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Are you looking for ways to stretch hiking boots? Trust me, we’ve all been there. At one point or another, everyone wants or needs methods to stretch out their shoes.
Table of Contents
The Problem
Of all the clothing articles present for us to wear, shoes prove to be the most important. Whether it’s in terms of fashion or comfort, they are essential in their significance. There is a problem that arises with treating yourself with these beauties, and of course, it’s getting a perfect size.
There are various reasons why this issue does arise. The first one is having different-sized feet. It’s a pretty common thing, so don’t be alarmed if your feet are varying from one another. Some people have one foot 3 whole inches bigger than the other! This only makes getting the perfect size impossible, considering it’s always a bother for one of your feet.
Rarer problems like merely getting a size smaller or accidentally receiving one when you’re online shopping exist as well. It is a problem for regular shoes, but it is an even bigger one for hiking boots. When going hiking, you need maximum comfort, and the first step to that would only be wearing a well-fitted size.
If you find yourself in situations like these, you’re going to be looking for a hiking boot stretcher. So let’s jump right in and talk about all the ways you can start stretching hiking boots yourself.
Different Methods for Stretching Hiking Boots
We have various methods and all sorts of DIY techniques for stretching hiking boots, all of them useful in their way.
Heat
In eighth grade, science has taught us something important; it’s all the ways we can use heat to benefit ourselves. Through the concept of expansion and contraction, we can manipulate any object and its size (to some extent) at will.
The very first technique that you could use is relatively simple. It is the freezing water method. This is more useful for synthetic than it would be for leather. The idea is that you put water inside the toe box using a bag or any container, and you then put it in the freezer. The water freezes into ice, which then helps to stretch out the toe box.
Another simple way to stretch synthetic boots is just by heating them up. It doesn’t take a lot of heat, and this can be done with a blow dryer. You can use this method for other hiking boots by wearing thick socks and then applying heat.
The blow dryer doesn’t have to be at its hottest, and medium does the job just fine. Make sure to keep moving the dryer, so you do not overheat one specific area. Keep moving it over the area you need to stretch, and the areas that you feel are the tightest.
You can reuse the blow-drying technique over and over until you feel most comfortable in your shoes. Remember not to take your shoes off while doing this, so they do not shrink to their original position. An excellent tip for leather shoes would be to apply leather conditioner so it does not wear out.
Tools
Of course, like everything else, there are tools available for stretching hiking boots as well. There are multiple tools based on how tight your shoes feel and so dependent on how much you’ll need to stretch them.
First, we have the hiking boot stretcher. These are generally stretchers that you can use with any shoe. These prove to be very helpful as they can target various problematic areas in your shoe that make them feel too tight.
There are different kinds of shoe stretchers that you can use. Generally, they can be divided into two basic types; one-way and two-way shoe stretchers. As the names suggest, a one-way shoe stretcher can only stretch one way (which is the width). A two-way stretcher can stretch two ways (both length and width).
If you’re not looking to invest in a shoe stretcher and your boots are only slightly too tight, shoe trees are a good alternative. Shoe trees can only slightly stretch shoes, but they’re an excellent investment to make even if you don’t plan on stretching a lot of shoes. This is because of the way they operate, which helps extend the life of shoes. Therefore, either way, they prove to be useful.
That being said, if you’re looking for stretching hiking boots more than just a little, you might still need a shoe stretcher. If you still choose to search for other ways for stretching hiking boots, socks can be a perfect choice.
There are multiple ways you can use socks as your hiking boot stretcher. You can roll several pairs of socks and stuff them in your shoes to leave them overnight. Make sure to stuff the socks inside to their full extent so they can get the job done more thoroughly. You can reuse this method until you’re delighted with the way your shoes feel.
The simplest and easiest method that you can use to expand your shoes with socks would be to wear the shoe. All you have to do is wear thick socks (more than one pair if you can manage) before wearing your shoe. Walk-in these boots inside your house, and they’ll stretch up eventually. The only problem would be how much time this would take, which would be at least a few days.
Professional Help
When all else fails, you can always go to your nearest cobbler and ask them to fix your shoes for you. Sure, it would take some extra time, but you’ll also be spared of experimenting with all of the DIY techniques. Plus, there’s nothing better than a professional doing something they know best.
Conclusion
Conclusively, if you do get shoes that are tight in some places, no need to fret. There are all sorts of methods you can use to fix them, and bam! You have perfectly fitted hiking boots to set out on an adventure.
