boots w/ wide toe box, but not wide shoe

[mtwarden]

I have a pair of La Sportiva boots (Omega) that unlike many La Sportiva shoes, have a roomy toe box- of course they are now discontinued and not available; I have a pair of their TRK's and they are just a little tight in the toe box- close, but no cigar.

My feet when measured aren't wide, just normal- when I try on wide sizes, they tend to fit good in the toe box, but the rest of the boot (mid-foot and heel) are sloppy.

Looking for a relatively lightweight boot (but still stiff enough for sidehilling heavy-ish loads); prefer leather over synththetic, but not a game ender; obviously has to have a roomy toe box and a good outsole- I'm neutral on Goretex/equivalent

boots that didn't make the cut thus far Salewa Mtn Trainer (too narrow in toe box), Salomon Quest (fit fine in toe box, weird pain in ankle area), Keen Aphlex (fit great, not stiff enough), La Sportiva TRK (very close, but not perfect)


Thanks

 

[Vandy321]

Crispi Briksdal. Had the same problem...narrow feet, fat wide toes. Third try on boots and these were a big winner.

 

[mtbshark]

Same issue here!
I am currently running kennetrek and they are good in tote box but they have a wide heel that I am dealing with. But the quest will continue

List up to now:
Lowa Tibet
Lathrop
Salomon quest
Crispi Nevada(decent fit not stiff enough)
Salewa crow




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mtwarden]

I'll look into that Crispi- thanks

that's a pretty long list of boots

 

[tdot]

Just explain to a boot fitter that you have duck feet. It tends to help. I'm not kidding it actually does, and if the boot filter knows what they're doing, can usually pull a boot for you to try or just send you packing as nothing will work.

I have the same type of feet. Skinny heel, narrow ankle, mid range arch height, EEEE toe box.

I've found the most important aspect of any boots I look at now are heel hold down, ankle support and mid foot comfort. Then I either punch the crap out of the toe box or find a boot with enough give in the material to let my foot stretch the boot by itself. My last two pairs of ski boots were La Sportiva and Scarpa, they required 48 punches and 53 punches, respectively to fit my foot. If you live in a mountain town, I have had ski boot fitters punch my leather hiking boots with success.

Unfortunately, in my experience, you are going to have a very hard time finding a big burly boot that will fit that foot type, they are few and far between. For the last 8 - 10 years I have consistently found myself in Scarpa's or La Sportiva's. Two companies which are known for narrow foot lasts. Also stay away from boots with big rands around the toe. Typically you cant stretch them as much.

My current boot which I'm loving is the Scarpa Zodiac Plus GTX, as soon as I see they are discontinued, I will be buying a backup pair.

 

[JohnB]

~50 punches in a set of ski boots?! You must have a helluva relationship with your bootfitter. Good to hear about punching hiking boots, I've got a set of the zodiac tech gtx and it would be great to get a little more space in there.

 

[tdot]

~50 punches in a set of ski boots?! You must have a helluva relationship with your bootfitter. Good to hear about punching hiking boots, I've got a set of the zodiac tech gtx and it would be great to get a little more space in there.

Ha, yes, yes I do. He's awesome. If you're ever in Vancouver, I can send you his details. He now punches my boots without measuring my feet. It's a bit creepy that theres a dude running around out there that knows my foot better then I do, but I've gotten over it.

Just an FYI, the Goretex membrane often wont be waterproof after punching.... not that it is anyways, but it can get damaged.

 

[nickstone]

Same issue here!
I am currently running kennetrek and they are good in tote box but they have a wide heel that I am dealing with. But the quest will continue

List up to now:
Lowa Tibet
Lathrop
Salomon quest
Crispi Nevada(decent fit not stiff enough)
Salewa crow




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have similar issues with the size of my feet. A few years back I got a pair of Kenetrek 11 W. While the toe box was fine, I was getting a lot of slippage in the heel section. I emailed Kenetrek and they offered to have me send in the boots and sew in addition material in the heel.

I thought this was a very nice jesture since, the issue was with the shape of my foot, not with the build of their boot. I'm not sure if this is still a service they offer or not.

I also like the fit of Scarpa kinesis. I have plenty of room in the toe box, and the heel fits very secure.

 

[Okhotnik]

Same issue with me

Found scarpa triolet worked for me but a stiff boot not great for flat terrain at least for me

Love altra shoes and playing with the neoshells in snow now with gaiters. Not stiff but very comfortable for wider feet and those with foot issues IMO

 

[mtwarden]

^ look into the Keen Aphlex (if still made?), stiffer than Altras for sure, very roomy toe box (but fit snug where they should), just not stiff enough to haul a load

 

[bates]

I have a similar issue, need wider toebox

here is what has worked for me... tried alot of boots

Lowa Bighorns (if you can find them)
Salewa Raven boots
Zamberlan 4042

 

[Cbled]

Another option might be Aku boots. Handmade Italian boots, not super well known in my experience but very well made. I have narrow heels and wider toe area. If you can find them they may be good for you as well. For reference, I tried scarpa, la sportiva and schemes granites with no luck. 2 pairs of aku have been awesome. My current pair are the aku Utah top gtx.

 

[ericF]

Also have the same issue. Look at the old Meindl Perfekt Hunters which are now the Comfort Fit Hunters directly from Meindlusa. The even specifically call out the wider toe box "Built on the Comfort Fit last, these boots have more room in the toebox, and cup the heels snugly for a near-custom fit and feel." You can look at the Meindl thread in this forum to see alot of people are happy that Meindl is now selling directly after Cabelas stopped carrying them.

The Zamberlan Guide 960s seemed to fit pretty good when I was looking for boots for Alaska this year, but I didn't end up going with them. The new 981s look very tempting and I believe they have the same last as the 960s, but I haven't tried them on yet.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

Sounds like an all leather boot that doesn’t lace all the way down might do the ticket. I have a pair of Redwing 608s that felt tight across my toes after the first hour or so. After 70-80 hour break in period with plenty of oil/wax on the vamp of the boot they fit perfectly.

 

[Braaap]

Scarpa zodiac plus gtx. I have the same boot fit issue and these have been fantastic.

 

[GotDraw?]

Crispi Colorado, wide/rounded toe box. Awesome boot.

JL

 

[Doghed]

Crispi Colorado, wide/rounded toe box. Awesome boot.

JL

X2 on the Colorado and Crispi in general.
Jordan Budd's Colorado boot review (sticky thread) has a lot of good info on this.

 

[mtwarden]

I’ll check that review out

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I wear Altra shoes for running, largely for the wide toe box. They do have a mid-height boot variation of their Lone Peak trail running shoe. I'm not sure if it would be stiff or durable as you'd like for hunting though. You would also have to like the zero heel drop. I do, but I realize it's not for everyone.

 

[mtwarden]

I wear Altra shoes for running, largely for the wide toe box. They do have a mid-height boot variation of their Lone Peak trail running shoe. I'm not sure if it would be stiff or durable as you'd like for hunting though. You would also have to like the zero heel drop. I do, but I realize it's not for everyone.

I have a pair of Altras that I occasionally rotate in with my running, but I’ve found a mild drop works better for me vs a 0 drop

for the majority of the hunting I do, no trail runner type shoe would work unfortunately

I am seeing a trend reading reviews that Crispi (several models) are often touted for a wider toe box