Hiker
Built for the trail. A polypropylene frame with an extrinsic 55-65 Shore A EVA heel post and a 12mm heel cup steadies the foot on uneven ground, while a 3mm myolite cushion and a full suede wrap absorb the load of a heavy pack.
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From day hikes to multi-month treks.
The Hiker device is designed to provide cushioning and support on outdoor treks ranging from day hikes to multi-month endeavors. A custom arch and extrinsic heel post improve balance and stability on uneven trails, built congruent to the patient's own foot model.
A pack changes the maths. A layer of myolite cushioning pads and protects the feet from the increased weight burden of additional gear and supplies, mile after mile.
Balance on uneven trails
A custom arch and an extrinsic 55-65 Shore A EVA heel post improve balance and stability underfoot, with a 12mm heel cup holding the heel steady.
Cushioning under load
A 3mm myolite device-length cushion provides shock absorption to pad and protect the feet from the weight of gear and supplies.
Wrapped in suede
The device is completely wrapped in suede to handle the abuse of carrying a 25-85 pound pack on overnight or extended expeditions.
Functional correction, congruent to the foot.
Built from a positive model of the patient's foot and modifiable at the clinician's discretion - scanned and ordered through FootID Pro.
Shape is everything.
What separates Root from generic sport insoles is the precise morphological shape captured from the patient's foot - held in the exact clinical position the clinician chose. No averaging. No guesswork.
The Hiker device is built from a positive model of the patient's foot and can be modified at the practitioner's discretion. This means every device fits the patient it was made for - not an approximation.
Modern Root
Width adjusted considering both borders. Default for all Root models.
Traditional Root
Justified to the lateral border. Used for specific clinical indications at practitioner discretion.
Modern Root shape process
- Forefoot balanced to rearfoot - forefoot-to-rearfoot relationship is optimised as the first step in shape modification.
- Fat pad expanded ~3mm - ensures the device fills the calcaneal contour precisely for the patient's heel.
- Arch lowered ~3mm - creates optimal heel-to-arch-to-met-head geometry. Not applied to foam impressions.
- Width tuned to both borders - medial and lateral widths considered together, giving a foundation that matches the patient's actual foot width.
*Subtalar joint neutral is found by palpating the talus head against the navicular. The neutral position can present many joint-on-joint and bone-on-bone relationships and varies from person to person. An everted or inverted calcaneus may be a neutral position for an individual person. Biomechanical evaluation required.
How you hold the foot is what we build.
Root is not just the orthotic - it's the clinician's positioning, captured and preserved in the device. After scanning, FootID Pro asks the questions no other lab asks.
After every scan, we need to know:
- Was the subtalar joint held in neutral?
- Was the midtarsal joint maximally pronated - loading the 5th metatarsal head?
- Was the midtarsal joint maximally supinated - loading the 1st metatarsal head?
- Was the forefoot brought perpendicular to the rearfoot?
- Was a forefoot-to-rearfoot balance bisection achieved at 90° relative to the calcaneal bisection?
The positioning of those 19 joints in the foot is what gives us the shape.
CAD/CAM fabrication
- Scan or cast captured - clinician captures foot morphology via FootID Pro, holding the subtalar joint in the chosen clinical position.
- Shape modification applied - forefoot balanced to rearfoot, fat pad expanded, arch adjusted using Root's design process.
- Technical staff review - every device reviewed against Traditional Root, Modern Root, Blake Inverted, or Accommodative principles.
- Fabricated to the shape - the polypropylene frame and EVA post are fabricated to match the submitted shape precisely.
See how the scan becomes an order.
Watch Kevin capture a foot, confirm the clinical position, and send a Root order - start to finish.
Variation converted to anatomy-match accuracy by impression & fabrication method
How closely each method preserves the patient’s intended foot shape. Scale: 0–100%, where 100% = optimal congruence.
Plaster bandage is wrapped around the foot in the clinician’s prescribed corrected position, setting into a precise negative of the foot’s contour.
The foot is pressed into a crushable foam box, leaving a negative impression of the plantar surface.
An existing positive model from the patient’s previous orthotics is reused - KevinRoot accepts models from any lab, with frame-contour variance as low as 1%.
A digital scanner such as FootID Pro captures the foot surface as a 3D model.
A fiberglass casting sock is applied over the foot and cures to capture its contour.
Pedobarography captures the patient’s plantar pressure distribution (static or dynamic) at 1:1 scale - used with arch height and shoe size to select a redimold positive model, not to capture true 3D contour.
A direct-molding system using prefabricated, size- and arch-based positive models (33 in total) rather than an individual foot impression.
Heated material is vacuum-pressed over a plaster positive model, drawing it intimately into every contour.
The frame is 3D printed by selective laser sintering (SLS) directly from the CAD-designed digital frame.
A positive model is CNC-milled (CAD/CAM) from an STS, 3D scan, plaster, or foam impression, then the frame is vacuum formed over it.
A CNC machine subtractively mills the frame from a block of polypropylene or EVA per the digital design.
*Redimold has no physical or digital foot impression - patient-foot-to-cast congruent accuracy is unavailable. Variation from positive model to frame is low.
How your patient's foot shape becomes a precision frame.
The journey from clinical capture to finished Hiker frame is where Root's expertise lives. Every step preserves the shape and position the clinician chose for that patient.
- Foot impression captured - the clinician captures the foot using their preferred method. How the foot is held directly determines the congruency of the finished device.
- Positive model created - the impression becomes a physical plaster model or a digital CAD/CAM model. Digital models are stored indefinitely for future pairs.
- Root technicians modify the shape - every modification reviewed against the prescription. Rearfoot post, heel cup depth, and cover selection confirmed per patient.
- Hiker frame fabricated - the polypropylene shell is pressed over the positive model with a 12mm heel cup and an extrinsic 55-65 Shore A EVA rearfoot post, with no frame filler. A .6mm suede top cover, a 3mm myolite device-length cushion, and a .6mm suede bottom cover wrap the device completely, forefoot balanced to rearfoot.
FitFoot360 Foot Model
- Root digital model stored indefinitely → recalled for future pairs
- Root technicians modify the digital shape in real-time: arch, heel, width, postings
- Vacuum formed over CAD/CAM positive model, direct milled or 3D printed Root Frame - replicable, consistent, precise
Real-time control over shape, function, and fit.
FitFoot360 gives Root's technicians complete digital control over every dimension of the orthotic frame - in real time. What once required physical carving and guesswork is now precise, repeatable, and stored permanently for every patient.
Digital positive model
Stored indefinitely. Future pairs, replacements, or modifications can be fabricated from the exact same shape without a new impression.
Real-time shape modification
Root technicians control arch, heel, width, and postings directly in the software.
Every parameter visible
Heel cup depth, frame reinforcement, ray cut-outs, flanges, and more are set per patient, not per template.
Plaster and foam digitisation
Physical models can be digitised for permanent storage. Note: digitising may not perfectly replicate the intimate contours achieved when vacuum forming directly over plaster.
Built to their spec. Built for their foot.
Every parameter of the Hiker device is set to the individual patient. Frame gauge, rearfoot post durometer, heel cup depth, and covers are chosen for that patient's anatomy, boots, and pack weight. Forefoot is balanced to rearfoot and the device is custom congruent to the foot model.
A polypropylene frame molded to the patient's foot model, giving a custom arch that holds its shape over long distances.
No filler - the frame carries the arch directly, keeping the device low in a hiking boot.
An extrinsic EVA heel post improves balance and stability on uneven trails while absorbing heel strike.
A 12mm heel cup holds the heel securely through descents, side-hills, and loose ground.
A suede top cover wraps the device for durability and a stable, non-slip interface with the foot.
A full-length myolite cushion absorbs shock and protects the feet from the added weight of gear and supplies.
A suede bottom cover completes the full suede wrap, built for the abuse of a 25-85 pound pack.
Forefoot is balanced to rearfoot and the frame is custom congruent to the patient's foot model.
The full picture.
Everything you need to prescribe the Hiker device.
- Symptomatic feet while hiking
- Biomechanical pathology
Recommended for
- Hiking boots
- Recreational hiking
- Backpacking
- Patients with moderate to advanced pathology
The Hiker device is designed to provide cushioning and support on outdoor treks ranging from day hikes to multi-month endeavors. A custom arch and extrinsic heel post improve balance and stability on uneven trails. A layer of myolite cushioning provides shock absorption to pad and protect the feet from the increased weight burden of additional gear and supplies.
The device is completely wrapped in suede to handle the abuse of carrying a 25-85 pound backpack on overnight or extended expeditions. It can be modified to accommodate mountaineering expeditions and heavier packing quests.
Constructed from a positive model of the patient's foot and modifiable at the practitioner's discretion.
- L3000 (UCB)
- L3010 (longitudinal/metatarsal support)
- L3020 (arch support)
- L5000 (filler)
Based on configuration. For reference only. Final coding and billing are the provider's responsibility.
Delivery Time
- Standard: 2 weeks
- Expedited: Available on request
Stability on trail, mile after mile.
The Hiker device pairs a polypropylene shell with an extrinsic 55-65 Shore A EVA rearfoot post and a 12mm heel cup. The custom arch and heel post together are what improve balance and stability when the ground stops being flat.
A 3mm myolite device-length cushion absorbs the shock of a loaded pack, and the full suede wrap keeps the device intact through overnight and extended expeditions.
The right frame
for the trail.
The Hiker device sits on the Performance frame profile, wrapped in suede
and cushioned for hiking boots and loaded packs.
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