LOWA’s Boot Fitting Guide For Military Boots

Put On Boot Socks

Before you start trying on any boots, it’s essential to ensure that you’re wearing a good quality pair of boot socks. Boot socks are usually slightly thicker than regular socks, with padded areas around the heel, meaning they’ll impact the overall fit of the boot. This is the reason that wearing socks is such an important part of any boot fitting guide. It’s crucial to wear high performance boot socks to enhance the breathability and protection of your LOWA military boots.

Measure Your Feet

Another key step in our boot fitting guide is measuring your feet. You may need to try on a few different sized pairs to ensure you find the exact fit, however measuring your feet carefully will give you an accurate idea of the correct size to begin with. The easiest way to measure your feet is to place an A4 sheet of paper on the floor, flat against the wall and place your foot on top, with the heel against the wall. Make a line on the paper where your longest toe ends and repeat with the other foot. Whichever line on the paper covers the furthest distance is the measurement you need to go  by (i.e your longest foot).

Check For ‘Wiggle Room’

The next stage in our boot fitting guide is to start trying on your LOWA military boots. When doing this, the first thing to consider is how much ‘wiggle room’ you have. It’s important that your toes have a bit of room to move around in the front of the boot to prevent damage to the nails and to ensure you don’t experience discomfort. Remember that your feet swell up when you get hot during exercise, and so you need a little extra room to account for this. For this step in the boot fitting guide you need to completely unlace the boot and push your foot to the very front.  If your boot is the right length you should be able to fit your index finger between your Achilles tendon and the rear of the boot comfortably. You want to be able to slide your finger in without it being a tight fit but you also don’t want a large gap.

Make Sure Your Heel Is Secure

It’s important to have wiggle room for your toes, however you also need to ensure that your foot does not move around too much when you walk. That’s why an essential part of any boot fitting guide is checking that your heels and ankles are secure. To do this you need to adjust the laces  to the correct tightness. Making sure your heel is firmly at the back of the boot, lace from the bottom of the boot upwards, keeping the laces tight without restricting movement too much. You want to feel a slight pressure without preventing movement. If your boot is too small you’ll see the laces straining as they’re forced outwards, too large and you’ll have pulled the eyelets too close with the tension.

close up of LOWA Military Boot being worn outdoors next to military kit

Do A ‘Walk Around’

One of the most important steps in any boot fitting guide is doing a ‘walk around’. This is to test how you feel in the boots when moving. At this stage in the boot fitting guide you want to pay particular attention to the tightness of the laces and check for any discomfort or rubbing. Move your weight from foot to foot and to the sides and front of each foot to feel how well your feet are supported. This is a great way to check the width as well as the length and tightness. Always do your ‘walk around’ indoors, on a carpet, just in case you need to return them.

Wear Them In

The final (but no less important) stage in our boot fitting guide is to wear your military boots in. Wear your military boots around the house in order to get used to them and to check for any signs of discomfort. If you can wear them walking around the house for at least a couple of hours, without any discomfort, this is a key indicator that they are the correct fit. If you notice any problems you should return them and try an alternative pair.

Following this boot fitting guide will provide you with the key steps for finding the perfect fitting boot. However, if you require any further assistance please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.