How To Get The Best
Womens Hiking Boot.

Finding the perfect womens hiking boot can be challenging unless you know what to look for and where to look. Here are a few tips on hiking boots...

A womens hiking boot is one of the most important investments an active woman hiker or trekker will make, if there's something to skimp on, this isn't it. I'm going to touch on a few things here that are important to consider when looking at boots.

The weight of your hiking boots can be critical to your overall satisfaction. Because by definition your boots are worn on your feet and you constantly lift and move them, you're going to notice an extra pound of weight very quickly, whereas you wouldn't notice it as much if it was added to your jacket or backpack. Chances are you'd even notice the difference of a few ounces where your feet are concerned. And this makes perfect sense when you consider you'll take over 2,000 steps for every mile you travel.

So what I'm driving at here is to find the lightest womens hiking boot possible that offers all of the features you need. Everything else being equal, as with most hiking equipment, go light. But usually everything isn't equal. When you're deciding whether to get fabric or leather there are a few things you'll want to consider.

Another thing you'll want to consider is whether a waterproof boot is important to you or not. The advantages of a waterproof boot are that you can cross shallow streams and puddles without soaking your feet. The drawback is the boots won't breathe as well. So if your feet sweat (sorry, hikers don't "perspire" ;-) ) a lot you'll want to remember that any additional barrier, like water proofing, won't breathe as well as a boot without it.

Also keep in mind a fabric womens hiking boot should breathe better than leather, as the leather doesn't offer much ventilation and it holds moisture longer when it does get wet.

Strive for dry feet. Dry feet are critical to avoiding skin breakdown over the long-haul. Avoid cotton socks because they will hold moisture next to your skin when they get wet. Please see the hiking socks page for some great information that will help you to get more from any women's hiking boot.

Also, the main hiking boots page offers a lot more information and research.