to a very helpful guy in Grassington yesterday (Mountain something shop) who recommended that I wear base layer socks under my usual walking socks to allow the boot to move without rubbing my skin.  I'm going to try that and possibly move to a thicker waling sock.  As its only rubbing one foot I was assuming its my foot and not the boot.

Its all very annoying though as the only reason I bought a new pair was becuase my local shop had a 50% sale on and it worked out that the new pair were only going to cost £20 more then getting the old pair resoled by a Brasher approved repairers.

I might also contact Brasher as well to see if they have changed anything in the make up of them in the last 12 years as the heel blisters I'm getting are stopping me from walking.

Andy DJ - If none of the above work I'll try the volume adjusters. 

Got in touch with Brasher and they advised me to return them to my retailer, the boots are still under guarantee. I did notice they were very lumpy around the heal area. Incidentally I tried some Brasher 3mm volume reducers and Brasher socks with out success. The retailer has returned them to Brasher. I will post the outcome.

I returned mine to the retailer, Go Outdoors in Sheffield, and they sent them back to Brasher.  Its took a month but I've had a full refund.  There's no detail as to what they thought the issue was with the boots, they've just said Brasher weren't happy and have refunded my money.

So, I'm going back to my 12 year old pair of brashers that have never let me down (touch wood) and will try to avoid buying more boots for a while.

Hello, I m now on my 3rd pair of Hill Masters. I bought them 8 months or so ago and wore them several times, each time with the same result; very sore heals. I left them on the shelf for several months and yesterday tried again with exactly the same result heels very sore. The boots are leather lined. The heel area is not padded and made of very grippy reversed leather, feels a little like sand paper. I think this grips whatever sock you have on leaving the heel to move against the sock. Anyway, they hurt my feet a lot, and I am going to take  them back to my local shop and ask them to send them back to Brasher. I wish I had not chucked my old slipper like Brashers away now, eventually the uppers perished. They lasted 7 years!  

Just bought a pair of Brasher Azuma GTX from Field&Trek on-line. Found the same issue of rubbing with the right boot without even getting out the house. This is my first pair of Brashers and a size 11.5, having found a number of modern boots less generous around the toes in my normal size 11. 

On closer inspection I noted that the heel area on the offending right boot is noticeable wider than the left, including the spacing between the stitched detail. Have ordered another pair to compare as otherwise there very comfy boots and being end of line a very reasonable price.