What is wrong with my feet? Eyelets touching- almost

[Cactus kid]

This is the second pair of boots that have done this and I’m starting to think my feet might be odd. On both boots, after about 200 miles on them, the eyelets almost touch, and if i cinch the boots tight the eyelets do touch. This is with aftermarket insoles (superfeet copper) WITH the factory insoles in place. I have also sized down half size. Also: wearing fits light hiker socks. What the hell is wrong with my feet!?

These are Hanwag Alaskan boots.

 

[Cactus kid]

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[nrh6.7]

I'm no boot expert but could it be you have really narrow feet? Maybe look at a more technical/narrow lasted boot?

 

[Cactus kid]

This was the aftermath of Meindl Denali that I had had for two years. The eyelets eventually touched and I thought I would be okay... Day 1 of a 7 day hunt.

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[duchntr]

You have low volume foot, also leather tends to stretch (shrink & swell).

 

[go4thegusto]

This is the second pair of boots that have done this and I’m starting to think my feet might be odd. On both boots, after about 200 miles on them, the eyelets almost touch, and if i cinch the boots tight the eyelets do touch. This is with aftermarket insoles (superfeet copper) WITH the factory insoles in place. I have also sized down half size. Also: wearing fits light hiker socks. What the hell is wrong with my feet!?

These are Hanwag Alaskan boots.

Welcome to the Fred Bear Geek Club! My feet measure 12AA (thanks MOM). It has been a life long struggle to find adequate footwear that runs narrow. You will find what brands work and what brands don't. As a rule the European brands run narrower or are actually offered in a narrow.

 

[wyodan]

I have the same problem. I take up as much space as possible with insoles. I've been using a brand called DFP, and it's helped. But I've gone through a pile of boots to get some that fit. SOLE also makes a good high volume insole.

 

[KNPV PSD]

Lowa boots in general are designed around a lower volume last. Have you given them a try?

 

[JollyRoger]

I have a similar issue with some boots. My feet are definitely narrow and low volume. Here's what I do:
- Italian brands seem to work well for me - La Sportiva, Garmont (mil boots), Lathrop & Sons, etc
- Look for boots that already have the laces spaced far apart. If they look close in the pics, they are a no-go (Danner for instance)
- Read reviews.. I type in specifically 'mountaineering boot for low volume foot' or something similar.
- Use good insoles. Superfeet, Lathrop&Sons, RedWing has one that's awesome for my work boots
- There are some things you can do to take up room under the tongue also. From a stick on pad to having a leather piece sewn in... this will help reduce the volume also.

 

[JollyRoger]

Also, as far as using two sets of insoles... that's a recipe for disaster as you found out. The problem is with that much material under your foot your heel is no longer sitting in the heel pocket of the boot correctly. I tried this on a pair of Rocky S2Vs during a physically intense military school... bad move on my part. Better to find a pair of boots you can effectively lace up and only use one insole than to try to make a boot work for you that just isnt cooperative with your geometry.

 

[Muttly]

Need to get with the times, Botox your feet...

 

[elkduds]

I have B-C width feet. Last 5 pairs of boots I've had were women's medium width size 11, for my men's 9.5 feet. They fit great, and bootmakers are building stouter women's boots than in the past.

 

[Cactus kid]

thank you very much for the help. I am going to look into the lowa tibets. Does anyone know if scrap are good for low volume?

 

[Cactus kid]

I have B-C width feet. Last 5 pairs of boots I've had were women's medium width size 11, for my men's 9.5 feet. They fit great, and bootmakers are building stouter women's boots than in the past.

do they make the shank less stiff in women boots? i thought about switching to a womans boot but I'm a mens 11

 

[elkduds]

do they make the shank less stiff in women boots? i thought about switching to a womans boot but I'm a mens 11

That used to be the case. I have New Balance 1201s and Vasque Eriksons in womens 11 med, they are both plenty stiff for mountaineering w crampons or heavy packing over broken terrain. I think I got them both from Sierra Trading Post on cheap clearance. I run custom orthotics that are rigid to nearly the ball of the foot, that adds @ least a half size. You would need about a womens size 12 w plain footbeds, which may be harder to find.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have narrow feet and the best boots I have found for me have been Asolo, the eyelets get pretty close and the laces are crazy long after tightening them but they give me zero issue. One heavy duty pair and a mid weight.

Going to try some new insoles soon, factory on both are toast. I find they way I lace them to make a difference as well.

 

[fiskeri1]

Another low-volume foot owner here.

As has been previously stated, two sets of insoles is a recipe for disaster.

Also have found Lowa's to not work well. At all (thank God REI took them back).

La Sportiva, Salewa, and Scarpa's have worked for me.

 

[duchntr]

Id try the laSPORTIVA trango series first the scarpa chamoz is slightly wider with a bigger toe box. Order a few pairs from zappos free shipping both ways. Took me a while to find a boot for my narrow low volume foot, settled on the trango evos now called the trango tower.

 

[MTSabo]

I have a low volume foot and couldn't be happier with my lowas.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Dang, those dogs look HORRIBLE!! Wow! Lol! I’m no boot expert but you need some different boots and maybe some different socks. One thing I noticed from the picture of your Hanwags...they’re in desperate need of some conditioning. It’s possible that, if you aren’t caring for the leather, you’re enabling some of the stretching. If the leather gets really dried out and then you get them soaked with water and cinch them up, they’re going to stretch and remain; because any elasticity is gone. Just a thought.

I got my first pair of Crispis a few months ago and they are amazing - felt like old friends the first time I put them on and required ZERO break in. I got lucky and it’s as if they were made for my feet. Heck, I haven’t even put a pair of SF greens in them yet! As some others have said, the European brands are built narrower. I noticed this right away and at first I thought I might need to upsize. I would give the guys at Crispi a call and talk to them about your issues. They have the best customer service I’ve ever experienced and are genuinely interested in getting you into a pair of boots that’s perfect for you. They’re really knowledgeable.

Hope you find a solution because there’s no way I could hunt with my feet in that condition. Ugh! Hurt me just looking at that photo!


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