Next, briefly introduce the details and functions of hiking shoes:
1. Ankle design: The design of high ankle can provide considerable strength support for ankle and foot muscles, and can also prevent ankle from being scratched by rocks; The relatively low ankle design can not provide ankle protection, but it can improve the mobility of the foot, and you can use more advanced rock climbing skills and more subtle foot movements.
2. Fixation of feet: When you are engaged in bouldering or rock climbing indoors, you will wear rock-breaking shoes more frequently, so it is a good choice to fix your feet with elastic bands or devil climbing slippers. Climbing shoes fixed with shoelaces can provide better coverage and adjustability. Even after a period of use, when the shoes have been stretched and straightened, they can still be tied with shoelaces!
3. Hardness and support of the sole: A hard climbing sole can protect your feet, fully reflect your muscle strength, and make you easily stand on a small rock corner or rock point. It can also keep the feet inserted in cracks or caves stable; Soft soles can provide a better feeling for feet, and you can step on tiny feet. At the same time, it can provide more contact area and increase the friction of shoes.
4. toe width: a narrow toe can make shoes squeeze into small cracks or caves, but it will be uncomfortable, especially for long-distance climbing routes. A wider toe can provide considerable comfort and increase the contact area with the rock surface.
5. Appearance of shoes:
(1) Traditional modeling-design according to the normal foot shape of human body. Most climbers use these climbing shoes because they are more comfortable.
(2) Bending modeling-the toe of the shoe tends to bend inward and looks a bit like a banana, so it is also called "banana shoes". This design can increase the intensity and efficiency of stepping on the inside of the foot, so it is often used for climbing difficult routes or competitions that require very good rock climbing skills.
5. Structure of shoes: (1) Non-slip-last-This kind of shoes is characterized by thin soles, so the shoes are soft and sensitive, which can make you feel whether your feet have stepped on a good foot point, which is very helpful to master the little foot point.
(2) Board shoes-These shoes are harder, more durable, less plastic and more durable than the shoes above. Hard soles can provide extra support and protection on long-distance climbing or small rock angles, making it easier to replace or paste new soles.
7. Leather and synthetic materials. Leather shoes are flexible, breathable and comfortable to wear. After a period of running-in, new shoes will become more fit. When choosing shoes, you should choose smaller ones, because with the increase of use time, shoes will be elongated, that is, the deformation will be larger; In order to overcome this problem, some leather shoes are lined to limit the deformation range of shoes. You can choose a slightly larger size for such shoes. Shoes made of synthetic materials are lighter, softer and less flexible. Synthetic shoes are generally less breathable than leather shoes, and the problem of sweating is more serious after wearing for a long time. Fortunately, synthetic materials are not afraid of water and can be brushed frequently, so leather should not be brushed frequently. There is a special deodorant for shoes on the market. You can try it.
Folk prescription, sprayed with white wine into shoes, can also play a certain role in sterilization and deodorization.
8. the last one. The last one refers to the shape of shoes. The shape of shoes determines whether the shoes are suitable or not and how their performance is. Last modeling is a three-dimensional mold, and the whole shoe is wrapped and sewn outside the last modeling.
The shape of shoe last is divided into ordinary type and arch type, which is basically determined by the shape of sole (mainly arch part). Therefore, the sole is divided into flat bottom and arched bottom.
The shape of a flat bottom is like the shape of a relaxed sole, and its various parts (toes, heels, arches, etc.). ) come in different shapes and sizes. For ordinary last shoes, the upper part of the sole is stitched with the sole, so from the inside of the shoe, it is a complete foot sole. The arched sole is completely different. Basically, the whole shoe is made of a whole piece of cloth. The sole is cut three-dimensionally and then stitched. What you see from the inside of the shoe is a seam, not a closed sole shape.
The flat bottom is generally flat, even slightly upturned, while the arched sole bends the sole downward and toward the big toe (the overall shape is a bit like a banana). This kind of distortion (or "asymmetric" structure) makes the climber's body weight concentrate on his big toe, and the concentration of strength gives him an advantage in competitive or bouldering routes, because the concentrated strength produces greater friction and can accurately step on a small fulcrum; But this concentration is more painful for crawling or wearing for a long time. The whole stress of flat shoes is distributed on the palm of the front foot of the shoes, and the pressure of each part is relatively small, while the arch soles with severe bending are basically concentrated on the big toes, so such shoes wear particularly fast at the toes. Therefore, it is recommended that users have more than two pairs of shoes with different types and uses, and the overall service life is more than twice that of a pair of shoes.
Flat bottom is generally wide, comfortable to wear for a long time, suitable for long-distance climbing and climbing cracks. The arch bottom fits the foot better, and the arch is higher, which can get better foot feeling and support, and is suitable for climbing difficult routes, such as competitions and bouldering.
9. Structure and performance of the sole. Rock climbing shoes have different sole structures according to different uses. The sole is divided into two layers, a midsole and a rubber sole. The midsole is sandwiched between the sole fabric and the rubber sole, and is generally made of synthetic materials with different hardness and elasticity, which mainly plays a supporting role, and the outer rubber sole provides friction. Generally, a brand of shoes use the same rubber. Except the thickness of the rubber sole, the hardness of the whole shoe varies greatly, mainly because of the difference of the midsole. The hard and thick midsole has strong support ability to feet, which is suitable for climbing natural rock walls for a long distance, and its technology is relatively poor; The sole is thin and soft, suitable for competitive rock climbing and bouldering, and of course it wears away much faster. In order to pursue the ultimate sensitivity, even some hiking shoes omit the middle and bottom layers, and directly glue the sole rubber outside the fabric of the sole. This kind of sole is very soft, and toes can almost "dig" out the raised fulcrum, which is suitable for difficult elevation or eaves route, or flat climbing (the angle is less than 90, but there is almost no raised fulcrum, and it depends entirely on the friction of the sole).
10. Ties, Velcro and slippers. Strappy shoes can be fine-tuned, especially "foot binding". By adjusting the tightness of shoelaces, different shoe support properties can be obtained. If the shoelaces are looser, the shoes will be softer vertically. On the contrary, it provides stronger support. Such shoes can have a wider range of uses.
Hook-and-loop shoes are easy to put on and take off, quick and flexible to adjust, and more comfortable for foot movement, but it also means that the fixing force and supporting force are relatively insufficient, especially after climbing for a long time, the feet will feel "rolling (slipping)" in the shoes. For general competitive routes or bouldering problems, the whole journey of a route only takes a few minutes, which is not obvious; However, this is a problem that must be considered in long-distance multi-level climbing. When using the "foot plug" or other movements that require the foot to twist, the hook may open unexpectedly.
In addition, you can also see slippers-style hiking shoes, which are fixed with elastic rubber bands, and some are supplemented by zippers. Shoes with this structure are the simplest and generally cheaper. Slipper-style shoes have soft feet, so they are particularly sensitive because they are not bound by shoelaces or velcro, but they are not fixed and supported enough, and will deform when stressed (the degree of deformation is usually determined by the feet). Generally, slippers and hiking shoes are made of thin soles without lining, so that you can feel the slightest ups and downs, and the stepping point is particularly firm, and the action of hooking with toes is also very easy to use. The size of slippers and shoes must be very small, otherwise the technology of using heel hooks will almost certainly end in failure. Usually more suitable for indoor rock wall training, bouldering or competitive routes. In addition, because the thickness of shoelaces and gluing buttons is omitted, the overall height of shoes is smaller, which is especially suitable for climbing with fine cracks. In this case, a slightly larger size should be used to flatten the toes in the shoes.