Double Back Lacing

This method looks interesting plus holds very firmly, but is terribly awkward to tighten. The lacing first runs down the shoe, then doubles back up the shoe. There's two variations: One with hidden verticals at the bottom, the other with a visible crossover.

Diagram for 8 pairs of eyelets, variation 1
Pairs
8
8
7
6
5
4
3
Step
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

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Lacing Technique

• Begin straight across on the outside (grey section) and in through the second-from-top set of eyelets.

• Cross the ends and feed in through the second-lower set of eyelets (skip past one set of eyelets).

• Continue down the shoe two sets of eyelets at a time.

• At the bottom, run each lace end vertically between the bottom and second-from-bottom eyelets. (For variation 2, the ends run diagonally).

• Double back and work back up the shoe, criss-crossing through the vacant sets of eyelets.

Variations

1 For longer ends / neater look, the laces run vertically up the inside between the bottom and second-from-bottom eyelets.

2 For shorter ends / messier look, the laces cross diagonally between the bottom and second-from-bottom eyelets.

Features

Stays very tight

Terribly awkward

6% longer ends (approx.)

Double Back Lacing Video

Shoelace Lengths for Double Back Lacing

Pairs of eyelets: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Length needed: (N/A) 63 cm
25 inch		 75 cm
30 inch		 87 cm
34 inch		 99 cm
39 inch		 111 cm
44 inch		 123 cm
48 inch
Lengths available: 27" 27" 36" 40" 45" 45"

NOTE: These are approximate shoelace lengths for using this lacing on an average sized sneaker. For more accurate lengths, use the Shoelace Length Calculator.

Comparative Length

Shorter shoelaces needed than those for basic Criss Cross Lacing.

Longer ends if existing shoelaces are re-used (+6% on average).

More details.

Double Back Lacing Feedback

"Before going to your website my shoelaces were outrageously big (52cm) and i was always tripping over them. I tried tying the Double Back Lacing and now my shoelaces are 45cm when they are untied, and only 15 cm with an Ian knot."

– Brendan K., Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Nov-2004

If you'd like to send feedback about Double Back Lacing, please Contact Ian.

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