Should You Get Comfort Insoles?

Should you get comfort insoles? It's a common-enough upgrade that many people make to their work boots, along with spending a bit on high-quality leather laces to ensure reliable knots that hold.

That's why Nicks Boots includes leather laces with every pair of our work boots. We feel that if you're investing in quality, you shouldn't have to add any extras. That would be like buying a Rolls Royce and discovering it came with Walmart tires!

Comfort boot insoles are often down to personal preference. Typically, if you think you need them then you need them. Insoles are also necessary for people with some conditions of the foot and lower leg, such as flat or high arches, plantar fasciitis, and other ailments.

Should you get comfort inserts?

Comfort Insoles For Boots: Why You Might Need Them

Comfort insoles will make an uncomfortable pair of boots less uncomfortable...for a time. They will also make a decently comfortable pair of boots as pleasant to wear as a pair of memory foam slippers.

However, comfort insoles aren't everything when it comes to comfort in footwear...but they are the extra component that can make a pair of boots comfortable from the first minute you put them on to the last second you take them off.

What DOES make a pair of boots comfortable?

It comes down to two key features.

First is fit. A boot that's made to fit any feet in a given size (and none really are) isn't going to be as comfortable as a boot that's made to fit YOUR feet. This is perhaps the most overlooked aspect when people buy any kind of functional footwear, whether it's work boots, athletic shoes, hunting boots, whatever it might be.

In fact, the comfort, stability, and quality of fit of Nick's Boots is precisely what's kept our customers coming back for a rebuild or second pair of work or firefighter boots again and again.

The better your boot fits, the better it moves with you and the more comfortable you'll be.

The other critical aspect is shock absorption.

When you walk on hard surfaces, uneven surfaces, jump on and off a work rig and do other things on a tough job site that office workers just don't understand, it transmits force into your feet, into the lower legs and up into the spine.

Your boots obviously can't take ALL the impact, but are supposed to act as shock absorbers to a degree, just like the suspension in your car. When constructed correctly, with a proper fit, quality materials and sound construction, less force is transmitted into your body. Therefore, you take less mechanical stress as a result. This is part of why quality boots are often considered safety equipment.

Comfort insoles add another layer of protection, cushioning the foot against light impact.

Insoles will also add that extra layer of support for your feet, which you might or might not need; some people feel they do, and others feel they don't.

Who Might Need Comfort Insoles

Again, comfort insoles are partially down to personal preference. Some people never get them, and many of our customers report that the standard insoles are perfectly comfortable, especially with the legendary arch support that Nicks Boots are known for.

However, there are some people that not only might want, but in fact NEED comfort insoles.

People with flat or high arches typically need more support in the arch area, leading many to use comfort inserts if not custom orthotics into the shoes and boots. This helps compensate and comfort, if not help to correct their orthotic problems. Additionally, many people who suffer from plantar fasciitis will add comfort insoles and give their heel additional cushioning, alleviating the nagging pain from that condition.

There are other conditions, of course, that comfort inserts are appropriate for, if not outright prescribed by a physician to help with pain or to correct defects.

And then you have some people that just want a little bit of extra cushioning, so their feet feel a little less beat up at the end of the day. There's certainly nothing wrong with that at all, either.