Bushwalk Australia

Recently bought a nice pair of shoe styled Scarpa boots with reasonably stiff soles. Nice fit but following a long walk, it was generating some hot spots under the balls of the foot and under the big toes. It's clear that the insole that came with the boots offered little cushioning as they were thin cardboard like. So went out and bought a pair of green Superfeet insoles and tried them out over the long weekend. Unfortunately, whilst the hot spots under the forefoot were improved, the heels didn't feel as secure as it felt that they are riding too high with the padding. I rolled my ankle twice on the walk and suspect it was related to the high heel padding. Annoying!

Anyone have any experiences on this? I guess the insole would have been quite nice in a pair of high boots going above the ankles or for ski boots.

I have and I cured it by putting the Scarpa insoles back in on top of the Superfeet which is the opposite to your problem.
I have skinny ankles
Is it due to heat or pressure?
If it's heat you could try my mesh insole trick to get more airflow, just use 2 layers of fly mesh not the 3 or more I need in winter
If it's pressure then a thinner insole may be the answer

I think it's the stiff sole and hard inner that has put the pressure on the ball and big toe of my Rt foot. The insole that came with the boots was way too thin and hardly any cushioning.

Stiff soles are harder to walk in as the natural rolling action of the foot can't happen so I usually need a flatter foot plant when I'm wearing my climbing boots which obviously have very stiff soles

GPS, you might want to explore different ways to lace your boots. Some techniques offer more support that others and some can add additional support/firmness to the ankle region. Just might be worth a shot and I remember a thread on here about different lacing techniques I think!

Did you remove the original insoles before installing the Superfeet?

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Good reminder Giddy_up. I remember those discussions and will have a look on Youtube for some instructions. However, the boots itself doesn't have any additional lacing holes that may limit my options here. Will look into it. Thanks.

Wearing thicker socks solved some problems I was having with my feet, especially around the balls of the foot.

Yes, it's either thicker socks, taping or better insole. As I was already wearing a pair of thick walking socks, I figured that I don't really want to wear double socks, hence the trial of a new insole.

GPSG, which Scarpa boots are we talking about here?

I was a long time fan of Scarpa until I hit my 50's. After battling with sore feet on long walks I came to the realisation that the cushioning built into my feet was becoming less and less. I even bought a new pair of the same boots thinking it was a boot age problem. No change. Softer insoles helped for a while, but in the end I moved away from stiff soled footwear. I spent a long time training in softer footwear to condition my feet to the more flex required. I never have sore feet anymore. I can walk barefoot on our hard but not sharp pebble driveway with no problems. Others have tried and they yelp!

As far as walking in firm footwear, my only suggestion is to ease your feet into condition for those boots. Don't overdo it, carry some runners or your previous footwear and swap them out as soon as you notice hotspots or minor pain. You will find the distance extends as your feet become used to the hard soles.

Adding insoles is usually a good idea, but sometimes the thicker insoles take up too much room. You might do better if you can find insoles closer to the thickness of the originals.

I got the Scarpa Vortex GTX. Nice and comfortable at home and for shorter walks around the place. With the new insole, the fit was still good but for the looser heel area. I specifically got this stiff sole to counter those rocky fire trail type of tracks as my feet don't do too well when there are sharp rocks around. Interesting you mentioned the age changes, could well be a factor in the fat pad amongst other parameters. I can try taping, especially those stick on pads but prefer a solution that doesn't lead to a continuing consumable. What may work is to chop the insole in half and only use the forefoot section. Not sure if it'll stay in place and awfully on a rather expensive insole. Maybe should check out the chemist for such a forefoot insole and move the present one to my full height boots or the ski boots. Thanks for all the ideas and it's going to be an experiment I guess.

I had the same problem with superfeet. They just jacked your feet up too high and offered no padding. I've gone to a orthaheel product, cost about $25 from chemist wharehouse from memory and I've literally done thousands of km's on them

GPSGuided wrote:Good reminder Giddy_up. I remember those discussions and will have a look on Youtube for some instructions. However, the boots itself doesn't have any additional lacing holes that may limit my options here. Will look into it. Thanks.

Tightness of the lacing could also be a factor. When I replaced very old Scarpa boots with new ones of the same model, I got rubbing on the smallest toes. Loosened the laces to address that problem, but then developed the ball of the foot issue mentioned above. I eventually resolved that by retightening, as the feet were slipping inside the boots.

I've tried loose lacing and tight lacing, made a difference to the little toe but none on the ball of the foot and the big toes. Otherwise I had to lace tighter since the insole went in to better control the heel. So many factors.

i got the orange superfeet, softer foam, compresses a bit better
theres also sofsol have a thin inner model, https://www.sofsole.com/product/Thin_Fit

I have the same problem with superheat insoles. They are too high in the heel.
The black ones are much lower and I have had less issue with them.
Both have limited padding in the forefoot so perhaps a thin aftermarker latex sole might be best for your shoe.
I currently use the innersoles from my cycling shoes. Firm, thin and waterproof.

wayno wrote:i got the orange superfeet, softer foam, compresses a bit better
theres also sofsol have a thin inner model, https://www.sofsole.com/product/Thin_Fit

Orange and Green are exactly the same but Orange are thinner under the toes with some foam added underneath instead.

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no the foam around the heel of the orange is softer than the green as well, i've got the green as well.

GPSGuided wrote:I've tried loose lacing and tight lacing, made a difference to the little toe but none on the ball of the foot and the big toes. Otherwise I had to lace tighter since the insole went in to better control the heel. So many factors.

Exactly. Have you tried walking backwards?!?

peregrinator wrote:Exactly. Have you tried walking backwards?!?

No, but probably should. LOL

slparker wrote:I have the same problem with superheat insoles. They are too high in the heel.
The black ones are much lower and I have had less issue with them.
Both have limited padding in the forefoot so perhaps a thin aftermarker latex sole might be best for your shoe.
I currently use the innersoles from my cycling shoes. Firm, thin and waterproof.

I'm glad that it's not just me with the heel issue. Good to hear everyone's experiences with these insoles too. I have to say that even though I picked up my green model at a sale, I'm not going to invest again as its not exactly cheap. Whilst shopping, I did go to a number of stores on Kent St here in Sydney and was surprised the brand had a virtual monopoly of the market on this strip.

Haven't thought about using the insole from a cycling shoe, will give it a try. Interesting idea.

I too use the Orthoheel and while the Superfoot is warmer the other is a better fit for my feet, especially around the ankle and heel