It’s important to take the time to find the right footwear. Everyone’s feet are quite different, and different brands have slightly different sizing, so trying on a variety of brands and sizes will more likely help to get a good match. Keep in mind that the most suitable footwear might not be an expensive high-end shoe or boot: expensive shoes that are badly fit can make for a miserable bushwalking experience. Be open to trying a variety of footwear types and sizes, and take the time to trial them thoroughly.

General tips:

• First and foremost, the footwear must be a good fit and feel comfortable. Any discomfort (pinching, rubbing, tightness) will only get worse on a bushwalk.
• Aim to fit new footwear in the evening, since feet tend to swell during the day. Also, check the fitting again first thing in the morning. In both cases, the footwear should be comfortable.
• Wear the socks that you’re planning to walk in when trying on the footwear.
• Trim toenails beforehand.
• Take any orthotic footbed needed.
• Properly fitting footwear will lock the heel in place, be a snug fit around the foot but still allow enough room to wiggle toes. Toes should not hit the toebox.
• Buying footwear online is hard, unless buying a pair that has previously worked well. If trying a new style or brand, take the time to visit a local outdoor shop.
• Leather boots need breaking in, particularly near the front of the boot, the sides and the heel. Keep this in mind when fitting leather.

1. Select an appropriate footwear style based on the type of walking and areas they’ll most likely be used on.
2. Try a variety of sizes and brands of that footwear. If possible, get feet measured in a by a standard shoe-fitting device (even if size is known). It’s common for people to have one foot larger than the other. Always size footwear to the biggest foot.
3. Loosen laces, slip foot inside.
4. Before doing up the laces, check the length: when the heel is fully down, there should be roughly one finger width between the heel and shoe. Also, check toe-splay when standing up: there should be no rubbing or discomfort.

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5. Lace up footwear, making sure the ankle is securely locked in.
6. Now check the width: the toes and sides of the feet should not be squashed nor slide from side to side.
7. Walk around and roll forward onto tip toes several times: the heel should not lift or rub. Check by crouching down and bending forward. If the heel is rubbing, select footwear with a smaller heel.



8. Walk up and down an incline: toes should not press against the toebox.



9. Check there’s no pinching at any points (e.g. from the laces or tongue).
10. If everything checks out okay, do a few more laps around the store to be sure. Don’t rush, take the time to figure out what’s comfortable and right. Before purchasing, check the returns policy: many shops are happy to accept footwear returns as long as they haven’t been worn outside.

Everyone’s feet are slightly differently shaped, and it can be challenging finding footwear to work for some types of feet. There are a few tricks that can help improve fits for some common foot types.

• Narrow foot
  Use a thicker insole or try a different lacing technique.
• Narrow heel
  Try a woman’s footwear as they tend to have a slightly narrower heel.
• Wide foot
  Try a men’s footwear as they tend to be wider. Alternatively, change the lacing technique to remove pressure on the front of the footwear.
• High instep
  Put in additional arch support on the insole.

There are a few basic repairs and adjustments that can help give an old pair of boots or shoes a new lease of life. As long as the soles are not too worn, and the upper material is still in good condition, it’s worth tweaking a few things to make them last a few more miles.

1. Replace the laces, which stretch and wear out over time. New laces have better grip and are able to hold the foot more strongly in place.
2. Replace the insole, which wears thin and degrades over time. A new thicker insole improves support by providing a tighter fit. Using an extra insole is also another way to combat heel-slip by locking the foot tightly in place.
3. Replace socks, which wear out over time. New socks make all the difference for comfort and support.

Laces help to lock the foot in place stopping it from moving around and rubbing. There are many different ways to lace footwear using different knots and threading techniques, and in doing so, it’s possible to lace footwear to benefit people with narrow heels or high insteps. The idea is to apply more pressure to certain parts of the foot while relieving pressure on other parts, and this helps to secure the foot into the footwear. Lacing should be done up tight (but not overtight) and should have even tension across the boot or shoe.

Laces are typically tied with a knot at the top of the boot or shoe, but this isn’t the only place where tying a knot is handy. Knots can also be useful part way up the boot or shoe to lock off certain areas from others, such as the lower half from the upper half.

Knots at the top of the boot or shoe
The Bow Knot
A Bow knot is the typical knot done at the top of the boot or shoe.

Knots elsewhere on the boot or shoe
The Overhand knot
This is the overhand loop that starts a bow at the top of a boot or shoe, but can also be used at other points too as a way to lock off and reduce tension below the knot.

The Surgeon’s knot
The same as the overhand loop only instead of going around just once and pulling taut, go around 2-3 times. This is a helpful way of having different tension between the upper and lower part of the boot or shoe, so it’s possible to have loose and tight sections. For instance, if there’s a sore spot at the top of the foot, make the lacing below it tight, lock off with a surgeon’s knot, the tie laces loosely above.

Fasteners
Fasteners are metal reinforced holes that make walking shoes or boots easier to lace up. There are four main types of fasteners.

• Punched eyelets
  Holes that are punched directly into the material, reinforced with metal grommets. Effective and inexpensive, but may tend to rip out.
• Webbing:
  As with punched eyelets, also tend to wear out quickly.
• D-rings
  Durable metal loops that allow laces to be easily done up but can irritate some users due to the increased pressure on the foot at these locations.
• Hooks
  Open metal hooks, often in the top 3 or 4 fastener locations. Effective for tightening boots and rare in other shoe types. If the laces are slipping, create a loop on the hook by lacing down instead of up.

Most laced footwear has criss-cross lacing.

There are an enormous number of other ways to lace shoes, including the means to deliver secret messages.

Lacing may make a huge difference when footwear doesn’t quite fit. Here are some common issues and lacing solutions.

Laces snagged on passing scrub
Try an inside-out version of straight bar lacing which keeps the knots and lace ends to one side and distributes pressure evenly. When laced so that both knots face inwards (between ankles), laces are less likely to get snagged in scrub.

Another variation is to cross the laces (like criss-cross lacing) but go down an eyelet on one side and up the eyelet on the other. This keeps the laces away from each other and gives a more uniform pull, allowing the two sides to meet if so needed.

Pressure points
Try gap lacing. Creating a gap in the middle of the lacing is an effective way of bypassing pressure areas by not having direct pressure from the lace or a lace crossover point.

This is a good way of removing pressure from the top of the foot, particularly if the shoe or boot is digging in. This can happen to people with a high instep. Reduce pressure by applying a gap lacing over the sensitive area, and consider using a surgeon’s knot to lock the laces on either side.

Alternatively, try straight bar (parallel) lacing to reduce pressure on top of the foot.

Heel blisters
Try heel-lock lacing. Blisters form when skin is rubbed continually at one spot, which can happen if the boot or shoe is loose at the heel. The heel lifts up with every step, causing friction, eventually leading to a blister. The heel-lock lacing technique allows the heel to be firmly positioned.

• For low-cut shoes, create extra loops using of the top eyelets and lace through these to tighten the heel in place.

• For high-ankle boots, use a surgeon’s knot directly opposite the heel to lock the heel in place. Then tie off higher up the boot using the metal eyelets. Note, there are many different ways to tie off. Here’s one example that uses the same locking mechanism as low-cut shoes above.

Narrow feet
Lock off footwear at multiple points. Footwear can be made to fit narrow feet better by isolating different parts of the laces with a Surgeon’s knot.

Ankle Pressure
Finish off laces differently. Take pressure off the top of the boot by bringing the laces over the top of the hooks first, then tie the laces.

Regular maintenance of bushwalking footwear keeps them in good condition for longer, allowing them to be used on more trips. Unfortunately, like most bushwalking gear, boots or shoes are also subject to a fair bit of wear and tear out on a bushwalk from weather conditions, terrain and vegetation. Walkers that take good care of their footwear with some basic maintenance checks and repairs before, during and after the walk, can use them more reliably and for longer.

Before the walk
Here are some general maintenance footwear checks to do before heading into the bush.

• Overall Condition
  Check for cracks or rips; loose soles or insoles; stitching.
• Laces
  Replace any frayed or worn laces.
• Eyelets/D-rings
  Check if loose or cracked.
• Breaking boots in
  Leather shoes need considerable time for the leather to mould to the foot.
• Waterproofing
  If needed, use the appropriate product to waterproof the boot or shoe fabric. For synthetic materials, it’s usually a silicone-based product, and for leather it’s oil-based.

During the walk

• Remove any debris or dirt picked up along the way (both exterior and internal).
• Make any short-term field repairs as necessary such as replacing broken laces.
• On multi-day trips, dry footwear out overnight. Be wary of drying out footwear close to a campfire or heater: footwear materials easily melt with direct heat and leather boots also crack in direct sunlight. Also, be wary of leaving boots outside in cold conditions as they can freeze and crack. The following morning, shake out boots before putting them on in case anything has crawled in overnight.

Back home:

• Give footwear an initial clean using a brush to remove dirt, then add running water and mild soap (check manufacturer’s recommendations). Clean the inside of the boot to remove mud and sweat.
• Thoroughly dry out footwear, but not in direct heat or sunlight.
• Re-waterproof boots if necessary. Leather boots need to have a leather conditioner regularly applied to stop the boots drying out.
• Perform a general maintenance and make any repairs in time for the next bushwalking trip.
• Store in a cool, dry place. Avoid humid areas. Also, don’t put them in a plastic bag as this prevents footwear from airing. Take the boots off before storing them.

Pathogens are anything that causes a disease, and can have devastating effects on native wildlife. Infected populations often suffer excessive losses due to lack of immunity, and are swamped by other species, both exotic and native. In extreme cases, disease can lead to the local extinction of a species.

Pathogens can disperse by a few methods including water and wind, but also by using a carrier, that is, by attaching seeds or spores to living creatures. Hitching a free ride can be a highly effective way of dispersing, and invasive species spreading this way can have dramatic consequences for the local ecosystem and ecology. Once a weed is established, it is extremely challenging to remove it: better to stop weeds entering native areas in the first place. Phytophthora, a soil-borne water mould, has had devastating effects on plant communities in the Sydney region. Spread via water, soil and human activity, it has effectively dispersed into many native vegetation patches around Sydney, and local management authorities and community groups are working hard to combat the spread.

Bushwalkers are perfect carriers not only for pathogen spread but invasive weeds too because they often go between urban and predominantly native areas, and generally travel considerable distances. National park trail heads quite often have cleaning stations where visitors are asked to clean their boots to ensure they don’t bring anything into the park. Being particularly good at spreading weeds and pathogens, it’s vital that bushwalkers do as much as possible to prevent it.

Set good examples to the group and other bushwalkers. Here are some tips to prevent the spread of pathogens and seeds.

1. Check park guidelines: some areas have specific problems and management strategies that all park visitors must follow.
2. Make sure that clothes and footwear are clean of all organic matter including mud, seeds, spores and burrs before heading into the bush. Check upon return too.
3. Never discard fruit and vegetable in the bush: they can germinate into non-native plants. Also, take care when eating not to drop any material or leave food behind at lunch and rest stops.
4. If walking through farmland or areas with lots of weedy species, avoid wearing materials on the lower half that make it easy for seeds and spores to stick to. Cobbler’s pegs (Bidens pilosa) is a nightmare weed in Australia, with numerous peg-like seeds sticking easily to woolly socks and thermal materials.
5. If seeds are caught on gear or clothing, remove seeds, place in a plastic bag and carry them out.
6. It’s helpful to know some basic botany: get to know some common weed species. Join a local bushcare community group or community action day to look after local areas.