Boot Basics

Buy a poorly fitting pair of walking boots and you'll regret it and so will anyone you happen to go hiking with - it's worth taking the time and making the effort to find a pair that fit your feet and match up to your needs even if it means spending slightly more than you'd want. With bad boot choice, the bottom line is misery.

The tests you'll read here on OUTDOORSmagic - see the links at the bottom of the page - and elsewhere are a start, but boots are so personal that you really need to try loads on. The best-made boot in the world is useless if it's the wrong shape for your foot.

Your best ally is an experienced boot fitter at a good outdoor retailer with a wide range of makes and styles. The best shops will let you buy a boot and try it on at home - inside your home that is - then exchange it if you're not happy.

Lasts Different boot makers use different 'lasts', basically a model of a foot, to build their boots. Some are wide, some are narrow, some are high volume, others are flatter. They are all different. The 'average' British foot is broadish and medium volume, but your's may not be. What you're looking for is the best fit for your foot - not ours and not Mr or Miss Average, but yours. A few makes, including Scarpa, offer different width fittings in certain boots.

Fit Try boots on in the afternoon as your feet swell during the day, a good basic start is that you should be able to insert one finger down the back, behind your heel before you lace the boot up. Once the laces are tightened, walk around and feel for tight spots where the boot is pressing on your foot, these will cause blisters. Good shops will have a small ramp - use it to make sure your toes don't hit the end of the boot when walking downhill. Wear the socks you normally walk in (but do wash them first)

Heels The other area to check is the heel. If your foot lifts when walking up hill, eventually you'll blister there, so you need to look for a boot with a narrower or more defined heel cup that holds your foot more firmly in place. Sometimes volume adjusters - flat supplementary insoles - can lift your heel to a higher, narrower part of the boot and cure the problem that way.

Women's Boots Women tend to have smaller feet, narrower heels, lower ankles and a lower foot volume, so it's worth seeking out female specific boots. Failing that check out low volume men's models. Again, the golden rule is that fit trumps everything else - don't be seduced by smart looks if they don't fit, and that goes for you too boys...

Padding no-one says this in the magazines, but virtually all the most comfortable boots we've tried have well-formed internal padding that literally cossets your foot - check out Meindl for a good example - it won't compensate for poor fit, but it's worth looking for if extra luxury is important to you.

Linings Many boots now have wicking linings which absorb moisture from leakage and perspiration and help to keep your feet dry and comfortable, Cambrelle is the best known of the materials used and it works. While testing the Scarpa SL we inadvertently stood in a stream and collected a boot-full of water - an hour later, the interior was damp, but not slopping.

Insoles Standard boot insoles are pretty basic and provide little support. We've found that the aftermarket items from the likes of Superfeet and Conformable are a major improvement, particularly if you have a specific foot weakness. In extreme cases the extra support and proper foot posture may even mean you can use a smaller-sized boot. Strange but true.

Stiffness Boot rigidity comes from the mid-sole which is usually Nylon. Walking boots should give a reasonable degree of longitudinal flex and be stiff enough laterally for stability on rough ground. If you're after a winter boot, it'll be stiffer to cope with crampon use and kicking steps, but our preference is for the lightest boot you can get away with that still provides reasonable lateral support. Check by trying to bend and twist the boot in different directions but remember that the mid-sole will soften slightly with use.

Leather or Fabric? Most so-called fabric boots will still incorporate a fair amount of leather, usually suede of some sort, but will, on average, be lighter than an equivalent leather boot, though there are exceptions. Most mountain boots are made from dead cows for robustness either then normal way round (normal leather) or reversed (nubuck-type leather) though for anything below the snowline, fabrics make a lot of sense.

Waterproof Linings Great in cold conditions where they'll stop water seeping in, not so clever when it gets hot and your feet starting making with the perspiration, get damp, soft and start to blister. Leather boots without a waterproof lining are a good compromise for all condition use, unlined fabric boots work well in consistently hot conditions. Neebee produce a boot called the Sahara specially for these.

Lace Systems The best allow you to adjust the tension of the main foot and cuff section independently by locking off the lace at the ankle with a cunning lace hook widget, however you can use a surgeon's knot to create the same effect. Smooth flowing hooks make lacing easier and snugger.

Outsoles Vibrams used to be the thing, but though they are still good, so are the alternatives and you'd be hard pushed to find a sole which does the old skates on ice act these days. For a specialist scrambling boot you might want to look at sticky rubber, but otherwise decent defined grips and a squared-off heel should see you fine.

Crampon Compatibility Check out the compatibility guidelines at the Scarpa web site, but the golden rule is that for sustained crampon use, the stiffer the sole, the better. That's not to say you can't use crampons on less rigid boots, you can, but if winter use is a major priority, err on the side of rigidity as the actress... but no, let's not go there.

If You Remember One Thing The best boot in the world is absolutely useless to you if it doesn't match your needs and foot shape, in fact it's worse than useless, it'll spoil your feet and give you blisters that'll make your life a misery. Fit is everything.