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All hiking and trekking adventures involve lots of steps – and each one should be as comfortable as possible. Which is why HANWAG is passionate about boot fit. Because it’s the fit that makes exploring the great outdoors enjoyable. A flawless fit makes walking pleasant, supports your feet and gives you confidence and security when hiking or mountaineering.
When we develop and produce our boots, we listen to what women want. After all, the fit is all about women’s feet… Our custom-developed boots for women are more than just outdoor equipment. They’re trusty companions for any expedition.
But what’s the backstory? Are women’s models not just like men’s but in larger sizes?
Anything but. As a premium manufacturer of outdoor boots, we develop women’s models especially for the women. Because women don’t just often have smaller feet than men. The anatomy of their feet differs in several ways. Our boots respond by offering special sizes and proportions.
We’ll be explaining five aspects that set our women’s models apart – from anatomy to special lasts to solutions for problem feet.
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“Anatomically, women’s feet are different to men’s,” explains Katharina Ernst, HANWAG’s material and product manager. “They tend to be shorter, but also narrower, have less volume overall and therefore have a lower instep.”
Hiking and mountain boots need to accommodate these characteristics of female feet. Otherwise, blisters and calluses come calling. Which is why HANWAG makes all its women’s models with special lasts. These are normally shorter than those for men’s models and not as big overall.
What’s more, all model variants require their own pair of lasts to match the shoe size. The increase in length and volume to the next shoe size is called gradation. “The gradation is exceptionally subtle in the women’s models,” explains Katharina. “This slight difference in volume from shoe size to shoe size allows women to find footwear that fits particularly easily.”
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Each woman is unique and the same goes for her feet. Which is why HANWAG also has special women’s lasts alongside the standard ones. To help women find the right model quickly, the special fit is reflected in the boot’s name.
We have six special lasts for both women and men in our range:
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“Women’s connective tissue, tendons and foot muscles are usually weaker than men’s,” explains Katharina. “Therefore, women more frequently suffer from splay feet or bunions – a bony bump on your big toe joint. Both foot problems are also made worse when women wear high heels.” Which explains why about three quarters of bunion sufferers are women.
Both bunions and splayfeet can be painful in standard hiking boots. Which is where our special hiking boots for bunions come in. Boots made with bunion lasts give feet more space where they might otherwise pinch. And our Straightfit Extra models have a broader fit on the forefoot – which is also important in splayfeet.
The right size for the wearer is, of course, pivotal to hiking, trekking or mountain boots fitting perfectly. HANWAG has a wide range of women’s sizes: from 36 – 43 (EU) to 3.5 – 9 (UK). Consequently, even women with very small or very big feet will find the right boot for them.
HANWAG also designed the upper to reflect the special characteristics of the female anatomy. “In some women’s boots, the uppers are lower than for the men’s models,” explains Katharina. “That’s because women’s calves are usually lower on the leg than men’s. There’s a space at the rear edge of the upper so that it doesn’t rub against calves when women are walking.”
We could make our lives easy and just make men’s models for women smaller. But in hiking and mountain boots this would just lead to problems, such as blisters and calluses. This could even prevent women from enjoying getting outdoors. Which is why HANWAG’s women’s models deliver what women really need. Above all, it’s our dedicated women’s and special lasts that deliver greater choice in our boot range – and therefore, the perfect fit on those outdoor adventures.