How to Stretch the Toe Box of Hiking Boots?
If you’ve got small boots or have always trouble to buy hiking boots, you can stretch them to your size because sometimes you think that you’ve got the right pair but then realize that the toe box on the left boot is just a little narrow. This happens when your one foot is larger than the other one. Luckily, hiking boots can be stretched if you have the right tool it can be done easily at home. If the toe box is too small, it can be challenging to stretch. Some leather boots are super tough, and adding width or length to them is very tricky. Some boots have specific spots to accommodate bumps of various sorts.
Whatever you do, don’t try to live them because if they don’t fit well, they will hurt your feet and you don’t want that.
So these are a few methods by which you can stretch the toe box of your hiking boots.
Wear them around the House
Wear your boots around the house and walk around for half an hour. This is the easiest way but it may take a few days.
Wear thick Socks
Wear thick or two pairs of socks, put your boot on and try to bend your foot to help loosen the desired area. Repeat the process as necessary.
Freezing Water Method
If you want something super simple just to get a little bit of stretch and you want to do it from home, you can do it by freezing some water in the toe box. To do that, take a ziplock bag, put some water in there, make sure it’s closed, tuck it inside the boot, and squeeze it in as far as you need to go. Put it in your freezer, the ice will spend, and it will naturally stretch the material. This method is best on synthetics and not on leather.
Use a Hair Dryer
If you’ve got a synthetic shoe, you can stretch it by heating it. It doesn’t take very much and you can do this from with your dryer.
Get a Shoe Stretcher
There are a lot of shoe stretchers available that will stretch your shoe wide as well as lengthwise. All you have to do is to put the stretcher inside the boot and give it a twist. It will start to be tight and you will feel the tension on the upper of the boot. Once you’re there, spray 10% alcohol on the boot and let it set. Come back the next day and twist it a little bit more. You want to be careful not to pull the boot break from the sole.
Different types of Shoe Stretchers
There are different kinds of shoe stretchers on the market and each serves a specific purpose. For example, the purpose of the ball & ring bunion stretcher is to stretch a specific pressure point on a shoe using the ball and ring clamp. You just close them together, make it tight, and lock it in place. So be sure to use the right tool for the right purpose.
Use a Shoe Tree
It looks like a shoe stretcher but it is not. It has no twisted handle and this is strictly supposed to be put inside your shoe or boot to hold the shape of the boot. You can increase about half an inch in length and about a full size in width.
Seek Professional Help
If none of the above methods worked for you and you are willing to spend some money, take your boots to the cobbler. They have different equipment that applies gentle pressure and heat. They also provide breaking-in services so it may take anywhere from one day to a couple of days.