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If I'm hiking in the wilderness and my shoelace breaks, what's the best way to go about fixing it assuming I have no spare?

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2  
This is why I always have a pair of hockey laces in the repair kit. Useful for stringing up laundy in the tent, and assorted tying tasks, and can be cut down for shoelaces should the need arise. $3, toss them in, and relax. – Kate Gregory Aug 13 '12 at 13:20
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Just tie a knot and move on. – slybloty Aug 14 '12 at 12:39
@slybloty Admittedly if this is possible the solution is somewhat obvious, but sometimes if the lace has frayed, broken in an odd place or so on it's not always as simple as it might seem. – berry120 Aug 20 '12 at 20:49

5 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

First, I always have at least one shoe lace in my first aid kit (I know, not the most usual place, but I never forget it and it only needs a very small space).

Also some piece of washing line (e.g. for drying clothes) can be used.

If you don't have one of those, you can cut the other shoe lace and use half of it to lace your shoes every other hole. It will not fit as good as a 100% length shoe lace, but better than having one good and none for the other.

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up vote 6 down vote

There's a number of options for dealing with such an issue, each can be appropriate depending on the situation in hand.

  • The wonders of paracord can come to the rescue if you have some on hand (and if not, why not!) It's usually a bit thicker than shoelaces but can squeeze through the holes and do the job surprisingly well. Depending on the length of the hike, you may want to seal the ends to stop it unravelling.
  • If the lace has broken near the top, you should be able to tie a simple reef knot to connect the two ends together.
  • If it's broken at an awkward place then use half of it to just tie around the top holes; and you may be able to do the same with the bottom holes with the other half. This won't be as comfortable, but if you're just on a day hike it should do the job in hand.
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These are a useful fashion accessory: amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00767D2GE/… – Rory Alsop Aug 13 '12 at 16:20
You should also take out the lace from the other shoe, cut that up and tie everything together such that you have to equal laces. This balances your feet more, possibly preventing all sorts of issues (blisters, sore soles because of overcompensating for the other foot, etc.) – Rody Oldenhuis Aug 20 '12 at 13:00
up vote 2 down vote

To always have a duck tape with you in case something break (taken from here in french)

Disadvantage: it is not biodegradable

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Eco-Friendly Duck Tape :) ecoshopper.net/2008/eco-household-garden/… – Keegan McCarthy Aug 20 '12 at 23:10
@KeeganMcCarthy: Nice ! – Amine Aug 21 '12 at 13:44
Do they make mini rolls? If not, a full roll of duct tape is WAY too heavy for hiking. – Justin C Aug 27 '12 at 18:15
@Justin, you can find small rolls in camping stores, but it's easy enough to make your own around your pack frame or something. – Karl Bielefeldt Aug 30 '12 at 17:34
up vote 2 down vote

I always carry para chord with me. It can be used for building shelters, hanging food (to hide from bears), securing items to a back pack, staking down tents, and also it can be used as a shoelace.

Para chord is usually made out of spectra or nylon (the same as climbing rope) and has a tensile strength of (usually) between 400 and 600lbf.

So next time you are in the wilderness and your shoelace breaks you can just take out your para chord and re-string the shoe!

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up vote 2 down vote

Real 550 cord (paracord) has an outer braid over multiple twisted strands of fiber (7, I think). If the cord is too thick, whack off a piece and pull out as many strands as you need to get the job done. It's incredibly versatile stuff and you probably should consider it basic survival gear. But make sure that it's the real deal. I'm not sure that a lot of those paracord "survival bracelets" that are so popular these days are made out of quality cord.

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