The very first thing that you should consider when buying a pair of hiking boots, is the last.

So you’re more than likely wondering, what is a ‘last’?

The last is the plastic mold that all shoe, and boot manufacturers use as the mold for their footwear. This means that every part of your hiking boot’s fit – from the location and size of the arch to the narrowness of fit – all depend on this original mold.

Lasts typically vary from company to company, some using multiple ones for different styles of footwear. This is why when you’re looking to purchase your first pair of hiking boots, light backpacking boots, or trail shoes, you’ll initially need to try on boots from a variety of manufacturers, until you find the best fit. Since different hiking boot manufacturers use different lasts, you’ll be trying on as many different lasts until you find the boot that was molded around the ‘last’ that most closely matches your foot. You’ve probably already noticed that the same is true for every type of footwear that you’ve already purchased – sneakers, casual or dress shoes. This is because once you find a shoe/boot that fits well, you’re most likely to go back and purchase from that company/manufacturer again and again, since you already know they fit your foot. Why? because their last is the best match for your foot.

Does this mean that once you find the manufacturer with the best fitting hiking boots for your feet, that you’ll only be able to purchase from them? Of course not. Not only does your foot change as you age, but manufacturers will actually modify their lasts based on consumer feedback, in terms of how well specific styles/lasts sell – or don’t.

So although it may not consciously cross your mind, the reason that one style of hiking boots pinch your feet or rub and cause blisters, while others seem to ‘fit like a glove’, the first thing you need to thank, is the last.