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Main Boards => Gear => Topic started by: cbr6fs on 03:05:29, 19/04/10

Title: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: cbr6fs on 03:05:29, 19/04/10
Hi,

Anyone ever seen decent laceless walking boots?

I have some half decent Merrells and Timberland shoes, but find i'm stubbing my toe on steeper donhills and could do with more support.

Any ideas please?


Cheers
Mark
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Dixie on 06:57:57, 19/04/10
Sounds like your boots are too small if your toes are hurting when going down hill.
Had my feet measured at the weekend I found that I needed a half size bigger in boots. I had a similar problem to yours.
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: sunnydale on 07:48:22, 19/04/10
Yes, I would recommend you get your feet measured properly so you get the correct size boot.....especially if you've been wearing the 'shoe' types for a while. Any good walking/outdoor shop should have experienced staff who will help you. The best shops usually have a ramp where you can walk up and down, enabling you to see how your toes feel when descending.  OK, it's not quite the same as being outdoors on a walk - but it helps.
 
Laces are a good thing IMO, as you can adjust the tension at various points to make the fit even more comfortable.
 
BTW, good quality socks are just as important as good quality boots, such as Brasher or Bridgedales.
 
Your feet are the most important thing and they deserve to be looked after.
 
Tracey :)
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Desmodegsy on 10:07:38, 19/04/10

 
Your feet are the most important thing and they deserve to be looked after.
 
Tracey :)

Well said m'dear! I agree.  O0 
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: cbr6fs on 10:39:50, 19/04/10
Hi thanks for all the replies  O0

My shoes are a great fit, but when descending because i'm having to brake my foot slips very slightly each time.
On a 4-5 hour walk it's no discomfort, but on a longer walk on steep descents it starts getting very uncomfortable.

So it's not really the shoe fit, but more a case that there is not enough support in the shoe to stop my foot slipping.
If i wear my winter shoes (slightly bigger so i can fit thicker socks) this slipping cause blisters as well as toe bunching.

If i wear my smaller shoes with my winter socks (effectively going a smaller size of shoe) then my toes bunch even more.


I only have the use of 1 arm so tying laces is an absolute nightmare.
With years of practice i can do it, but it usually takes around 15min per shoe and even then it's not tight enough for walking.


I've also tried those lace stopper things that both laces go through, but again you can't really get tight enough with these as they start slipping.

So ideally there would be some decent walking boot with Velcro or ratchet type closures.

I've searched long and hard but have failed to come up with anything decent yet.

I'd have though with the amount of disabled and old people walking there would have been a market for this type of thing.



Cheers
Mark
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: sunnydale on 11:04:52, 19/04/10

I only have the use of 1 arm so tying laces is an absolute nightmare.
With years of practice i can do it, but it usually takes around 15min per shoe and even then it's not tight enough for walking.

So ideally there would be some decent walking boot with Velcro or ratchet type closures.

I've searched long and hard but have failed to come up with anything decent yet.

Ah, I understand now Mark :)   I actually saw a walker wearing non-laced boots a little while ago.  They appeared to have a diagonal flap with a zip fastener (I think).
I didn't notice the name of them as I was too busy being surprised!  I'd never seen them before and didn't even know they existed! :o
Tiz a pity you hadn't posted before I saw her, coz I would have asked her opinion etc.
 
Hope you manage to find some soon! O0
 
Tracey :)
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Ian s on 12:41:20, 19/04/10
Salomon used to do one that was sort of borrowed from ski boot design and had a zip/ velcro closure. It's not listed in their current range though.
 
It might be worth getting in touch with Altberg http://www.altberg.co.uk/Web/ (http://www.altberg.co.uk/Web/) who make decent boots to custom order and not stupidly expensively. Maybe they could do a velcro closure for you?
 
Maybe you've tried locking eyelets such as you find on mountaineering boots? usually they are to differentiate the fit between forefoot and ankle but i'm sure if you put them at the top of a lacing system they'd do the job. together with mountain boot style posted eyelets they should make a one pull closure mechanism,  La Sportiva boots like the Nepal range have pretty good ones that don't come undone unless you want them to.
 
good luck!
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: cbr6fs on 13:20:44, 19/04/10
Fantastic thanks.

I've just searching through the Salomon boots images hoping to find an old image with the boots model number so i could then do a specific search in the hope of finding a shop with old stock.
15 pages into the google image search though and i was unable to find any Salomon boots with zips and/or velcro, vast majority were skiing boots.
I did see the Deemax boots, but it looks like these just have the velcro over the laces.

I'll do another search when i get home tonight  O0

Also sent altberg an email to see if they offer other methods of boot closure, so fingers crossed.


What are these locking eyelets Ian please?
If i were maybe tie a knot in each side of the just above the eyelet lace do you think these would be secure?
Would there be enough lace to remove the boot once knotted do you think?



Cheers
Mark
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Ian s on 14:07:18, 19/04/10
Fantastic thanks.

I've just searching through the Salomon boots images hoping to find an old image with the boots model number so i could then do a specific search in the hope of finding a shop with old stock.
15 pages into the google image search though and i was unable to find any Salomon boots with zips and/or velcro, vast majority were skiing boots.
I did see the Deemax boots, but it looks like these just have the velcro over the laces.

I'll do another search when i get home tonight  O0

Also sent altberg an email to see if they offer other methods of boot closure, so fingers crossed.


What are these locking eyelets Ian please?
If i were maybe tie a knot in each side of the just above the eyelet lace do you think these would be secure?
Would there be enough lace to remove the boot once knotted do you think?



Cheers
Mark

They did do them, a colleague had them. orange they were, and a 4 season boot. it was about 8 years ago though. sorry can't remember the model name or anything. Supposedly they were a good sturdy boot though with plenty support and goretex lined. the zip was a diagonal closure with a velcro flap to keep mud outof the zip.

Locking eyelets? mountain type boots often have these half way up the system to adjust tension between forefoot and ankle. on La Sportiva boots and several other brands these are quite secure. The lace threads through a hinged metal D ring which locks down against a post with a plastic flange when you pull the lace. They unlock by lifting the lace in the "wrong" direction and giving it a tug to release the D ring. with a low friction lacing system you could easily tie one end of the lace off, thread it right round and with a locking eye at the top of the ankle you could use a laced system with one pull adjustment.

In the attached picture the locking eye is the 6th up from the toe. If you could get hold of some of these and get a cobbler to re-position your other hooks and eyes you'd be away!
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Jason123 on 20:44:52, 19/04/10
Would zipits be any good?
 
http://www.rvops.co.uk/boot-zips-zipits-2006.html (http://www.rvops.co.uk/boot-zips-zipits-2006.html)
 
The picture is badly set up, the zip it should go under the boot eyelets. Also an easy trick is to take a handfull of cable ties in your sac, use these at the 4th 5th eyelet point to keep your heel back and down, you'll need to carry some cutters/leatherman to get them off though.
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Flurry on 16:18:55, 11/01/18
I'd like to re-open this discussion.  I now have arthritis in my hip which makes reaching my feet difficult, and when I get there the arthritis in my hands stops me making a good job of lacing my boots.  I'm sure I'm not alone - we recently had a walk with an 80+ year old and he was getting wet feet in ordinary shoes with Velcro fasteners.  We don't want to gallop up mountains any more, but we do want to stay secure and dry on a country walk.  Surely this is a gap in a growing market that the manufacturers should be addressing?
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: ninthace on 19:30:46, 11/01/18
Rather than do that, have you considered replacing your existing  laces with Quicklaces or similar? I have a set of boots that I wear in the snow that have such a system - basically they can be tightened with a single pull on the tab. Google Quicklace or search YouTube for Quicklace. Other systems are available I believe.
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: MarkT on 20:44:45, 11/01/18
Don't know whether these would be suitable but are walking shoes rather than boots.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terrain-Hiking-Walking-Trekking-Trainers/dp/B01I1NK0NO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1515703167&sr=8-4&keywords=velcro%2Bwalking%2Bboots&th=1&psc=1
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Kukkudrill on 22:53:54, 15/01/18
Then there are military boots with sidezips. I've never worn them myself but I assume you only need to lace them up once, then you just zip and unzip them. There are waterproof varieties too - Magnum is one brand that comes to mind. Army surplus stores would be the place to look.
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Lottie Holder on 15:10:47, 07/02/18
My current Velcro fastening leather Gore Tex boots are by Italian brand Primigi

They are actually boys boots but are a size 40 (7) so if your foot is small kids brands might be an option

Mine were actually bought in Italy but there are quite a few online outlets like Igloo that might have something suitable so long as you check their returns policy

Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: fernman on 14:40:24, 08/02/18
Did you join just to post an advert, Lottie? Because this is a walking forum where members discuss sturdy footwear suitable for going on long hikes, and not children's footwear that might only be suitable for a walk round the park. Unless I'm mistaken of course, in which case do please tell me I'm wrong and I will give you my full apologies.
Title: Re: Laceless walking boots?
Post by: Flatlander on 01:19:55, 12/02/18
Have you tried elastic laces (plenty of choices on ebay)? I now use them on all my footwear. I need stiff soles to take the loadings off an arthritic toe but the stiffer boots transferred pressure to the top of my feet, causing tendinitis. Elastic laces allow the boots to change shape with my feet as I walk so I always have good support but with no pressure points. They are tensioned with a single toggle which I rarely have to adjust as I can put the boots on by just lifting the lace off the top hooks, so they could possibly suit your needs. Adding a second toggle halfway up the boot allows me to set a lower tension in the toe area while maintaining ankle support.