Hunt With Your Boots On – Part 2

Tools & Gear

Hunt With Your Boots On – Part 2

By Ron Spomer

Parts Are Parts

Much of part one above seems self-evident when one takes a few moments to seriously consider hiking needs. Not so obvious are the various parts that constitute a boot and make it function for better or worse. So let’s pour that foundation:

Outsole: The bottom of the boot. These days most common outsoles consist of synthetic rubbers of various density/hardness (high carbon content increases stiffness, hardness and wear resistance.) Vibram is the most common brand. It is not, as many think, just one type of sole — the hard rubber, deep-lugged sole of the common “hiking boot” — though it can be this classic.

Vibram soles come in a wide variety of shapes and materials, and other brands can look like and perform similar to Vibram. The harder and smoother any outsole material, the more easily it slips on hard, wet surfaces. Softer rubber that “gives” slightly and flexes resists slipping. Polyurethane slips more easily but is lighter in weight and more expensive.

PVC slips even more, but its inexpensive. Dual density polyurethane soles consist of a soft, cushioning inner layer and harder, more durable outer surface. The colder it gets, the harder and more slippery all soles become.

Tread patterns are important. Smooth bottoms don’t grip projections. Shallow treads slip easily on wet grass, snow and ice, but don’t pick up mud the way deeply lugged soles can. Wide, V-shaped lugs are designed to shed mud more easily than shallow, straight-walled lugs. Air bobs are rounded knobs that don’t cling to mud with a death grip, but stick well to everything else. Made of soft rubber with hollow centers, air bobs flex and grip beautifully, but can rip off on sharp rocks.

Many boot makers are advertising elaborate, multi-patterned treads that supposedly grip better going downhill or up or sideways or perhaps walking on the ceiling. Some use hard rubber sole material around the edges and a softer, gripping polyurethane or rubber in the center. Study these carefully to sift fact from hype.

Midsole: A protective or insulating (cushioning) layer sandwiched between the outsole and insole. Traditionally midsoles were cork or leather and as many as three might be added to a boot. Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyurethane (PU) and Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) are most common today and are molded with variable thickness to provide cushioning and control pronation (walking on inside edge of foot) and supination (outside edge.) EVA tends to remain compressed after a few months use. PU and TPR are more durable but less cushioning.

Insole: The inside, bottom layer on which the foot rests. Usually removable. These were traditionally fine leather or cork, which absorbed perspiration, grew stinky bacteria, shrank and stiffened when dried. Synthetic fiberboards now cushion via deep heel padding. Some sport numerous small holes through which air is supposed to jet as you walk. Some compress and “spring back” to add lift and “energy” to your walk. Orthotic insoles of single density foam, usually urethane, are molded to provide arch support, lateral support and heel protection. You can add aftermarket insoles to reduce volume or increase comfort.

Shanks: These are inserts of spring steel, wood, nylon or plastic designed to add stiffness across the arch. Often molded into outsoles or sandwiched between outsole and midsole. Important for supporting heavy loads (backpacking.)

Upper: Everything above the soles, specifically the sidewalls, toe covering, ankle covering and tongue. Sometimes subdivided into vamp, the lower portion surrounding the foot below the ankle, and shaft, the tall section from ankle up. Usually leather but can be Cordura nylon, rubber or hard plastic (mountaineering boots). Uppers are built/formed around a “dummy” foot called a last.

Tongue/Gusset: The tongue is the strip of padding that protects your instep from laces. It is sewn to the boot at its bottom only. If it is sewn to the shaft up its entire length, it becomes a gusset. Gusseted tongues help keep out debris and resist sliding to either side. They also hold out water if they are waterproof. Gussets should be thin where they fold but padded in the center where they cushion laces.

Scree Collar: The padded, upper rim of the shaft. If you’ve endured a hard boot collar that cut into your leg, you’ll appreciate a padded scree collar. The name suggests this seals the boot against your leg to prevent gravel (scree) from falling inside, but in practice the collar mainly cushions the leg against the stiff edge of the shaft.

Linings: Boot interiors used to be lined with soft leather, which shrank and cracked. Cambrelle, a synthetic fabric, is the most common liner today. It helps move moisture away from your foot/sock and protects anything layered beneath such as foam padding, insulations or Gore-Tex.

Gore-Tex Bootie: Gore-Tex is not a fabric but a film or membrane that looks much like a milky white plastic garbage bag. The difference is this film of plastic has tiny pores large enough for water vapor to pass through, but not liquid water. It is shaped like a bootie, its seams sealed with Gore-Tex tape, and it is either laminated to a fabric (like the liner) or suspended in the boot between protective inner layers to prevent abrasion. So as not to puncture this lining, the booties are sewn in only along the upper rim of the boot. They add about $20 to $30 to the cost of boots.

Achilles’ Hinge: Also called a flex-notch. A wedge of thin, flexible leather inset at the back of the boot where the Achilles tendon flexes. Designed to minimize binding.

Lace-to-Toe Construction: Lacing that extends well below the instep nearly to the toes. This form of lacing permits the boot to be spread open widely for getting feet in and out, then custom tightened low around the foot to accommodate thicker or thinner socks and to secure the foot against slipping forward while going steeply downhill.

Lacing System: Eyelets are holes through which laces run, usually lined with metal rings. Hooks are just that, metal hooks set where eyelets would naturally be. D-rings are loops of hard wire that pivot freely on hinges. Locking hooks are narrow enough in the center to partially grip laces, keeping them tight while you finish tying. They are usually set back at the instep, which provides additional ankle support. Some boots now use fabric lacing loops sewn into panels within the uppers. These do not cut into laces the way some metal eyelets can and are quite light.

The advantage to D-rings is speed. Laces slip through with minimal friction so you can tighten them through several D-rings simultaneously. Hooks lace up fairly quickly. You don’t have to poke lace ends through each one as with eyelets. But hooks can snag forest debris, pant cuffs and lacing loops. This can lead to a painful face-plant. Eyelets are simple and effective, but are slow to lace. Many boots combine eyelets or fabric loops low over the vamp, where laces are rarely loosened, with D-rings or hooks up the shaft where laces are regularly loosened.

Welt: A type of connection between the upper and sole. In a Goodyear Welt a ribbon of leather (welt) is stitched to the bottom edge of the upper. The outer edge of welt is then stitched to the sole. This means soles can easily be replaced. A cheaper way to attach is to flare the bottom edge of the upper and stitch it directly to the sole. The problem with stitching upper to sole is that the stitching breaks. Welts can be glued or cemented to the soles.

Rand: A band of hard rubber extending from the outsole up over the toe and/or sides of the boot. This is the best thing to happen to boots since leather. A rand protects the most vulnerable parts of the boot from abrasion. A high rand combined with a thick sole can provide 2 inches of waterproof height while leaving more than enough leather exposed for foot perspiration to escape.

Exoskeleton or Frame: PU extensions of the outsole or midsole that wrap up the sides of boots to provide additional lateral support. Often tie into the lacing system.

Now that we know the parts of a boot and how they contribute to performance and comfort, we should investigate the materials that make or break them. That comes next in Part 3 of this report.