{"id":55604,"date":"2016-04-06T15:52:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-06T20:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=55604"},"modified":"2021-06-01T19:28:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T00:28:45","slug":"how-to-take-care-of-your-feet-on-a-hike-or-ruck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/skills\/survival\/how-to-take-care-of-your-feet-on-a-hike-or-ruck\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Take Care of Your Feet on a Hike or Ruck"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Your feet are your most basic means of transportation. But if you’re not someone who walks very far distances every day, you\u2019ve probably given very little thought to the sensitive mechanisms of this \u201cvehicle,\u201d nor know much about how to keep them running smoothly when they\u2019re really taxed.<\/p>\n

But if you ever do have to hoof it over a long distance, you\u2019ll quickly come to see how essential it is to know how to keep your feet in tip-top shape; the health of your dogs can mean the difference between an enjoyable outing and a terrible one, and even between life and death.<\/p>\n

The military has long understood how crucial foot health is to the success of their operations; the winning of battles has sometimes come down to which force was more mobile and could march more effectively. As 1912\u2019s The Soldier\u2019s Foot and the Military Shoe<\/em> explains, foot injuries and pain not only slow infantrymen down, but can also be a massive hindrance to morale:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effect of badly fitting shoes upon the psychology of war is very great. Even where the soldier is able to continue the march, the discomfort produced at every step soon reduces buoyancy of spirit, causes mental irritability and materially diminishes fighting capacity. As the attention and interest of the soldier is focused upon his own personal condition and withdrawn from matters relating to the success of the military enterprise as a whole, the mental force which inspires the command to military achievement is dissipated and lost.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s true for military operations is true for long hikes as well. Blisters, calluses, corns, and the like can quickly turn what might have been a rejuvenating trek through the wilderness into an excruciating death march. It\u2019s hard to enjoy the scenery and take in the landscape when every step you take puts you in agonizing pain.<\/p>\n

So whether you\u2019re a rucker or a hiker, how to take care of your feet is a skill every man should know. By following the tips we\u2019ll outline below, you\u2019ll be able to trek over hill and dale while keeping the means of your locomotion tuned up, and feeling hardy and vigorous every step of the way. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Wear Well-Fitted, Broken In Boots<\/h3>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Taking care of your feet on a hike starts well before you ever hit the trail. The right pair of boots — well-fitted and broken in — are crucial to keeping your dew-beaters healthy and happy mile after mile.<\/p>\n

The key to proper boot fit is ensuring that the boot\u2019s heel sits tightly to the rear of the foot, while giving the toes some wiggle room up front. If your foot is sliding around too much, either front to back or side to side, you\u2019ll have friction, which leads to blisters. If your boots are too tight, your toes will be curled and possibly smashed, especially on downward sections of the trail. That\u2019s a recipe for foot pain.<\/p>\n

The best way to get boots that fit well is to head to your outdoors shop and get some help from the shoe department. Avoid big box stores or buying online, where you\u2019re just going to grab a pair and call it good; go somewhere where they know what they\u2019re talking about. (I\u2019ve always had great service at REI, but a local place will also likely offer the kind of one-on-one customer service you need.) A couple pro tips to help you out: 1) Don\u2019t try on shoes until the afternoon, after you\u2019ve been on your feet most the day. Your feet swell when hiking, just as they do throughout the course of the day, and you want to mimic those conditions as much as possible. 2) Wear the socks you\u2019ll be wearing on your hike when you try boots on (more on socks below).<\/p>\n

After you have the boots, you\u2019ll need to break them in. You don\u2019t want your first venture with them to be on your 10-mile hike. Start by wearing them while doing chores around the house, running errands, taking walks in the neighborhood, etc. When your feet hurt in those first few days, take them off, let your feet rest, and put them on again the next day until they hurt again. With a little bit of time, you\u2019ll be able to wear them all day without any pain and you\u2019ll be ready to take them out on your next adventure.<\/p>\n

Even when your boots are broken in, there still might be spots, especially on long excursions, where they rub against your feet in funny places. Take note of those hot spots on practice walks so you can mitigate them before undertaking a high-mileage hike (more on how to do that below).<\/p>\n

Lace Your Boots Properly<\/h3>\n

You can nullify the benefits of your good pair of boots by not lacing or tying them correctly. While every foot, and boot, is different, the general idea with hiking and rucking is to keep your heel firmly to the back of the boot while not cutting off circulation to your toes and in-step.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a>

Three methods of lacing based on Major Joe Martin’s methodology. He prefers the dual lacing system. Skip lacing is similar to the what’s shown in the video below.<\/p><\/div>\n

You can do this by actually lacing the in-step differently than the ankle\/heel. In his book Get Selected for Special Forces<\/a><\/em>, Major Joe Martin recommends a unique method of doing this in which he cuts his boot laces where the foot starts to curve upward so that he has two sections to have control of. The in-step portion is tied tautly, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation. Then you can do the ankle portion basically as loose or as tight as you want, depending on what works for your feet, and not worry about your in-step being affected.<\/p>\n

That method is admittedly easier with military-style boots that go well up the calf. With hiking boots, you don\u2019t necessarily have enough lacing to do that. So hikers have devised a method of having two sections of lacing which doesn\u2019t require the laces actually being cut. It\u2019s much easier explained visually, so watch the short video below:<\/p>\n