You’ve got plans for a big hike—a multi-day backpacking trip or a long day hike to a high point—but your suitable footwear is either worn out or nonexistent. Here’s what not to do: buy brand-new hiking boots right before your outing, ensuring you have no time to wear them before you start trekking up a mountain. That almost guarantees trip-ruining foot problems like blisters. Here’s what you should do instead: break in your boots—and more importantly, your feet—before the hike, by wearing the new shoes as much as you can on diverse terrain. That doesn’t have to be mountain trails if you don’t have easy access; you can break in hiking boots in the city, too. For tips on how to break in your boots anywhere, we called up Jennifer Pharr Davis, a former record holder on the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, owner of the guiding outfitter Blue Ridge Hiking Company, and author of the 2018 book The Pursuit of Endurance.
Easy Ways to Break in New Hiking Boots