How do I lace walking boots so my heel does not lift?

The heel lock and the two-zone lacing that stop heel lift, black toenails and pressure points — all from a boot you already own.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 5 min

Short answer

Lace the forefoot loosely enough for your toes to spread, then lock the ankle with a surgeon's knot at the flex point so the two zones cannot pull against each other, then finish up the ankle. For descents, add a heel lock: run the lace back down through the hook it came from, or cross it through the loop it makes, before continuing up.

Most boot problems that get blamed on the boot are lacing. Heel lift causes blisters; a foot sliding forward on descents causes bruised toenails; a lace pulled tight across the top of the foot causes numbness and pain on the instep. A boot laced in two independent zones with a lock between them fixes all three, and it costs nothing.

What you'll need

Boots with hooks or D-rings
The socks you will actually walk in

Two-zone boot lacing with a surgeon knot and a heel lock

Step by step

Put the socks on that you will walk in.Lacing over a thin liner sock and then walking in thick socks changes everything. Lace to the real setup, every time.
Kick your heel back before you start.Sit down, tap the heel firmly on the floor a few times, and settle the foot to the back of the boot. Lacing with the foot forward locks in exactly the problem you are trying to fix.
Lace the forefoot for comfort, not tightness.Over the toes and the ball of the foot, keep the lacing snug but not constricting. Feet swell during a walk and the toes need to spread. If you get numbness or pain on top of the foot, this zone is too tight.
Tie a surgeon's knot at the flex point.At the point where the boot bends at the ankle, cross the laces and wrap one round the other twice rather than once, and pull firmly. That double wrap holds tension and stops the lower zone loosening when you tighten the upper zone. This is the single most useful lacing technique there is.
Tension the ankle zone separately.Now pull the ankle section as tight as you want it, independent of the forefoot. This is what stops the heel lifting, and it can be much tighter than the forefoot without hurting anything.
Add a heel lock on the hooks.At the top pair of hooks, bring each lace up through the hook and then back down to the same side to form a loop, then thread the opposite lace through that loop before tying. This creates friction that stops the lace slipping back and holds the heel down positively.
Finish with a second surgeon's knot if the top loosens.A second double-wrap just below the top hooks holds the ankle tension against a bow that keeps working loose.
Retighten before a long descent.Stop at the top, kick the heels back and pull the ankle zone tighter. Feet slide forward on descents and this two-minute stop is what prevents bruised toenails.
Loosen for long climbs.On a sustained ascent, slackening the ankle zone slightly gives the ankle more flex and is more comfortable. Retighten at the top.
Adjust for specific pressure points.A sore spot on top of the foot can be relieved by skipping a pair of eyelets and lacing straight across the gap — a window lacing — so the lace does not press on that point at all.

Tips

Carry a spare lace. A broken lace at the top of a hill with no way to hold the boot on is genuinely awkward, and a lace weighs nothing.
Waxed laces hold knots much better than slick synthetic ones.
If the heel still lifts with everything laced properly, a heel grip pad or a thicker sock can take up the volume — but the real answer may be a boot with a narrower heel cup.
Adjust lacing during the day. Feet swell over several hours, and the tension you set in the car park is not the tension you want at four in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

Pulling the whole boot tight from toe to top in one go — The tension equalises across the foot, which means the forefoot is too tight and the ankle is not tight enough. That combination gives you both numb toes and a lifting heel.
Lacing without settling the heel back first — You lock the foot into a forward position with a gap behind the heel, which is exactly what rubs.
Ignoring hot spots until they are blisters — A hot spot is fixable with two minutes of relacing or a piece of tape. A blister is a day or two of discomfort.

If it doesn't work

Heel lifts and rubs on climbs

Cause: Ankle zone not tight enough, or tension bleeding down into the forefoot — Fix: Surgeon's knot at the flex point, then tighten the ankle zone hard, then heel lock at the top hooks.

Toes hit the front on descents and nails go black

Cause: Foot sliding forward inside the boot — Fix: Kick the heel back and retighten the ankle zone before every big descent. If it persists, the boot may be too short — check with the heel-back test.

Numbness or pain across the top of the foot

Cause: Forefoot laced too tightly, or a lace crossing a bony prominence — Fix: Slacken the forefoot zone and use a window lacing to bypass the sore spot entirely.

Laces keep coming undone

Cause: Slippery round laces and a single bow — Fix: Finish with a double bow, or tie the ends round the back of the ankle and knot at the front. Replace round laces with flat ones if the boot allows.

Pinching at the front of the ankle when flexing

Cause: The boot's flex point and the lacing tension not matching — Fix: Move the surgeon's knot up or down a pair of eyelets until it sits at the natural crease.

Questions people ask

What is a surgeon's knot on a boot?

An ordinary crossover with the lace wrapped twice instead of once. The extra wrap adds friction so the knot holds tension while you lace the section above it.

Should boots be tight?

Snug and secure, with the heel held down and the toes free to spread. Tight everywhere is wrong; tight at the ankle and comfortable at the forefoot is right.

Do these techniques work on trail shoes?

Yes. The surgeon's knot and heel lock work on any shoe with enough eyelets, and heel lift in trail shoes is the usual cause of blisters on long routes.