Boot shopping history for wide feet

[goathunter]

Im starting to get worried my current boots won't make it through this season and I can't find a new boot.

Here is my (~8 year) history of a search for a mountain hunting and backpacking boot. My right foot is pretty much a 12 4E, my left an 11.5 3E. I really think there's alot of guys out there with wide feet, and it's crazy there aren't more options. And yes, I've called Lathrop.

From all my experience if a boot barely doesn't fit, it's not going to work. Because all of these boots have the 360 wrap rubber rand, and this just won't break in. The rubber rand holds the shape and the boot will fit like it does the day you try it on a year from now. And if a boot is too big, all of these boots have such a stiff shank, you will get heal lift.

If anyone has some other ideas please let me know I will try them. Or maybe this will help someone else out.

La Sportiva ???- bought too big, returned to REI. bought my size, too narrow. But so comfortable I wish they fit. Returned to REI.

New Balance 1500 Rainier - 11.5 4E. Backpacker's editor's choice 2009. Discontinued - why? The only boot to ever fit me. Wish they were 12's as the leather has shrunk from getting wet/drying by fire. Still wearing, had soles glued back on this year. But these boots are not heavy duty/stiff enough for carrying much weight, although I do. Still, if anyone knows of any new old stock I will buy them.

Kenetrek Mountain Extreme NI 11.5W. Loved these boots. Right big toe jams into wall of boot. Sent to Kenetrek recommended cobbler in Bozeman twice to have area rubbed out. Used them for a season. Still a problem. Sold on craigslist.

Lowa Tibet 12W - too narrow, returned. Nicest hardware of any boot I've tried.

Hanwag Alaskan 12W. So close to fitting - such well made boots.Right big toe/little toe jams into wall of boot. They have, among others, a straight last, and a wide last. I think if they made a "straight wide" last, it would fit.

Kenetrek Hardscrabble hiker 12W. Finally - a boot that doesn't cramp my right toe box. Thought I finally found THE ones. When I do find the ones, I will buy 3 pair. But, after a season, the toe box was roomy because they were too big, and I had heel lift issues. Sold on ebay.

Scarpa Kinesis 46. So close to fitting. Made at least 4 trips to the boot store to try, and ordered from Amazon to try for a week. Just barely too narrow in the toe box. Almost bought them. Returned.

Danner Mountain Assault 12 EE. Decent boots for the price. Not much padding throughout the boot though. Good room in toe box but was barely too small at first, got smaller the longer I had them on. Not super stiff. These run a little small. After wearing most of a day walking around indoors my right toe box was cramped - small and big toe driving into sides of boot. It was enough I know it would be bad after a day of hiking. Tried a 13 locally and it was way too long.

Scarpa Kinesis 46.5 (12.5US). Very close. Probably would have worked after much break in. Still too narrow - outer toes cramped.

Meindl Denali (2016) 12 EE. Enough room in the toe box (although feels like a true EE), probably because fit is 1/2 size big. 12US has Longer insole than the Scarpa 12.5US, but is narrower in the ball of the foot. Meindl has a straighter last which makes it feel wider. Too big though, returned.

Meindl Denali (2016) 11.5US EE. Too tight in the toe box with stock insole, stock insole is very thick. Trying really thin aftermarket insoles - SOLE Super Sport Thin, Superfeet Carbon, and thinner socks and I think these might be the ones. Hopefully after they break in I could wear any socks. Meindls aren't the widest widest boots I've tried on, Scarpa Kinesis last is wider (and curvier), but Meindls give more room somehow. Maybe they have more vertical space. Probably toe room like a 12W Kenetrek, but locks your heel in better. No heel slip even on the way too big 12EE.

I have a 11.5 EE Meindl Perfekt on order. I'm gonna compare to the Denali and keep one of them for the season and be done. Because the season i s a week away...

 

[quent]

I've wondered about the danner mountain assaults. I have a few pairs of the danner combat hiker but they don't have the ankle support I'd like. great US made boots though. I'm sketchy about there made shit china crap though. Let us know how work for you, please!

 

[goathunter]

I've wondered about the danner mountain assaults. I have a few pairs of the danner combat hiker but they don't have the ankle support I'd like. great US made boots though. I'm sketchy about there made shit china crap though. Let us know how work for you, please!

Will do, if they work they're a bargain. Danner lists them as "imported" though.

 

[doverpack12]

My feet are similar but not as wide. Left foot is a 14 instep and 13.5 length and on the edge of touching the wide line. Big issue is both feet carry the width from just in front of my heel to my pinky toe joint then rapidly decrease toward my big toe. Right foot is a 14 instep 13 length and just narrower than the right same width profile from heel. Other main issue is I have terrible heel slip in most boots. Feels like the point on the back of my heel is narrower and higher than most boots.

Merrell Outland Mids work great but are not an extreme boot and cannot handle a lot of side hilling. These are no longer made and current merrels fit differently.

Cabelas Meindl Air Revolution backpackers worked great for me the past two years. Had a sole separation and the replacements are an all synthetic which worked well on a backpacking trip around 35 miles with 50 pounds. Need more testing to know for sure. My experience is meindles through Cabelas run bigger and wider than most boots.

Kenetrek absolutely will not fit

I am trying to decide between a pair of Schnees Beartooth Mid boots in a 13W and Lowa Tibet in a 13W right now. Lowas have a little more width BJ construction and overall design keeps bringing me back to the Schnees.

Scarpa Charmoz Pro felt pretty good and could possibly work.

Last year I had a pair of Salewa Mountain Trainer Mids that the rand was thin enough it formed to my foot and they fit like a glove. Only issue was the wire rubbed the top outsides of both heels on steep hills but flat was great. Worst blisters I've had In quite awhile.

Crispi Nevada just didn't hold my heel but the width was ok in a 14.

Lowa Renegade in a 14 wide works but these aren't much more of a boot than my merrels.

Zamberlan isn't wide enough and their 13 is too small in length. The 1006 Vioz I have not tried or whichever one is specifically for wide feet.

Salomon 4D in a 14 is too narrow in front of my heel on the outside and maybe a little tight on the left pinky toe joint but I feel they would loosen up if the outside front of the heel worked.

Vasque has nothing that will work.

I have tried a lot more but these are the big name brands and my experiences. I think the Cabelas Meindls might work for you. They have a lot of different versions. The Western Slope and Western Guide might be the ones for you.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I feel your pain. I have a 13eeee left foot and 12.5eee right. High arch and narrow heel.

I am a bit new to this mountain hunting so still dialing in the boot formula but have been hiking for a long time and marching and rucking before that.

I tried on Schnee but found them too narrow.

I have used danner for years going back into .mil days decades ago. They carry some of their boots in up to eeee width to satisfy .mil. I have two pair of ICHs and a few others that work well. Heavy but solid so far. I find their 12.5 and 13 wides to suit me depending on the boot model.

I bought a pair of kenetrek mountain extremes in 13w. I swapped out the inserts and tried them on a short walk. I may put some padding in the heel of my right / smaller foot but so far they feel good. Need to get them in the field.

I had understood based on my research that Schnee ran narrow, lowa was in the middle and kenetrek was the widest but I could be wrong.

I am curious about crispi and if anyone can comment on the widness of their boots.

 

[goathunter]

My feet are similar but not as wide. Left foot is a 14 instep and 13.5 length and on the edge of touching the wide line. Big issue is both feet carry the width from just in front of my heel to my pinky toe joint then rapidly decrease toward my big toe. Right foot is a 14 instep 13 length and just narrower than the right same width profile from heel. Other main issue is I have terrible heel slip in most boots. Feels like the point on the back of my heel is narrower and higher than most boots.
...
I have tried a lot more but these are the big name brands and my experiences. I think the Cabelas Meindls might work for you. They have a lot of different versions. The Western Slope and Western Guide might be the ones for you.

doverpack12 thanks for the input. sounds like you might be able to get away with some of the wide rated boots out there today but I bet you're buying bigger than you would because of your long width. I never had heel slip until I went too long - something to think about. I will definitely try some Meindls based upon your advice if these Danners don't work out.

I bought a pair of kenetrek mountain extremes in 13w. I swapped out the inserts and tried them on a short walk. I may put some padding in the heel of my right / smaller foot but so far they feel good. Need to get them in the field.

I had understood based on my research that Schnee ran narrow, lowa was in the middle and kenetrek was the widest but I could be wrong.

I am curious about crispi and if anyone can comment on the widness of their boots.

Desk Jockey I forgot to mention, I put new inserts in all these boots. superfeet and powersteps, I prefer powerstep. The Kenetrek Hardscrabble 12W I even put some flat inserts from a ski shop underneath the custom footbeds to take up space since those were too big, you might try that for your heel. They talked about doing some custom heating and fitting like they do for ski boots if I bought the Scarpas, but it would have been a gamble.

I havent't tried Crispi. Hanwag makes custom boots, but just for German customers...

 

[muledhunter]

Whites custom boots

 

[goathunter]

Whites custom boots

whites always looked like more of a winter pack boot or horseback boot to me. I'm more in the market for a backpacking boot.

 

[gelton]

You know from all the information on this thread we could start ourselves a boot company. I was just thinking the other day about how limited our options are for those of us that have wide feet. Then when you do find something that fits, more than likely its made out of nubuck instead of full grain leather and doesn't take waterproofing cream well. If I were designing a hunting boot it would be wide enough to fit American feet and either full grain leather or synthetic, and in both of those cases we are SOL.

 

[Mike7]

I think I will subscribe to this thread. I see people every day with feet that are all messed up for no other reason than shoes which are not wide enough. I have a left foot that is 11 4E (I could even do a 5E and be happy probably) and a right foot that is 10.5 4E. New Balance and Dunham shoes with Superfeet inserts in these sizes work great for casual wear.

In the distant past I had boots custom made for logging/choker setting that fit great. These were made by Wesco / West Coast Shoe Company in OR. They had me trace my feet onto a piece of paper (while weight bearing I believe). I don't think they make hiking boots though.

Currently my best fitting boots are Asolo Powermatics size 11 without a rubber rand. To make them even more comfortable, like all of my leather boots, I put a 5/8-3/4" plywood cut out of the front half of my foot while weight bearing into the boot to stretch it, especially while the boot is drying after being wet from the field or after I wax the boot up. All other Asolo boots are too narrow for me.
All Lowa boots are too narrow for me.
The Meindls I have tried are too narrow.
Vasque that I have tried are all too narrow.
I haven't tried Crispi.
Zamberlan Viozz size 11 fit me okay and are really well built, but their heel cup is so low, that it is hard to use an aftermarket insole without having significant heel slip. They have virtually no insole in them when you buy them.
The old Montrail wide gortex hiking boots fit farily well, but they no longer make them.
Salomon Quest 4d in 10.5 are really close to fitting & I think that I could make them work, esp with a little stretching.
Hi-tec Skamania's size 11 for light duty boots fit really well and only cost $40.

 

[Mike7]

Oh, I have found some Wolverine boots in 11 Wide that fit. But most of their boots are lighter duty also.

 

[COlineman78]

I only have 2 pairs that come close to fitting right now, but not perfect. My light weight hikers/daily boots are New Balance 1569 in 12 6E. I really need about a half size bigger to avoid some toe rub when doing weighted pack hikes on Green Mountain. The only other pair I have, I reserve for wet conditions because they aren't quite as comfortable, but 100% waterproof and they are Bates Gore-Tex 8" Side Zip in 12 3E. They have a stiff heel and I do get a small amount of heel rub, so I might try one of their other styles.

Amazon.com | New Balance Men's MW1569 Country Walking Boot | Walking
Amazon.com: Bates Men's GX-8 8 Inch Ultra-Lites GTX Waterproof Boot, Black, 12 XW US: Shoes

I am debating on picking up some custom boots, but the only companies that make that sort of thing are designed for logging like White's or Nick's. I'm warming up to the idea of all leather boots even though I would prefer a modern breathable waterproof material. White's does make some lower cut styles that I'm hoping will be closer to what I'm looking for.

 

[goathunter]

Meindl makes an extra wide boot - the "Guffert". I may have read it was discontinued. But I've never found anywhere that carried them. I need to make a trip to Germany

 

[tttoadman]

I saw Lowa offering a "superwide" of a couple models. Don't know anything about them, but they are not always noted on the mainstream sites. People say the scarpas are a little wider in the foot than the La Sportivas. I have Tibet 12W for mid season and light socks. I put a 3mm(ish) wool pad under the bottom to snug them up and add some cushion for my feet. I cant wear these Lowas with heavy socks or my toes go numb. I got the Sportiva nepals in 47 and they seem to be really nice with heavy socks. I have never had a blister with the Lowas. I get a little hot with the Sportivas, but they are getting better.

A weird idea perhaps, but a guy could make a custom insert for a narrow heel by cutting the heel(and as far forward as desired) out of an old neoprene wader. It would raise the heel a touch and put about 2-3mm on each side and behind the heel to snug the fit up. Put this in the bottom and put the regular insole on top of it. All of the high end boots have a deep heel pocket. This insert could be trimmed nicely to fit in this heel pocket without making a point load spot.

 

[SHTF]

I stopped trying. I took a different strategy cause I got tired of spending 350$ on boots that didn't fit. So I went out and bought boot stretchers along with the spray to soften the leather. Worked like a champ Here are the ones I got FootFitter Premium Professional Boot Stretcher | FootFitter

Id go buy a boot that you know fits length and is close width them take the stretcher to them. The Stretcher comes with little plastic parts that you can put on it to even extend the stretch more. Works great and I have no problems.

Good luck.

 

[6mm Remington]

Try contacting these folks and see what they can do for you. You can measure your foot per their instructions and they will make you a boot.

Lace-To-Toe Dri-Foot(R) Outdoorsman

 

[goathunter]

I stopped trying. I took a different strategy cause I got tired of spending 350$ on boots that didn't fit. So I went out and bought boot stretchers along with the spray to soften the leather. Worked like a champ Here are the ones I got FootFitter Premium Professional Boot Stretcher | FootFitter

Id go buy a boot that you know fits length and is close width them take the stretcher to them. The Stretcher comes with little plastic parts that you can put on it to even extend the stretch more. Works great and I have no problems.

Good luck.

Does that work with boots with the big rubber rand wrap? I wouldn't think it would. I thought about doing the trick where you fill a Ziploc with water in the boot and put in the freezer but didn't want to not be able to return if it didn't work and damaged them

 

[SHTF]

Does that work with boots with the big rubber rand wrap? I wouldn't think it would. I thought about doing the trick where you fill a Ziploc with water in the boot and put in the freezer but didn't want to not be able to return if it didn't work and damaged them

It does not work with a full rubber rand. But there are many options for great boots without the rand. I did this with my Asolo TPS 520's and it work excellent. great boot but the E was slightly to narrow for my comfort. So frustrated with them I almost sold them now I can wear these and they are an excellent fit after doing this.

 

[GKPrice]

Try contacting these folks and see what they can do for you. You can measure your foot per their instructions and they will make you a boot.

Lace-To-Toe Dri-Foot(R) Outdoorsman

although I don't have those huge feet you guys do I used to have my wildland firefighting and packer boots made by White's, they will bend over backwards to get a boot to fit and they are a quality company That "dri-foot" model is a great looking boot

 

[goathunter]

Try contacting these folks and see what they can do for you. You can measure your foot per their instructions and they will make you a boot.

Lace-To-Toe Dri-Foot(R) Outdoorsman

Appreciate it. I do have boots of that style that fit - Danner Elk Hunters. I just have trouble finding a backpacking boots that fit.