What is the top-down (reverse) shoe lacing good for?

I only do this on the top hooks myself. It helps lock off the laces and prevents them from popping off the hooks. If you leave it the other way around (bottom to top), and don't tie your boots tight enough, then your laces can come off the top hooks, or the knot could roll over the top of the tongue of your boot, especially if you're doing a lot of high-stepping or crouching and flexing your ankle a lot. I've had it happen to me multiple times, which is why I switched to tying it top-down.

This may be more of an issue for skinny ankles, I had it happen to me a lot when I was a kid and had twigs for legs, but even now when I tie my boots, if I don't go top-down then I don't feel like I'm as secure as the other way around.

Tying all your hooks top-down obviously puts more friction in the system, which would enable you to tie you boots a lot more snug, or leave them a little loose around the ankles without having to worry about the arches coming as loose.

posted about 7 years ago

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ShemSeger‭

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My wife does this with her hiking boots. She finds that it feels more stable and that the flap and knot remain in place better. We first learned about it from a seller at a local outdoor store, who recommended it when she felt the flap wasn't staying in place very well. In practice, a difference is that the knot is lower down, which changes the location where the boot feels most tight. The best way to find out whether it works for you is really to try out both and experience the difference.

posted about 7 years ago

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gerrit‭

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