Boot lacing styles?

Zardoz

Zardoz

Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
253
Silly question time...

What's the best way to lace your boots, and the best laces?
I've bought a pair of Danners, I have to admit there is nothing over here that can compare, and have laced them in the usual X shape cross-over style, with the excess lace wound once around the top of the boot and then bow tied.

Are wide flat laces better, i.e. would they apply less pressure over the foot where the laces cross compared to the standard round laces?

Other than the cross over style, and the millitary parallel style where one lace goes straight to the top and the other does all the work, are their other patterns?
 
Mate, in time you will find that round cord laces will
out last flat laces 2 to 1. Cord laces also can be used
in pinch for many other uses.
 
Round laces are the best.

But
I've bought a pair of Danners, I have to admit there is nothing over here that can compare
Click to expand...
Danners are fine for streets and pavement but as soon as you hit the hills you will regret buying them, I did. I bought a pair of Acadias and they are nowhere near supportive or tough enough, I'm trying to sell them at the moment. And don't trust the thinsulate in winter, they also take a long time to dry out if you get them wet. I have a pair of Matterhorn Orions I bought from an army surplus store for £35 that I wear for work, and prefer them to the £180 danners. I since bought a pair of Lowa military boots for £150 and they are far, far better.

Anyway, you can do a lot better than danner in the UK.
 
Willadams - Hi, the only UK job boot I've found that comes close are the Altbergs http://www.altberg.co.uk/index.htm
I've tried Magnums but prefer the stitched down sole style, like the Danners / Matterhorns / Bellevilles etc. Only other UK duty boot I can think of are the Eagle range, but I have no working knowledge of them.
Fortunately down here its flat so the Danners seem to work ok, we don't have your hills and mountains! But six months ago I broke a bone in my instep (same bone as Beckhams', but nobody put my foot on the front page!) and it's tender under the instep laces, I wondered if there was a better way to lace.
Cheers all.

p.s. I can't find the Lowa millitary boots on the web - they don't appear to be on their commercial site. Did you get them from a UK supplier?
 
just a bit of trivia. I lace my boots cris cross starting at the bottom and working to the top. No problem on long hikes. Another way is zig zag from top to bottom and then the end runs up to one of the top eyes. Two reasons for this method - you can tighten the toe end up easier and also its easier to cut the laces by running your blade up the zig zag. I've never got used to the zig zag but.
 
Hi Zardoz

Silvermans doing Lowa's too now? I got mine from www.sofmilitary.co.uk I belive SASS do them too. I got mine after asking woodlore what boots Ray Mears wears, and until then had never heard of them. They have massive amounts of padding called th Lowa climate control system, does a good job of keeping feet cool in summer and warm in winter (better than thinsulate anyway). I wore my acadias on November trip to Alberta and they did not keep my feet warm, just cold and clammy. The final straw wiith my acadias was after a day out walking the scottish coast the soft leather was covered in scratches with a few thorns sticking in too. After a while you may find as I did that where the uppers are stitched and cemented to the sole the cement doesn't hold long and dirt soon builds up in the gap. For £180 I was very dissapointed. But glad I have the Lowa's.

I hope you don't get the same problems as me, buying boots can get expensive.

Will
 
I lace criss cross to the instep then i go straight up three of four eye lets and resume criss crossing. This give you mor flexibility and less pinching. Also boot should be tied snug but not so tight ot cause circulation problems.

Paul
 
Another option...
Double lace (go thru the same holes 2X) the 4th & 5th eyelet, the ones on the bend on your ankle.
It seems to build up a cushion, instead of digging in like a single lace X.
YMMV
 
With the X over method there is also the option of which way you run the lace through the eyelet.You can either go up through the eyelet or down. If you go down the laces lock tighter which gives a lot more support but can become a problem if your feet swell, but its good in the winter/wet. Will is right about the Danner's I used to think they were the Dog's but after getting some found they did not agree with the British weather.
Have a look at www.johnbullclothing.com
Nick.
 
With the X over method there is also the option of which way you run the lace through the eyelet.You can either go up through the eyelet or down. If you go down the laces lock tighter which gives a lot more support but can become a problem if your feet swell, but its good in the winter/wet. Will is right about the Danner's I used to think they were the Dog's but after getting some found they did not agree with the British weather.
Have a look at www.johnbullclothing.com
Nick.
 
Hello again zardoz,

I've been thinkin about your lace problem. You should not realy be able to feel the laces through the tongue. And this reminds me of another problem I had with the acadias, do the boots feel the right width around the sole? but you have to pull the laces as tight as they go to keep your foot snug? This is a problem I had. It causes the tongue to bunch up when the boots are new and it could be this that is causing the disconfort? It was with mine.

Honestly mate, I don't know the role your boots need to serve, but if you can, send the danners back.

Urban use - Magnums or pro-boot stealth
Rural/trail - Lowa

Regards

Will
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, I must admit I'm thinking of ditching the Danners and going for Lowas. Are the soles replaceable?
I bought the Danners because I wanted a boot that would last forever, and the Danners old style construction meant I could get them resoled and repaired at my local cobbler. But a genuine walking boot like the Lowa might be better.
 
yeah you can get the Lowa's re-soled.

I just wish someone had told me about danners before I spent the £180:o

Anyone in the UK wanna buy a pair of Acadias size 8:D
 
i have a pair of zamberlan alpine trekking boots theyre excellent, will take a walking crampon yet still relatively flexible and very comfortable and supportive. I lace in an X pattern but taking the lace from the inside of the hole to the outside and back across so when i pull them tight they have a 'locking' effect and dont come undone befor ei can tie the knot. I dont have the laces so long i have to wind them around, I keep them so I can get a reasonable length bow tied double with no leftover. I too far prefer round laces, they last longer and dont get twisted. i also feel they slide through the eyelets a little, giving a more even distribution of pressure on the foot
 
I have my boots laced in both the X and parallel(army style) types.

I wear army boots all day, and only because I can't find runners in a size 13 under $200... I have my everyday pair laced in the X, however, my work boots: steel toed, solid rubber soles, are leced in the parallel army way. I find it better for continious movement, but doesn't stay as tight. It also allows for quick removal should I injure my foot on the job, simply run a knife up the laces and it's off.
 
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