Heal Rub Problem

[Benjblt]

I just purchased some Salewa mountaineering boots. They fit beautifully out of the box and in the house. I ordered up a half size due to recommendations. When I started out on the trail with some medium heavy sock they seemed to rub around the heal cup a little on both boots but especially the right. The trail was mostly steep uphill (down hill on the way back). Its gotten to the point where the Left feels perfect but the right still feels like the heal cup "cups" too hard and rubs on the back of my achilles. It's like it needs to break in more but I've tried 4 or 5 hikes with them and it isn't getting better. Any thoughts or remedy suggestions? For reference these boots are the Salewa Crows.

 

[couesbitten]

After market insoles, even a cheaper insole like Dr. Scholls from Walmart would probably be an upgrade to the insole that came with the boot. I've used pricier ones from Lathrop & Sons as well as Dr. Scholls, and they always feel and fit better. My next insoles will probably be the SOLE performance medium insole.

Performance Medium - SOLE

An incredibly sustainable footbed with medium Softec cushioning and our signature base made with ReCORK recycled wine corks. These footbeds offer shock absorbing comfort for every day, as well as protecting feet during high-performance pursuits. Easy on the planet! Made with ReCORK recycled...

yoursole.com

 

[Benjblt]

After market insoles, even a cheaper insole like Dr. Scholls from Walmart would probably be an upgrade to the insole that came with the boot. I've used pricier ones from Lathrop & Sons as well as Dr. Scholls, and they always feel and fit better. My next insoles will probably be the SOLE performance medium insole.

Performance Medium - SOLE

An incredibly sustainable footbed with medium Softec cushioning and our signature base made with ReCORK recycled wine corks. These footbeds offer shock absorbing comfort for every day, as well as protecting feet during high-performance pursuits. Easy on the planet! Made with ReCORK recycled...

yoursole.com

You think that will make a difference with heal rub?

 

[Beendare]

Heel rub happens to me when the boot is really stiff soled....or my heel lift doesn't match the boot flex.

I don't know how you will solve that with a insole.....

_____

 

[couesbitten]

I understand the issues with heel rub and do agree that it's more prevalent with a stiffer soled boot. To me that just adds emphasis to the need for proper fit, which from my experience, can be positively influenced by use of a better insole. My son had a terrible initial experience and blisters with his Kenetrek boots. Once we added an aftermarket insole, fit was great,no more blisters, years and miles of use since then.

 

[nettereo16]

Root cause is probably the boot.
My hunting partner's feet get chewed up and so before the trip we put a backstrap of leukotape on his heel. This holds up for days and keeps the damage down.

 

[couesbitten]

nettereo16 brings up a good point, if you have spots that are susceptible to blisters, it's never a bad idea to pretreat with leukotape.

 

[10ringer]

Aftermarket insoles can help and possibly eliminate heel lift. Some insoles offer a deeper heel cup to help keep it locked in place. I had this exact problem with a pair of boots so Off i went with the boots to REI and tried several out until i found the right pair. For some reason every pair of my boots need a different insole. I love superfeet guides but they don’t work in every pair of my boots. Also this lacing technique will greatly help you.

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[wapitibob]

Boot fit is probably the root cause. Not sure why anybody would size up, get the right size and go from there would be reccomendation and experience. I used gorilla tape (home depot) down the heel for a cpl days on my stiff Hanwags till they loosened up a bit, now it's not needed. Insoles can help and hurt depending on your feet. Superfeet and Sole are fairly hard and slick, caused hot spots under my toes so I eventually tossed the half dozen pairs I had. The Dr Scholls "athletic" from walmart worked very well in some cevedale pro's I had (stiff) but took up too much volume when I switched to the hanwag's so I switched to the Lathrop synergy gels inserts. If you need to take up some volume, I'd go grab the "athletics" from walmart first.