Hello, my name’s Andrew and these are four easy ways to fix narrow barefoot boots, so that you ankles have more room and padding for hiking.
Introduction
A few weeks ago I got a pair of Vivobarefoot Tracker Decon barefoot boots, which are super versatile for all season hiking, but the one thing I didn’t like about them was that the ankle felt kind of narrow.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to return them or suffer through annoying rubbing/pressure, because I managed to fix the problem for free with some simple at-home DIY hacks!
![Barefoot Boot Tight Ankle Tracker Decon](/static/55ee114af9f9823c61f29db745b9311b/barefoot-boot-tight-ankle-tracker-decon.png)
1. Stretching
The first thing to do if you get a barefoot boot that’s too narrow in the ankle is to stuff an old sock or t-shirt into the heel whenever you get back from a walk or hike.
Especially with leather this can help to expand the back of the shoe over the course of a few days to a few weeks.
![Barefoot Boot Tight Ankle Stretching](/static/4056bbd7537816f4dc43fb3cc5c4fc2c/barefoot-boot-tight-ankle-stretching.png)
2. Lacing
Another easy fix is to simply tie your laces more loosely, because most higher cut barefoot boots already give a lot of stability and there’s no need to create a barefoot corset around your ankles!
![Barefoot Boot Tight Ankle Laces](/static/7a223313245ae94249ff957e8b6c1b8e/barefoot-boot-tight-ankle-laces.png)
3. Socks
Thirdly, you can start with a breathable base layer sock, like the Injinji merino wool Outdoor (more on why I love toe socks here), and layer a thick Smartwool mountaineering sock over top.
While this doesn’t make the boot wider, it does give your ankles some extra padding, so that the stiffer ankle material doesn’t rub.
![Barefoot Boot Tight Ankle Injinji Socks](/static/ceec7bf4db761b0d132e28dcbff71602/barefoot-boot-tight-ankle-injinji-socks.png)
4. Cuffs
Lastly, if it’s summer and too hot to layer socks, you can take an old pair of socks and cut off the bottoms with some fabric scissors to create a DIY ankle cuff.
This way you get some nice padding around your ankles, but your feet have more room to breathe with just a single layer of socks.
![Barefoot Boots Tight Ankle Diy Sock Cuff Pad](/static/96c199660c7728830c9b0dc1dd0fc184/barefoot-boots-tight-ankle-diy-sock-cuff-pad.png)
Conclusion
So those are some simple ways to fix a narrow barefoot boot, but if you have questions about more DIY hacks for barefoot shoes, let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading, catch ya next time. Peace!
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Andrew Folts
Andrew is a writer/filmmaker who creates video guides and reviews for a community of 25K+ creative rebels on YouTube.