Stiffer or softer boot? Help!

[Aussie-bowman]

I am struggling to find a good boot. Being located Down Under, we don't have access to the majority of the boots you guys do which makes finding a boot very difficult. I currently have Lowa Tibets which have taken a lot of abuse over the years but I always get extremely sore soles after 6-7miles. I have gone to a podiatrist and had custom insoles made but they don't really seem to help, and the standard insoles suck. I think they also may be a bit wide for my feet which may contribute to the pain as well.

I am really questioning if I need to go stiffer boots or if I should be going softer? Boots I am looking at currently are the scarpa r-evolution from kuiu, The scarpa Manta Techs and potentially scarpa grand dru? Problem is I can't try any of them on, as no where here in Oz stocks them. What's everyone else's experience with these shoes or how did you solve your foot pain?

What's everyone's thoughts? FYI I have very high arches which is likely a contributing factor to the foot pain thing...

TIA!

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[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

How much weight are you packing?

Do your feet hurt in tennis shoes if you go 6-7 miles?

What boots DO you have access to?

I have high arches as well, and found that boots that were slightly too large would leave my feet sore. I'd guess it's a sizing issue, rather than a stiffness issue.

 

[CBECK61]

Lots of people have issues with PU midsoles that you are going to find on the lowa tibet. PU is more durable and absorbs shock better than an EVA but EVA is softer and may help you foot pain. I'm also curious about pack weight, how much you weigh, and if your body is normalized to hiking 6-7 miles w/ a pack. Not sure if it's available where you are but the sole brand insoles w/ cork beds or met pads can help a ton.

 

[BadDogPSD]

My hard to fit, sissy size 14 feet seem to do well with the Meindl Vakuum Hunter boots. They come with cork insoles that work ok, But I've been using Sole Active thick insoles with met pads.

 

[CougarBlue]

How much weight are you packing?

Do your feet hurt in tennis shoes if you go 6-7 miles?

What boots DO you have access to?

I have high arches as well, and found that boots that were slightly too large would leave my feet sore. I'd guess it's a sizing issue, rather than a stiffness issue.

I think Trumpkin nailed it.

Especially with the question around tennis shoes. There are stiffer soles than the Tibets but they'd still fall into what I'd consider to be a stiff sole.

If they're tearing you up, it could be a fit issue or even a lacing issue. Guys in my hunting group with high arches tend to leave the lower portion of their laces a little looser. When they cinch it down hard, they have problems.

But the consistent thing I've heard from them is that softer soles were harder on their fit than stiffer soles.

Of course, you mileage may vary.

 

[Aussie-bowman]

How much weight are you packing?

Do your feet hurt in tennis shoes if you go 6-7 miles?

What boots DO you have access to?

I have high arches as well, and found that boots that were slightly too large would leave my feet sore. I'd guess it's a sizing issue, rather than a stiffness issue.

Day hunting is 15-20lbs. Multi-day trips 45+lbs. I'm 5'10 175lb.

No they don't hurt in tennis shoes but I'm also not in the kind of terrain.

Lowa Tibets are about the stiffest boot you can get down here other than full insulated mountaineering boots. There is a big gap. I have access to Salomon Quests, Lowa cervidale, scarpa kinesis, hunters element. Salewa, Hanwag, la Sportiva, we don't have.

You guys saying about arches and lacing got me thinking. To get a solid feel in the boot I do crank the laces down pretty tight which would be putting more pressure on my soles... I tried on a pair of the old scarpa r-evolution pro and they seemed to fit really well hence thinking I can order the same size in the other scarpas.

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[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I think you're dealing with a fit issue, not a stiffness issue. Try some scarpas if they fit you real well and report back!

 

[Bubblehide]

I have several different Scarpa's and I love them all. I really like a boot with a stiff sole, and they generally last me much longer than 1 season like non-stiff soled boots.

 

[Aussie-bowman]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I'm gonna give the Manta Techs a try! Appreciate the help!

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[GoodTryer]

Curious about the Manta Techs, did you end up sticking with them? And how did they perform and hold up?

 

[Aussie-bowman]

Curious about the Manta Techs, did you end up sticking with them? And how did they perform and hold up?

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply! Well it has been a journey to say the least. The manta techs didn’t help either so I went to a sports physician who did compartment pressure testing on me as well as an MRI with contrast dye to look at blood flow under load and it turns out I have 2 issues. The first is compartment pressure syndrome, which is basically the calf muscle is too large for the fascia, so when I begin to exercise and the muscle size increases, blood flow is limited because the fascia can’t expand enough. The second is popliteal artery compression, where one of the calf muscles is blocking off blood supply completely when I stand on my toes.

I had surgery on the first one last year in October and so far it has certainly helped with my chronic calf tightness however I’m not sure it has fixed my feet. The surgery to do the arterial decompression is a fairly big surgery and comes with risks so I am trying to strengthen my feet by going barefoot and wearing barefoot shoes most of the time. My thinking is if I can increase foot strength/tolerance I might be able to avoid the second surgery.

What I can say about the manta techs is that they are overkill for what we have in Australia, however I think they would be a great, mountain goat, sheep or if you went to NZ chasing tahr boot. I have since bought a Scarpa mescalito and am on my second pair after the first ones started to leak after only a few months of what I would consider light use. If the second pair leak, I will ask them to upgrade me to a marmolada, which is the next step up and are built in Italy. I have heard that the Romanian built boots don’t share quite the same quality as the Italian made ones.

 

[manitou1]

Meindls have always been the most comfortable for me, but I ALWAYS have to put in softer insoles, more cushioned in all my hunting boots.
I currently use Crispi Colorados, Meindl Vavuum Hunters and Hoffman Explorers... depending on terrain and weather.

I have used Lowa Tibets, Zamberlan Wasatch and Scarpa Kenesis and older Meindls in the past.

I also have a pair of Lowa Caminos I use for every day walks and hiking and am quickly falling in love with them.

 

[Aussie-bowman]

Meindls have always been the most comfortable for me, but I ALWAYS have to put in softer insoles, more cushioned in all my hunting boots.
I currently use Crispi Colorados, Meindl Vavuum Hunters and Hoffman Explorers... depending on terrain and weather.

I have used Lowa Tibets, Zamberlan Wasatch and Scarpa Kenesis and older Meindls in the past.

I also have a pair of Lowa Caminos I use for every day walks and hiking and am quickly falling in love with them.

What in soles do you use? Very curious.

Obviously I have problems but I’d rather not have surgery again if I can manage it

 

[Butcher8]

I tried soft sole this past season and it was a huge mistake. I had a lot of pain in the balls of my feet, almost debilitating. I'm sure if given enough time, one could get used to it. But I won't try it again.

 

[Aussie-bowman]

I tried soft sole this past season and it was a huge mistake. I had a lot of pain in the balls of my feet, almost debilitating. I'm sure if given enough time, one could get used to it. But I won't try it again.

A soft soled boot or a soft inner sole?

 

[manitou1]

What in soles do you use? Very curious.

Obviously I have problems but I’d rather not have surgery again if I can manage it

Timberland Pro anti-fatigue.

They suit me. I have tried many of the after-market, heat moldable and custom insoles and have settled on these.

I suffer from long term plantar faciatus (35 years military) and have had dozens of stress fractures in my feet from my infantry days.

They can be purchased online for about $32 U.S.

Another thing... if you have a high-volume boot and your feet are moving around in them you may want to build up insoles so as to limit your feet moving around in them. I have used SOLE (moldable) inserts for support (they are pretty hard) with a softer top insole with good result also.

All of my hiking and hunting boots have pretty stiff outsoles (bottoms) which serve me well hunting the mountainous terrain here out West in Wyoming.
Best of luck to you.