HOW TO LACE YOUR BOOTS PROPERLY?

Fit of course is paramount, but lacing can play a major role in enhancing fit and comfort. Surf the internet for lacing tips and it’s amazing what you’ll find. Most of the information has to do with appearance. But there are some very effective tips too. Here are three lacing tricks which we think are useful.

All Hanwag footwear is fitted with a very high-quality, anatomically-shaped heel counter (this is where many manufacturers like to cut corners, where it’s difficult to spot – but we don’t). We like to think that a good heel fit and ankle support is one of our strengths. However, for a firmer fit you can use a lock lacing technique. Thread your laces directly under the two lowest tensioning lace hooks, but don’t cross them over. Then guide the opposite end through the lace that connects the two lace hooks. As a result, your heel and ankle get fixed more firmly.

Many people have an uneven instep or bumps or ganglions on the top of their feet. If your boot rubs uncomfortably on these areas, simply thread the laces through two eyelets on the same side at the pressure point instead of crossing them over. This alleviates pressure and leaves more room for any unevenness.

There is a simple trick to set different lacing tensions at the different sections of the foot. First, tighten the laces as required at the lower forefoot. Then, simply thread the laces through one another and pull tight so that they cannot work loose. This allows you to lace the next section of the foot with a different tension.

We recommend altering lacing tensions for ascents and descents. For ascents, only tighten the lower half of the lacing so that the heel sits perfectly in the boot. Then leave the top lacing somewhat looser so that the upper doesn’t hit your shin.

On descents, lace both areas up tightly to stop the foot from sliding forward in the boot. This is also why our more rigid alpine and trekking boots have an integrated clamping lace hook.