Boots with wider Forefoot area

[snowymtnwolf]

Compared to my schnees beartooth - my crispis do (guide and wild rock)


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[ElPollo]

So I highly recommend getting your feet measured on a Brannock at a shoe store. I did that yesterday and then did several miles today in my current boots with a backpack full of sand. Based on the measurements, I don’t need a wide boot. My issue that I need a boot that will allow my big toe to stay straight. All the boots I’ve been using (Kenetreks, Hoffmans, Asolos) seem to taper the toe box such that the side of the box hits the outside of my big toe and pushes it towards the rest of my toes.

Over the last year and a half (I’ve been using Kenetreks for 7 years), that has started causing significant pain. I don’t think it’s a Kenetrek issue. I think my feet are changing as I get older. The unfortunate part, that probably a lot of you share, is that I don’t live anywhere that I can try on good mountain boots and options for doing so are all 5-7 hours away. So now, I’m down to comparing photos of toe box profiles for something new and ordering them otherwise blindly on the web. Not my favorite way to do things.

 

[ElPollo]

This is a plug for GoHunt and a discussion of boots for people who need bigger toe boxes, but I’m sure some other dealers who carry a lot of boots will do this for you as well.

After Amazon cancelled my order, I was using the GoHunt website to compare photos of toe boxes on other boots to see what would be a good fit for my issues. I called them and they took a good 15-20 minutes to listen to my story and to go through the various boots with me that might be good options. His first answer was Hanwag, particularly Ancash and Alaskan. He said they are known for generous toe boxes in both width and height. He also suggested Zamberlans, particularly the 971 Guide because it was closest to what I was used to wearing, but there are multiple options from Zamberlan that have good sized toe boxes. He also suggested the Salewa Rapace and Crow. The Ancash was out of stock in my size, but he said thought he might have one pair of the Ancash squirreled away on a different database. I got a call from them 30 minutes later confirming that and bought them over the phone. I’ll post thoughts on them after I get a few miles on them.

My discussion with GoHunt was focused on boots that ranked a 4 on their stiffness scale. But for those of you who have similar issues who want a more flexible boot, consider the Hanwag Tatra II. They have a short version and a taller version.