How To Fix Heel Slippage In Cowboy Boots

New boots can be a blessing and a expletive. All hikers are familiar with the process.

Y'all become a new pair of hiking boots, they feel awful for a bit, maybe give you blisters, and before you know information technology, they're your favorite pair of boots. The bad news is that discomfort and adjustment are role of the natural hiking kick cycle. The good news is that there's a lot you can do to make the process of breaking in hiking boots easier.

Warm shoes and orthopedic insoles.

Insoles tin can assist prevent the development of foot disorders such as plantar fasciitis.

Parts of a Boot

Before we get started, nevertheless, information technology's of import to know some basic boot parts so you can orient yourself. Boots are not all that complicated, but yous may not realize just how many of these pieces can contribute to heel slippage! Hither are some of the boot parts nosotros'll exist discussing:

Insoles: The insole is the soft, internal role of the shoe where your foot rests. Properly fitted and shaped insoles are essential to a good fit. Many hikers and runners utilise boosted insertable insoles to boost arch support, add cushion, and more.
Tongue: The flap on top of the shoe or boot that goes underneath the laces. A worn-out tongue is an often-overlooked cause of heel slippage. If your boots are sometime, you may need to reinforce the natural language.
Instep: Technically, the instep is the part of your foot that goes in the shoe. This is what's generally referred to as the "curvation" of your foot, although there are three arches total.
Outsole: The rough, outer sole that touches the basis. Outsoles don't have much of an effect on heel slippage, simply an outsole that'due south besides heavy tin can exacerbate the problem.
Eyelets: These are the metal circles that cover and protect the holes for the laces.
Collar: The acme edge of the dorsum of the shoe. This is where you would adhere a heel grip or insert a heel liner to alleviate heel slippage.

What is Heel Slipping / Heel Slippage?

Heel slipping, or heel slippage is one of the main reasons that a skilful pair of boots is essential for whatever hiker or camper. Not only can heel slippage be an uncomfortable experience, but it can also contribute to medical problems such as plantar fasciitis.

Then what exactly is a heel slippage? To put information technology simply, heel slipping is when your pes slips out the dorsum of your shoe or kick while walking. Often, the culprit is the heel area of your kicking not being tight, worn-in, or well-fitted enough.

Thankfully, this tin can be fairly easy to fix, either by wearing the boots in more than or by using some common tips and tricks as outlined beneath. Showtime, nonetheless, let's look into what causes heel slippage and why it's then common with newly-purchased shoes.

What Causes Heel Slippage?

Heel slippage is an annoying problem that you can run into with any pair of new shoes. It'south more than common, still, with stiffer shoes such as work boots, high heels, and cowboy boots. It tin be especially annoying when this happens with your hiking boots!

Afterwards all, you're relying on your boots to keep your anxiety safe and salubrious, and a heel slip on the trail can exist unsafe. So why do some shoes crusade heel slippage? Substantially, the problem is that there's not enough traction or force per unit area from the shoe around your heel.

This can be because the shoe doesn't fit right, isn't laced tightly plenty, is made of low-traction materials, or even only because the boots need to be cleaved in.

11 Tips To Preclude and Fix Heel Slippage in Boots

Depending on the source of your heel slippage problem, the fix volition be a little chip dissimilar. Thankfully, at that place are some piece of cake tips and tricks to preclude your heel from slipping even while you article of clothing a new pair of boots. You should dominion out a few common shoe and kick problems first. To start with, cheque the sizing of your boots and consider adjusting your walking mode.

1. Make sure you accept the correct size

The get-go and foremost matter to check if you showtime to experience heel slippage is to make sure y'all have the right size kicking. Information technology'southward essential when buying a new pair of boots to become an accurate and snug fit. Non merely will this prevent your heel from slipping out, simply it can likewise preclude foot and ankle issues like plantar fasciitis besides.

It can be tricky to detect the perfect fit! Different boots are shaped differently and your feet grow and change with different ecology atmospheric condition every bit well. One fashion to improve your chances, however, is to pay attention to both the length and width of your shoe size. If you need narrow soled shoes and end up with broad soles, you're going to run into some heel slippage.

2. Adjust your walking mode

This tin can be a good fashion to make wearing in a new pair of boots less of a pain. Simply try to walk heel-first rather than ball-beginning and this should alleviate some of the slipping. Y'all should as well pay attention to your walking way when buying new boots. Test them out by walking a scrap to make certain they work well with your walking manner.

3. Use a boot dryer

Non just will keeping your boots nice and dry out aid to forbid clothing, mold, and the breakdown of the interior of your kick, it can besides help them fit meliorate. Just like putting certain apparel through the dryer to compress them, drying your boots will tighten them up a flake.

It's always better to use a purpose-congenital kick dryer to get the best results. Yous tin, however, use a fan to dry out out the inside of your boots if they become moisture. Or, fill up them with absorbent material such as balls of newspaper. Fully drying your boots will prevent the wear that can lead to heel slippage, and then make sure it'southward on your post-hike to-exercise list!

four. Utilise heel grips

If you're sure you have the correct size kicking, and you lot've tried adjusting your gait and drying your boots, it's fourth dimension to get serious well-nigh tackling heel slippage. One easy-to-utilize option is a heel grip. This product, used in everything from piece of work boots to high heels, attaches to the tiptop of your shoe, providing a buffer between your heel and the dorsum of the shoe.

Heel grips can likewise exist used to right for shoes that are as well large for you if you've already fabricated the purchase. This is similar to what a cobbler would call a "altitude" but rather than being inserted into the shoe itself, the heel grip just attaches to the back.

Some people observe them to be irritating and difficult to use, but a lot of people discover them very comfortable.

v. Get non-slip insoles

You lot can also apply insertable insoles designed to foreclose your foot from sliding around in the boot. In fact, insoles tin can exist bully for a lot of purposes including curvation support, cushioning, and gait correction. Be careful to empathize the limitations of consumer products.

Only a podiatrist can address medical problems with orthotics. Merely the insoles available over the counter are cracking for uncomplicated fixes. Heel slippage is a great example. Just search for non-slip insoles, and brand certain to go the right size.

6. Put in heel liners

Y'all can likewise purchase a similar product called a heel liner, which fits in the dorsum of your shoe rather than at the lesser. Much like a heel grip, a heel liner creates a cushion between your heel and the back of the shoe.

This improves the traction and prevents slippage, and information technology too can assist with blisters from too much human foot movement inside the shoe. If you don't want to buy heel liners or heel grips, you can use thick socks to a like consequence! More in socks in a moment.

vii. Use lace anchors or better kicking lacing.

One surprising source of heel slippage is loose shoelaces. Y'all may not fifty-fifty realize the laces are loose, simply if your heel keeps slipping out the back, finding a way to lace your boots more tightly can help a lot. Or, you tin buy lace anchors to keep your laces from loosening as y'all walk.

At that place are many unlike versions of lace anchors, but they all attach to your laces and keep them from slipping through the eyelets. In that location are many different methods for lacing boots. Some, like the rabbit hole method, are especially good for stopping slippage.

Anybody has their own preferences, so try out a few different lacing styles to encounter which is the most comfortable for you. The rabbit pigsty method is relatively simple, so it's a expert place to first if yous're trying to adjust your lacing. Hither'south what to do:

Lace up the boots as you normally would, stopping before the tiptop / extra holes.
Then, pull both lace ends through one top hole.
Take both laces and lace them through the other top pigsty.
Finally, tie a bow equally you normally would.

8. Get tongue pads

The tongue of your shoe or boot is one of the top spots for vesture and tear. As the natural language gets loose and worn out, information technology won't concur your foot quite as tightly to the bottom and dorsum of the shoe. Natural language pads are a great solution to the problem.

You merely attach them to the bottom side of the natural language, and they push the heel backward and down. This can help prevent heel slippage by holding the wheel closer to the back of the shoe, but information technology's also good for reinforcing a worn-out natural language generally.

Yous can purchase tongue pads in a variety of styles and thicknesses depending on how much cushion you need.

9. Switch to non-slip socks

Despite what you might be thinking, it'due south not always necessary to mod out your boots to solve a trouble with heel slippage. Sometimes, it tin can be as piece of cake as switching out your socks. Thicker socks can help provide more traction (just like a heel liner, heel grip, or any of the other inserts to a higher place) also as cushioning to take up some space in the shoe.

So, if your boot or shoe is a fiddling too big and you're sliding effectually in in that location, become some thicker pairs of socks and see if they solve the problem earlier yous try anything more involved.

10. Use double-sided tape

Here'southward where the list gets a picayune weirder. For hikers and campers especially, you're not e'er in a identify where ownership a heel liner would be easy. So these last couple of tips are for DIY solutions when you can't get to the real matter. Still, information technology can be surprising how well some of these hacks piece of work!

Double-sided tape is the first to endeavor. If you take double-sided tape (especially the thicker kind for posters), just put a strip or two along the back wall of your shoe or kicking. It volition add some traction and cushioning to separate your heel from the back of the shoe. You lot can as well buy purpose-made blister tape to add cushioning or prevent rubbing in your boots.

Hand using a hairspray bottle

11.Use a little hairspray!

Finally, you tin too use hair spray to increase the amount of traction between your foot and the shoe. Just spray a petty on your pes or on the inside of the dorsum of the shoe and you're good to get! It may feel a little weird at first, simply this really does work.

It was adult first by people who clothing loftier heels, but it works merely as well for hiking boots, work boots, and only about any shoe with a heel slipping problem.

How to Prepare Heel Slip in Boots

With a picayune luck, the tips to a higher place volition solve your heel slippage problem. If you lot need more than a quick gear up, however, in that location are some ways to adjust boots or shoes to fit you better. Of course, it's better to brand sure you lot're sizing boots accurately in the offset place, but if y'all do end upwards with a pair that you'd rather adjust, yous can have a cobbler install "distances" in the shoe.

You tin sometimes get this blazon of repair performed at a shoe shop, but non all of them have repair services available, so you may need to find a cobbler. In this example, the cobbler will install leather spacers in the back of the boot or shoe in society to push button your human foot forward. If yous have very well-made boots and want to preserve the quality, working with a cobbler may be a skilful idea.

Final Verdict

The about effective way to prevent heel slippage is to brand sure your hiking boots fit right in the first identify. It can be tempting to buy a pair of boots earlier you lot do all your homework, only brand sure to have your pes measured, exam the boots, and consider getting custom inserts to fit the kicking to your pes.

All of this can help forestall heel slippage, but sometimes it's just a necessary office of the kicking break-in process. If you discover yourself in the position, just try the tips above, and your boots will be secure in no time.

Bonus tip: Here are a few different ways to lace your boots for a snug and secure fit!