Learn how to tie hiking boots in different ways to help fix your boot wearing problems!
Learning to tie your laces when you’re a kid can be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding skills to master. Such a simple thing. So you’d think that knowing how to tie hiking boots up as an adult would be just as straight forward? Well, if you have regular sized and shaped feet, and you choose the right hiking boots to suit said feet, lacing your boots should be a breeze. You probably won’t need to ever consider lacing your hiking shoes or boots in any way that is different to what your folks taught you.
- What’s the problem with your hiking boots or shoes?
- Surgeon’s knot
- Heel lock lacing
- Toe relief lacing
- Window lacing
- Relaxed ankle lacing
- Foot lock down lacing
What’s the problem with your hiking boots or hiking shoes?
Believe it or not, there are a ton of different ways to tie your hiking boot laces. And unless you just love learning new stuff, you’re probably here because you have a problem with your boots that you want to solve before you give up and go buy a whole new pair of boots.
So what’s your problem?!
Click one of the below common hiking boot issues that best applies to you. It will tell you which knots will help with your problem, and how to tie your hiking boots in a different way.
If this doesn’t solve the problem then try a thicker pair of socks. And if there’s still no improvement you may have to opt for a new pair of boots that are specifically designed for narrow feet.
How to tie hiking boots
Surgeon’s knot
- 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
What it does: This is a very secure knot that is used in a number of the below lacing systems.
Use this lacing if:
- Your laces keep coming undone
- Your boots tend to loosen as you hike
- You are using heel lock lacing (below)
Heel lock lacing
- Put your boot making sure that your heel is as far down to the back of your boot as possible.
- Find the point on the front of your ankle where your foot meets your leg and identify where this is on your boot
- Lace your boots as normal up to this point and then tie a surgeon’s knot (see above)
- Run the laces up to the next hook to lock off the knot and tie another surgeon’s knot
- Finish lacing as normal up to the top of the boot
What it does: Locks your heel down into the back of the boot to prevent foot movement inside the boot.
Use this lacing if:
- You get heel blisters
- Your heel is lifting out of your boot
- Your toes bang on the front of your boots when walking downhill
Toe relief lacing
- Completely un-lace your boots – yep, the whole lot!
- Re-lace your boots as normal but miss out the first eyelets altogether
What it does: Gives temporary relief if your toes or bunions start hurting.
Use this lacing if:
- Your toes are killing you during a hike
- You have bunions
- Your boots are tight across your toes
NOTE: If your toes always hurt in your boots then you may not have the right boots for you. First try wearing thinner socks, and if this doesn’t help then it might be time invest in a new pair.
Window lacing
- Identify the main point of pressure and untie your laces to just below this point
- Re-lace by going straight up the next hook above this point (instead of straight crossing over)
- Now cross the laces and continue lacing up to the top of the boot as normal
What it does: Alleviates pressure on the top of your feet.
Use this lacing if:
- You have high arches
- You have high volume feet
- You feel pressure or discomfort on the tops of your feet
Relaxed ankle lacing
- Lace your boots as normal
- Run the laces over the top of the top loops
- Tie off as normal but below the top loop
What it does: Provides a little more space and movement between the collar of your boots and your calves and ankles.
Use this lacing if:
- You have wide calves
- You have excess pressure on your ankle bones
- Your boots rub at the calf
NOTE: Window lacing above the ankle also works if you need even more movement through the ankle.
Foot lock down lacing
- Identify the points in your boots that feel especially spacious
- Unlace to the lowest point and add a surgeon’s knot at this point and continue lacing
- Repeat the surgeon’s knot in any other spots that you feel need to be extra secure
What it does: Secures your foot nicely into the boot in all places.
Use this lacing if:
- You have narrow feet
- You have flat or low volume feet
- Your toes bang on the front of your boots when walking downhill
So there you have it! Now that you know how to tie hiking boots in several different ways, or even in just the one way that you need, you can be confident that your boots will keep on giving you as much comfort as they ought. And if you’ve tried everything and you still find hiking boots uncomfortable then you may need to step over the light side and give lightweight hiking shoes a go!
Read our guide to hiking boots vs shoes to understand the pros and cons of each.