Shoe selection The right boots – it’s all in the details

Are your boots too tight or wide? When it comes to hiking equipment, you simply cannot compare apples and oranges. When you look at the boots that fill retailers’ store shelves, you frequently see questions marks staring back at you. Which model is right for my feet? Are there boots specially designed for women? Are they different from men’s boots? The clear answer – yes! From the beginning, LOWA has produced outdoor footwear for women that is specially designed to accom­modate the anatomy of their feet. From the boots’ height to their lasts and soles, a large number of details are added to create the perfect fit for women.

• Soft padded edging
  Women’s calves begin lower than men’s do. For this reason, the outdoor footwear that LOWA makes for women is equipped with a specially-padded edging. That is both soft and flexible.

• Specially padded tongue
  To prevent pressure points, the tongue of women’s shoes includes a layer of viscoelastic padding. Under the influences of the body’s natural temperature, the padding then adapts itself to the anatomic structure of the instep and shin. As a result, the tongue will not shift to the side, and the comfort of the footwear is increased markedly.

• Women’s lasts
  To create the perfect fit, the lasts used for female footwear have been specially designed with the anatomy of women’s feet in mind. The last plays a key role in the ultimate fit of a shoe. Women’s feet have less volume than men’s feet. As a result, the instep height and the ball area of these lasts have been modified.

• Mid-sole and insoles espe­cially for women
  When women walk, their joints and ligaments absorb much of the ground reaction forces produced in the process. For this reason, LOWA uses a more flexible mid-sole to provide good cush­ioning. The insole provides a pleasant-to-wear sensation in the shoe. It is made of soft, viscoelastic foam and a supple upper material. The result? A snug home for the foot.