Are you a woman looking to take part in hiking or any other outdoor activity? If that’s the case, you will need some hiking boots for women. Looking for these boots can be challenging for varying reasons.
First, the outdoor industry tends to produce more hiking boots for men than for women. Additionally, women’s feet have various shapes, sizing and proportions making it hard for them to find those with a perfect fit. Thankfully, stores like Cotswold Outdoor have various hiking boots for women to choose from.
When you buy the boots and compare them with men’s, you’ll notice they’re significantly lighter. On average, women’s hiking boots weigh around 1.5-3.5 pounds while for men they weigh around 2-4 pounds. You may be wondering why women’s hiking boots are lighter than men’s. Here are five reasons why.
5 Reasons Women’s Hiking Boots are Lighter
1. Difference in Physiology
Compared to men, women have smaller feet, lower body weight and narrower ankles. Thanks to these small proportions and anatomical differences, manufacturers make hiking boots for women lighter. By making them lighter, women don’t have to struggle to lift their feet while walking in them.
On average, women have less muscle mass and strength than men. As a result, they need less effort to move their feet while hiking. That explains why the outdoor industry makes the boots lighter to enable women to use less energy thus reducing fatigue.
2. Trail Preferences
Some women love short-distance hikes while others prefer long-distance hikes. To cater to the latter, manufacturers make their hiking boots lighter. Hiking long distances requires endurance and less effort. You cannot walk long distances for longer with heavy hiking boots.
Also, there are women who prefer multi-day backpacking trips. On such trips, you hike at different points over an extended period, e.g. one week. Since these trips involve more hiking than day hikes, they need lighter boots to enable them to conserve their energy for the subsequent hikes.
3. Environmental Considerations
For a long time, the outdoor industry has relied on non-eco friendly materials such as polyurethane (PU) foam and synthetic rubber. The former is non-biodegradable, while the production of the latter results in the emission of greenhouse gases. Additionally, sometimes synthetic rubber can make shoes heavy.
To make hiking boots for women lighter and eco-friendly, manufacturers use bio-based materials and cork. The former is made from plants to reduce the overreliance on fossil fuels. Bio-based materials provide cushioning which makes the boots lighter. As for cork, it is a lightweight material from oak trees that provides shock absorption and cushioning properties.
4. Streamlined Design
A streamlined design keeps women’s hiking boots lighter by reducing excess materials and unnecessary bulk. Removing materials from boots can compromise their quality if done poorly. Luckily, manufacturers study the protective and structural parts of the boots before carefully removing the materials.
Another way a streamlined design contributes to the boots being lighter is the minimalist approach the outdoor industry uses. For instance, it does that by removing excess padding and making the tongues of the boots thinner and lighter. Although padding is needed for comfort, the manufacturers remove a bit of it to prevent sacrificing comfort.
5. Market Demand
Since 2010, there has been a rise in women participating in outdoor activities. For instance, in 2020, 46.2% of women were active in them. As you may have guessed, outdoor activities can get tiresome with heavy boots, which is why it makes sense for them to be lighter. Furthermore, there are women who specifically prefer light boots and so the outdoor industry must cater to their needs.
Besides hiking, some women want to wear them as a fashion statement. To be specific, they want to go for the athleisure trend which involves combining hiking boots with casual wear. If a woman is always running errands, she can be sexy and comfortable in light boots.
Conclusion
As you have seen, lighter hiking boots improve your endurance by enabling you to use less energy. When selecting them, consider your hiking needs. If you don’t typically hike for long distances, then you don’t need light boots.
More importantly, fit matters. Walking with boots which don’t fit will make you uncomfortable. Remember, different brands and models have varying fits and features. That means before buying them, you must try out these boots at multiple outlets.