A Guide to the Top 10 Lacing Techniques for Hiking Boots
Hiking is an adventurous activity that requires the right gear, and one of the most important aspects of that gear is your footwear. The way you lace your boots can make a significant difference in your comfort and stability on the trail.
There are many ways you can lace your hiking boots depending on the type of adventure you’re embarking on.
In this blog, i’ll show you various lacing techniques to help you keep your feet safe, comfortable and secure for any hiking adventure.
Lacing techniques can be used to…
Prevent your heel from slipping
Increase ankle support
Prevent blisters and other hot spots
Reduce pressure on top of your foot and other areas
Prevent and/or protect injuries
And much more
With each technique, there’s a handy YouTube video guide from some amazing experts across the globe, to help illustrate how to perform each lacing technique.
When you’ve finished reading this blog, don’t forget to check out my guide to the Top 10 Hiking Gear Essentials 2024!
Lacing Areas of Hiking Boots
Before we go into the various ways you can lace and knot your hiking boots, let’s take a look at the main parts that make up the lacing area. This will then help you to understand some of the lacing techniques i’m going to share with you.
Laces: Laces are crucial for keeping your boots securely fastened and providing support and comfort to your feet. They allow you to adjust the tightness and support of the boot to match the terrain and activity. Different lacing styles can turn your painful shoe problems into a perfectly fitted pair.
Eyelets: Eyelets are small holes through which the laces are threaded. They are typically located near the top of the boot, as well as in the midfoot and forefoot areas. Eyelets provide a way to adjust the lacing tension throughout the foot, which can help to customize the fit and reduce the risk of blisters.
D-Rings: D-rings are large, circular rings often located near the bottom of the boot. These rings are designed to provide additional support and control in the lower leg and ankle areas. They also allow for a more precise and secure lacing system, which can help to reduce the risk of foot injuries.
Hooks: Hooks are small, triangular-shaped metals often located near the top of the boot. They provide a quick and easy way to adjust the lacing tension. They also allow for a more secure and comfortable fit in the ankle and calf area. Hooks make it easier to undo your laces and remove or wear your boots.
These components work together to ensure a secure, comfortable fit, enhancing the performance and protection of your boots. Different lacing techniques can be used to address specific needs, as we’ll discuss.
Ok, so if you’re ready to hit the trail, it’s time to lace up! Let’s now take a look at the best lacing techniques for a comfortable, secure and snug fit.
A final word of note before we dive in…please bear in mind that everyone’s feet are different, in terms of length, width, and condition. What may work for someone else, might not work for you. Likewise, all hiking boots are made differently. So it’s worth taking the time to find the right pair of hiking boots for your own foot design and comfort.
You can find out more about how to choose the right type of hiking boots in my Guide to the Top 10 Hiking Gear Essentials.
Now let’s take a look at the 10 most effective ways to lace and knot your hiking boots!
Lacing Techniques
Heel Lock
Window
Toe-Relief
Surgeon’s Knot
Criss-Cross
Skip Bottom Eyelets
Straight Bar (Lydiard)
Wide Feet
Double Overhand
High InStep
1. Heel Lock Lacing
Heel lock lacing is a technique used to prevent your heel from moving up and down in your boot, which can reduce the risk of blisters. This technique is particularly useful for hiking where you’re moving uphill or downhill, as it keeps your foot securely in place inside the boot. It can also help to prevent heel rubbing and discomfort.
Steps:
Start lacing your boots as you normally would until you reach the hooks or eyelets before the ankle.
At the ankle perform a surgeon’s knot before moving up to the next hook, and repeat
Lace as normal for the remaining hooks to the top of the boot.
Benefits: This technique locks your heel in place, preventing it from sliding up and down and reducing the risk of blisters.
Check out this neat video tutorial from Cool of the Wild.
2. Window Lacing
This technique involves creating a “window” or “box” by not crossing the laces in the area where the foot is hurting. The benefit of this method is that it reduces pressure on the specific part of the foot, providing relief from pain or discomfort.
Steps:
Identify the area where your boot is causing discomfort.
Unlace your boot down to the hooks or eyelets below this area.
Lace straight up on both sides, skipping one or two sets of hooks or eyelets.
Continue lacing your boot as normal.
Benefits: This technique relieves pressure on a specific area of your foot, making your hike more comfortable.
Check out this neat video tutorial by Sole Trail.
3. Toe-Relief Lacing
In this technique, you remove the laces from the top eyelets closest to the toes. The benefit of this method is that it provides extra space for the toes, reducing pressure and potential discomfort, especially during downhill hikes.
Steps:
Unlace your boots to the toe line.
Re-lace your boot about halfway up.
Starting at the next eyelet, take the second shoelace and lace the boot up to the top.
Now, you can easily adjust the tension on your toe laces when needed without having to adjust the laces of the entire boot.
This technique is very straightforward and as the name suggests, it’s a lacing system designed to relieve pressure from your toes and give them more freedom of motion. To achieve this style, simply lace your boots as you normally would, but skip the bottommost pair of eyelets or lace hooks. This method is especially useful for hiking boots and shoes.
Benefits: This technique gives your toes more room, which can be particularly beneficial on downhill hikes.
Check out this useful video tutorial from A Hikers Friend.
4. Surgeon’s Knot Lacing
The Surgeon’s Knot is a secure knot which is particularly useful for hiking boots and shoes, providing extra support just below the ankle. This lacing technique is beneficial if your laces keep coming undone, your boots tend to loosen as you hike, or you are using heel lock lacing
Steps:
Start by lacing your shoes normally through the bottom eyelets.
Begin the surgeon’s knot at the top of the foot (just below the ankle).
Wrap the ends of your laces around each other as you would to tie off, but don’t pull the laces tight.
Wrap the laces round each other a second time and THEN pull the ends of the laces tight.
Either secure the ends of the laces around the next lace hooks to continue lacing, or tie off with your normal bow.
Benefits: This technique provides extra security and prevents your laces from coming undone.
Check out this video tutorial from Eastern Mountain Sports.
5. Criss-Cross Lacing
Criss-cross lacing is a classic and simple method used for lacing hiking boots and shoes. It’s ideal for boots that already fit well and don’t require any specific adjustments.
Steps:
Start from the bottommost section of the boot, thread the lace through each eyelet and pull tightly until you have an equal amount of lace on each side.
Beginning from the inside out, cross the laces over in a diagonal fashion.
Continue this criss-cross pattern as you work your way up the shoe.
Make sure that the resulting knot lays across your foot in a perpendicular fashion.
This method provides a snug fit that supports the foot and ankle. It’s an efficient and timeless technique, and there’s a reason why it’s a go-to for many hikers. However, the effectiveness of this lacing technique can depend on the type of shoe you have and the shape of your foot.
Check out this video tutorial from Trekitt.
6. Skip Bottom Eyelets Lacing
Skip bottom lacing is a method used to alleviate discomfort in specific parts of the foot while hiking. Here’s how it works:
Steps:
If there’s a part of your foot that hurts when lacing your shoes, you can skip over it.
Continue lacing normally, but when you get to a tender spot, go directly up to the next eyelet or hook without crossing over the tongue.
This lacing strategy creates a “window” — an ungirded zone where the lace doesn’t compress that section of the foot.
This technique can be particularly useful if you have wide feet. You can skip the bottom loop of your hiking boots, lace the next 2-3 loops regularly but keep them somewhat loose, do a surgeon’s knot to lock in the loose part of the bottom loops, and then tie all the rest of the loops tightly to keep the ankle part of your boot locked in.
The benefit of this method is that it can help if your toes swell up or your boots feel too tight in the toes, providing extra room and reducing pressure.
Check out this Video ‘short’ tutorial on by Oscar Hikes on YouTube
7. Straight Bar (Lydiard) Lacing
Straight bar lacing, also known as Lydiard lacing, is a method that involves lacing your boots in a straight line, like a ladder, without crossing the laces over each other. This technique allows you to adjust the tightness of the laces on each side separately, which can help relieve pressure on your toes. Here’s how to do it:
Steps:
Begin by lacing the boots normally up to the second set of eyelets from the bottom.
Cross the laces straight across and feed them into the adjacent eyelets.
Continue lacing straight across, creating a “bar” pattern until you reach the top.
Benefits:
It’s particularly beneficial for hiking boots due to its unique advantages:
Distributes pressure evenly across foot: This helps in reducing discomfort during long hikes.
Reduces sagging in boots: It keeps the boot snug against your foot, providing better support.
Allows boots to crease naturally: This is especially useful when breaking in new boots.
Prevents tripping: The laces are tied off to the exterior side so they won’t get caught on the other boot.
This lacing technique can be done with boots that have an even number of eyelets, but there’s a hack to do it with boots having an odd number of eyelets.
Check out this cool video tutorial from our friends down under, Professor Shoelace (love it!).
8. Wide Feet Lacing
Lacing hiking boots for wide feet involves techniques that create more room in the boot, relieving pressure and preventing discomfort. Here are two techniques that can help:
Lacing Technique for When Your Toes Hurt:
Steps:
Skip the bottom loop of your hiking boots.
Lace the next 2-3 loops regularly, but keep them somewhat loose.
Do a surgeon’s knot to lock in the loose part of the bottom loops.
Tie all the rest of the loops tightly, to keep the ankle part of your boot locked in.
Finish off with a surgeon’s knot and a regular knot to keep the tension and prevent it from untying.
Lacing Technique for When The Top Of Your Foot Hurts:
Steps:
Do the first loop normally.
Skip 1-3 loops after that, depending on where and how large the painful area is.
After that, do a surgeon’s knot to keep the loosely-laced area locked in place.
Tie all the other loops somewhat tightly, to keep your feet from moving up and down.
Finish off with another surgeon’s knot to keep it all nice and tight, and do a regular or a double knot.
Remember, these lacing techniques can only alleviate some of the discomfort. The most important thing is to choose hiking boots that fit your feet perfectly, which most commonly means that they’re specifically offered in wide sizes. There should be some room left around your toes, the top part of your foot shouldn’t feel too tight, the ankle should feel comfortable, and the boot should have a lot of padding.
Check out this video tutorial from the Colorado Centre for Podiatric Sports Medicine (albeit they demonstrate using trainers, but it’s the same process for hiking boots).
9. Double Overhand Lacing
The Double Overhand Lacing technique is a useful method for securing your hiking boots, especially for those who have pressure points on the top of their feet. Here’s how you can do it:
Steps:
Begin by lacing your hiking shoe as you normally would.
When you reach the point at which you’d position a regular overhand knot, cross the laces bringing one underneath, and then underneath again.
Pull outwards to tighten. This creates a lock in the boot that adds tension.
This knot allows you to separate the tension in your lacing into two sections. You can position your double overhand down by the base of your laces, or lock in the top of your ankle. This technique is especially useful for those who have pressure points on the top of their feet.
For securing your ankle, start by creating your double overhand knot. This knot should be placed below the set-back eye (the one at the top, before the hook). Once you’ve made your knot, rather than crisscrossing your laces, you’ll feed them through the perimeter of the shoe until you reach the highest eyelet. Bring your laces across the front of the boot and feed the laces through the other side creating a webbed matrix. As you tighten the laces, you’ll be securing the cuff and ankle. This makes it impossible for the foot to slide forward or for the toes to hit the top of the boot.
Remember, the goal is to apply pressure over your foot where it curves upward, which most directly locks your heel into place and helps prevent your foot from sliding forward and smashing your toes.
Check out this cool video tutorial from Adventure Life Singapore.
10. High InStep Lacing
Instep lacing is a technique used in hiking boots to provide additional support and comfort, particularly for the instep area of your foot. This method allows you to lace the instep independently from the collar, which can be beneficial for ascents. Here’s how you can do instep lacing:
Steps:
Start lacing your hiking boots as you normally would.
When you reach the point where your foot begins to curve upward to the ankle, most hiking boots transition from closed eyelets to open hooks. At this point, you can divide the lacing into zones.
Lace the instep (zone 1) a little more tightly for a secure fit.
Leave the upper section (zone 2) somewhat looser.
Continue lacing as normal above this point.
This technique can provide a more customised fit and is particularly useful for long hikes where you need extra support and comfort. As always, ensure that your laces are snug but not too tight.
Check out this video tutorial from Profeet Custom.
SUMMARY
I hope you’ve found that useful!
By adopting the the right lacing technique for your hiking boots and shoes, it can can significantly enhance your overall hiking experience. Not only is it crucial for maximising comfort, support and safety on the trail, but proper lacing can help to prevent common issues such as blisters, toe pain, ankle instability, and much more.
It’s worth taking the time to experiment with these techniques to find the one that works best for you. Therefore you can relax and enjoy each hiking adventure with greater confidence and comfort.
Happy hiking!
Marc
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