Walking Bootlaces
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NOW IN STOCK!
Available now from our eBay store - Just CLICK on the images below
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Our bootlaces are ideally suited for walking boots and hiking boots, and though we stock various colours and various lengths, we only stock one thickness - 4mm.
The ideal thickness for walking boot laces is 4mm, so this was a no-brainer. The lengths we will stock are 100cm (39 inches), 110cm (43 inches), 120cm (47 inches), 130cm (51 inches), 140cm (55 inches), 150cm (59 inches) and 160cm (63 inches). These lengths are suitable for walking boots with between 5 – 7 eyelet pairs respectively, and will cover most ladies and men's walking and hiking boots. More often than not the 100cm - 130cm lengths will suit most ladies walking boots, whereas the 140cm - 160cm lengths will suit most men’s walking boots.
We looked at the various bootlaces available; the materials they were made of, how they were manufactured and constructed, their durability, and how they performed. We then thought long and hard about the laces we wanted to supply... and decided that we only wanted to supply the highest quality, best specification bootlaces.
There are some claims about certain laces as being indestructible, but in our experience there has not yet been a bootlace made that is truly indestructible as all can, and will, fail in time or under certain conditions. We also found that some so-called 'indestructible laces' are relatively stiff and wiry, making them quite difficult to tie, and indeed do not hold the knot very well, hence they come undone or loosen very quickly in use.
One thing that can quickly wear even the best laces is rusty or corroded eyelets or lace hooks. No matter how good a bootlace is, constantly pulling it through or tightening it against a rough, abrasive eyelet will quickly wear through any bootlace.
We discounted flat laces as this type of lace is more of a fashion style and is not really suited to the demands of walking and hiking boots. Having no inner core flat laces are relatively weak, and again due to their shape do not particularly hold their knots very well.
Most walking bootlaces have a very strong inner core with a durable outer woven sheath, and are constructed of either polyester or nylon. This makes for a very strong lace, but some manufacturers skimp a little on the quality of the nylon or polyester outer sheath which can then wear prematurely. Though the strong inner core may prevent immediate catastrophic failure, in reality once the outer sheath is worn through, then the laces do tend to become unfit for purpose and ideally need replacing.
This style of bootlace has multiple strand cores, but some have straight unbraided strand cores, while others have stronger braided cores. We found that the inner cores with straight unbraided strands can stretch differently creating a tension mismatch between the inner core and outer sheath. However, a braided inner core not only provides great strength but works much more favourably with the woven outer sheath.
The big question is polyester or nylon?
Nylon is slightly stronger, but has disadvantages when used for bootlaces; primarily the fact that nylon absorbs water very easily, so can go somewhat 'soggy'… and then stretches considerably. If your life depended on it, then the extra strength of nylon may be a factor worth considering, but for bootlaces, not so much. Polyester is still incredibly strong, but will not readily absorb water, and though polyester laces will have some inherent stretch, they do not stretch when wet as nylon does, and polyester also has better UV light tolerance. It should also be noted that, whether polyester or nylon, the inner core and the outer sheath should be of the same material to avoid potential mismatches in give.
Now, as opposed to some so-called ‘indestructible’ laces that do not tend to have any ‘give’ or stretch, the core and sheath style of walking bootlace will ideally have some stretch, which is actually a good thing. As long as the bootlaces are not overtightened in the first place, the slight stretch not only naturally allows for some expansion as your feet heat up and swell when hot, but a slight stretch also assists in tying, making for a better, tighter knot.
The final thing we looked into was the end tips on laces – the aglets. The aglets can often be a weak point on otherwise very good bootlaces. Many manufacturers reduce costs by employing aglets that are very thin plastic which can wear and degrade relatively quickly, leaving messy frayed ends that become difficult to feed through eyelets. Particularly with respect to walking boots, we decided that much stronger metal aglets are the way to go.
With all this in mind we wanted good quality round walking bootlaces that not only feature a strong, braided polyester inner core, metal aglets, but also a strong and resilient, friction resistant woven polyester outer sheath.
The ideal thickness for walking boot laces is 4mm, so this was a no-brainer. The lengths we will stock are 100cm (39 inches), 110cm (43 inches), 120cm (47 inches), 130cm (51 inches), 140cm (55 inches), 150cm (59 inches) and 160cm (63 inches). These lengths are suitable for walking boots with between 5 – 7 eyelet pairs respectively, and will cover most ladies and men's walking and hiking boots. More often than not the 100cm - 130cm lengths will suit most ladies walking boots, whereas the 140cm - 160cm lengths will suit most men’s walking boots.
We looked at the various bootlaces available; the materials they were made of, how they were manufactured and constructed, their durability, and how they performed. We then thought long and hard about the laces we wanted to supply... and decided that we only wanted to supply the highest quality, best specification bootlaces.
There are some claims about certain laces as being indestructible, but in our experience there has not yet been a bootlace made that is truly indestructible as all can, and will, fail in time or under certain conditions. We also found that some so-called 'indestructible laces' are relatively stiff and wiry, making them quite difficult to tie, and indeed do not hold the knot very well, hence they come undone or loosen very quickly in use.
One thing that can quickly wear even the best laces is rusty or corroded eyelets or lace hooks. No matter how good a bootlace is, constantly pulling it through or tightening it against a rough, abrasive eyelet will quickly wear through any bootlace.
We discounted flat laces as this type of lace is more of a fashion style and is not really suited to the demands of walking and hiking boots. Having no inner core flat laces are relatively weak, and again due to their shape do not particularly hold their knots very well.
Most walking bootlaces have a very strong inner core with a durable outer woven sheath, and are constructed of either polyester or nylon. This makes for a very strong lace, but some manufacturers skimp a little on the quality of the nylon or polyester outer sheath which can then wear prematurely. Though the strong inner core may prevent immediate catastrophic failure, in reality once the outer sheath is worn through, then the laces do tend to become unfit for purpose and ideally need replacing.
This style of bootlace has multiple strand cores, but some have straight unbraided strand cores, while others have stronger braided cores. We found that the inner cores with straight unbraided strands can stretch differently creating a tension mismatch between the inner core and outer sheath. However, a braided inner core not only provides great strength but works much more favourably with the woven outer sheath.
The big question is polyester or nylon?
Nylon is slightly stronger, but has disadvantages when used for bootlaces; primarily the fact that nylon absorbs water very easily, so can go somewhat 'soggy'… and then stretches considerably. If your life depended on it, then the extra strength of nylon may be a factor worth considering, but for bootlaces, not so much. Polyester is still incredibly strong, but will not readily absorb water, and though polyester laces will have some inherent stretch, they do not stretch when wet as nylon does, and polyester also has better UV light tolerance. It should also be noted that, whether polyester or nylon, the inner core and the outer sheath should be of the same material to avoid potential mismatches in give.
Now, as opposed to some so-called ‘indestructible’ laces that do not tend to have any ‘give’ or stretch, the core and sheath style of walking bootlace will ideally have some stretch, which is actually a good thing. As long as the bootlaces are not overtightened in the first place, the slight stretch not only naturally allows for some expansion as your feet heat up and swell when hot, but a slight stretch also assists in tying, making for a better, tighter knot.
The final thing we looked into was the end tips on laces – the aglets. The aglets can often be a weak point on otherwise very good bootlaces. Many manufacturers reduce costs by employing aglets that are very thin plastic which can wear and degrade relatively quickly, leaving messy frayed ends that become difficult to feed through eyelets. Particularly with respect to walking boots, we decided that much stronger metal aglets are the way to go.
With all this in mind we wanted good quality round walking bootlaces that not only feature a strong, braided polyester inner core, metal aglets, but also a strong and resilient, friction resistant woven polyester outer sheath.
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