Table Of Content
- what are the best hiking boots for flat feet?
- Best Hiking Boots For Flat feet
- Best trail shoes for flat feet
- Best tennis shoes for flat feet
Hiking Boots For Flat Feet: How To Hike In Comfort
Being flat footed is nothing to worry about, its pretty natural thing, it just means you don’t have as much of an arch in your heel as some do and when you buy shoes and hiking boots you need some extra support to make your feet more comfortable.
In this article we covered some of the best hiking boots for flat feet, and hiking shoes that are best for running and trail hiking.
Is Flat More Common In Men Or Woman?
We looked into some data to see if this was a more common thing in men or woman, and we were surprised at what we stumbled upon.
The overall prevalence of flat foot was 13.4% with a prevalence of 5.8% among males and 7.6% among females, it seems that flat feet tend to be a tad more common in woman, but not by much.
Here is a great article on why people become flat footed and how gender can play a role in it read article here
Reihaneh et al. (2013) confirmed that prevalence of flat foot in girls is slightly more than boys: 75.2% of girls and 72.6% of boys showed flat feet but without any significant statistical difference.
Source: scialert.net
How To Find The Best Hiking Boots for flat feet
When shopping around for a good hiking boot to support your flat feet, it’s important to look for something with a supportive sole firm but cushioned insole to support the surface of the foot.
The sole of the boot should be fixable but not so much it feels floppy, you want the inside of the sole to move with your foot to provide support as you walk and hike.
One way to pick the best hiking boot is to match the boot to your hiking goals, there are a few different hiking boots out there so picking the right type for what you plan on doing will give you success.
Here are 3 different type of hiking footwear that you need to choose from before setting out on the trails.
- Lightweight hiking shoes
lightweight hiking shoes are going to allow you to walk on flatter terrain while having nice heel support that will allow yo to walk for miles without any foot pain.
Lightweight hiking shoes are not suitable for hiking longer than a few miles at a time and not great for rocky or off trail terrain, best to stay on flat ground for best results.
2. Backpacking boots, these are the real boots anyone should have on their feet when planning on hiking any trails in national parks, these boots will protect your ankles and feet from having having to be carried back to your car.
3. mountaineering boots, these are hiking boots on steroids that will allow you to hike up any trails over rocks and anything else that you can find, these are the ultimate hiking boot for protection.
Compression socks are they worth it?
using Compression Socks can aid in extra support as well for hiking boots, these socks come with gel pads and will absorb the shock that comes from walking around.
There really isn’t any hiking boot brand that is made just for flat feet, some shoe places will try to sell it that way, however most hiking boots do have arch supports and a lot of padding.
But just like anything not everything is created equal, that is why we have gone into research mode to look at some of the best hiking shoes that offer the best foot support.
Best Hiking Boots For Flat feet
- Merrell Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots, this brand of boot really designed something for people with flat feet, they have some great foot features in this boot.
they offer, Molded nylon arch shank for flat feet
100% waterproof and will keep moisture out of the boot
Comes with a shock absorbent air cushion for extra security and protection
has Heel support and contoured foot bed with zonal for additional arch support.
Cons for this boot
- The treading seems to rip and dry out quicker than other boots, its best to use a leather conditioner once or twice a month to help prevent this from happening
- The bottom of the shoes don’t offer a lot of grip for anti slip, so these are best used on easy to moderate hiking trails, don’t use these in snow or on ice.
Dunham Cloud Men’s Waterproof Boot, waterproof lightweight boot, easy to slip on and off, the mid cut color on the hiking boot offers great ankle support as well.
Pros:1.Has a rubber sole that allows for better traction on wet surfaces2.Has a 4.5 inch shaft measurement from arch for extra support3.Leather and waterproof
Cons:Seems to have reported a jabbing pressure on the feet when new, be sure to break them in before going on a long hike.
These womans hiking boots from Columbia are a good choice for what are the best hiking boots for flat feet, the brand is newton ridge.
Pros:
has an antip slip rubber sole for wet surfaceshas arch support for flat feethas durable midsoles for cushioning and comforthas a breathable mesh tongueexter of shoe is suede materialstates that is good for ice and snow hiking
ConsTends to fit smaller buy in one size larger for better fit
Best trail shoes for flat feet
When you are flat footed it’s very hard to enjoy running, as with every step and pounding of the ground introduced more pain into the feet and it just hurts.
The most important part of a good trail running shoe is to make sure that there is suffiect cushioning, and good traction so you don’t slip.
Trail running shoes are different then hiking boots, but we wanted to add these in here fr anyone who enjoys trailing runs more than just a simple hike.
Here is our list Best trail shoes for flat feet
- SalomonSpeedcross 5
The salmon has fantastic support for neutral to underpronation supination.
Has a high energy cushioning, the insole won’t wear down after a few runs
The mesh on the upper part of the shoe is designed to keep dirt and rocks from entering, so no worries on anything coming to the shoe while running on rocket terrian.
Offers a quicklace TM System allowing for a secure customized fit
total weight of shoe is 11 oz
- Nike Juniper Trail
Best shoe for off trail runners, designed to run over rocket trails, with enhanced cushioning and breathable material, this shoe offers superior comfort while running.
A rubber outsole with tapered lugs gives you traction for rocky roads and to efficiently run up and down hill.
- ALTRA Women’s AL0A4VR7 Lone Peak 5 Trail Running Shoe
Offers a Balanced Cushioning platform places the heel and forefoot the same distance from the ground, which encourages low-impact landings.
Rock Protection: An updated StoneGuard brings an extra layer of protection between the trail and your feet.
These are our top 3 picks for the best trail running shoes for flat feet.
Best tennis shoes for flat feet
Trail running shoes for flat feet and what are the best hiking boots for flat feet are good to know, but what about best tennis shoes for flat feet?
Most likely you would be wearing regular tennis shoes more often than sliding on hiking boots or trail running shoes, so in this list we wanted to offer some stylish but practical shoes for flat feet.
- adidas Men’s Barricade 2018 Tennis Shoe
Shaft measures approximately low-top from archSeamless Forgedmesh upper designed with areas of support and stretch to help ensure a custom fit that adapts to every move.
Soft and stretchable tongue for comfort fit; Bootee construction for snug fit; Adiprene+ in the forefoot maintains propulsion and efficiency.
- ASICS Men’s Gel-Dedicate 5 Tennis Shoe
Synthetic-and-meshRubber soleSOLID RUBBER OUTSOLE: Provides enhanced durability and traction.TRUSSTIC SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY: Reduces the weight of the sole unit
- Babolat Men’s Tennis Shoes
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate soleBabolat Men’s Propulse Blast All Court Tennis ShoesAll court shoeUpper material: MeshInner material: TextileRunning sole: Rubber
By far the best looking shoe out of the 3 listed
Conclusion:
Hope this article has helped bring some light for what are the best hiking boots for flat fleet, and also helping you find the best trail running shoes and every day active wear tennis shoes.
