Hunting Boots w/ Wide Toe Box

[5001craig]

I just went through this same search as I have a 4E (or H in my Red Wing work boots). Perfect size for me would be 12.5 but not many of them around. 13 3E work boots fit in the toe box but in the store I had a ton of heel slip which would only get worse.

I found the Lowa Tibet GTX Wide and it fit like a glove with a fairly thick pair of orthotic insoles and socks on. I mean they fit my foot so well I wanted to sleep in them. Right out of the box. Got them a few days before a pheasant hunt and couldn't believe how well they worked in the wet conditions--waterproof of course but also traction. Makes me want to get a pair of the same boots but leather lined.

By the way, awesome forum!

Craig

 

[bearskull]

Salomon Quest 4D has a pretty roomy toe box, you should be able to dial the heel in with a pair of super feet insoles. They are very comfortable, but are not a mountaineering boot in terms of stiffness and support. Worked fine climbing stuff that looked like sheep country and packing an elk out though.

I have wide toes, a narrow arch, and a wide heel, so I ended up with a pair of Lathrop and Sons gel insoles on top of the factory insoles that I cut off in front of the balls of my feet to keep toe room.

Many people saying to try the Quests. Thanks for relaying particulars. They are added to my list of try-ons

 

[bearskull]

I have a narrow heel and a wide forefoot. My heel usually floats around in any wide width boot. Several styles of the Cabelas Meindl boots in D width have fit me perfectly (I have had 5 pairs). Now that I live in the East, I don’t put many miles on them per year. Unfortunately, one of my friends and I have had problems with the soles coming off low mileage but older Cabelas Meindls. The material used to connect the sole to the boot has just crumbled away. If I still lived somewhere where I would actually wear the boots out every year or two from use, I would continue getting them. As it is, I would not trust them on any backpack or drop type hunt after a couple years even if the boots looked new.

I bought a pair of Hanwag Trappers this year. The fit is similar to the Meindls so now I will see how they last.

I looked up some pictures online and from looking at the pictures it does seem several of the models seem to have a roomy toe box. Seems very promising. I really appreciate the input.

 

[bearskull]

I use the hanwag Alaskan GTX in their wide model, I’m not sure if I have wide feet, but they fit great. I use them as my every day footwear, as well as my mountain boot.

They are 50% off on their Canadian websight right now, sucks not being able to try them on first, but if you have a local retailer close by, they would be worth a look, especially at that price.

I found a local store with these in stock. I know Hanwag gets lots of love on this forum. Definitely will try them out. Thanks

 

[bearskull]

I just went through this same search as I have a 4E (or H in my Red Wing work boots). Perfect size for me would be 12.5 but not many of them around. 13 3E work boots fit in the toe box but in the store I had a ton of heel slip which would only get worse.

I found the Lowa Tibet GTX Wide and it fit like a glove with a fairly thick pair of orthotic insoles and socks on. I mean they fit my foot so well I wanted to sleep in them. Right out of the box. Got them a few days before a pheasant hunt and couldn't believe how well they worked in the wet conditions--waterproof of course but also traction. Makes me want to get a pair of the same boots but leather lined.

By the way, awesome forum!

Craig

Hey Craig, thanks for the recommendation. Given you similar experience with wide boots, it sounds like I will definitely need to try out the Tibets.

This is an awesome forum. I really can’t believe how helpful people are here and how willing they are to take time to help a random internet stranger.

A big thanks goes out to you and all others in the thread.

 

[Maverick1]

My feet are right between needing a 'normal' width and a 'wide' width. ('Normal' width boots are typically a bit too narrow, and 'wide' boots are a bit too big and 'sloppy'.). With that, I have had good luck with normal width Keen Targhee mid hikers. The are lightweight (~2.2 pounds), comfortable, and break in very easily. With that said, they are not the most 'durable' (as compared to some of the heavier boots) and they are not the most waterproof.

 

[ericF]

I've been searching for a new pair of boots for an upcoming trip to Alaska and here is what I've found. I normally wear a size 12 in street shoes and have a fairly narrow heel. My left foot measures right at 12 and my right foot right at 11 1/2, but my right toes extend out to the side more.

Meindl Perfekt Hunters 11 1/2-What I've used for the last 8 years and I love them, but I was looking for something stiffer
Kennetrek Mt. Extremes 12-Way to much heel slip, but toebox felt good
Crispi Hunter 12-Too tight in right toe box. I have a 12W and 12 1/2 on order to try out
Lowa Hunters 12-Fit was great on the left foot, but toebox was way to tight on the right foot. Heel locked in great
Zamberlan 980 12-Fit great on the heel and thought these would work. Tried them out Pheasant hunting and forefoot was sliding around too much. Toebox wasn't super wide, but coupled with more vertical room than necessary for me and they wouldn't work for side hilling.
Lowa Tibets 12-Tried them on and there was way to much heel slip for me. Toebox felt fine.
Lowa Caminos 12-Tried them on and they felt pretty good. Mainly tried them to see how Lowas felt, but the Tibets and Caminos were completely different.

This might be random useless information, but I've been dealing with something similar so more data might help in your decision.

 

[BigRig]

Salomon Quest 4D for me... the most comfortable I have ever owner owned. Fast, light, and stiff enough to get the job done!

 

[tracker12]

Cabelas Meindle perfect Hiker in 2e

 

[Rokwiia]

Schnee has a number of boots in wide sizing. I have the Schnee Timberline and didn't need to get wide. It has a wide toe box.

 

[HoneyDew]

I’m curious to know what the OP went with. I run Crispi Idaho’s for this reason.

 

[Zkep]

I had a pair of Keens for general hiking and while they do have a wider toebox Im not sure I'd reccomend them for hunting. For me its the Salomon Quest 4D....most comfortable boot out of the box I've ever worn. They arent the big typical beefy hunting boot if thats what your looking for but I tend to prefer lighter than heavier generally. For being on the lighter side they are plenty stiff and supportive.

 

[Jbxl20]

I’m running the Salomon quest 4Ds right now. They do have a roomy toe box. They are comfortable right out of the box but I put a thicker insole with more cushion and that tightened up the toe box

 

[jmart33]

Can anyone out there recommend a good hunting boot with a wide toe box?

I’ve tried on many different kinds, but can’t seem to find one that fits. When I bump up into the wide sizes, the heel gets sloppy.

I’ve googled and browsed some forums here, but can find no real consensus. A lot of backpackers out there recommend Keen boots, but they don’t seem to get recommended in the hunting community that often. Do you guys have any recommendations for me to try on?

Note: I train in Altra shoes for this exact reason. So, if you are in the same boat and need some runners then I’d recommend trying some on at your local store.

I went through a lot of different brands looking for a wide toe box. Finally found Schnees and I now have a pair of Timberlines and Beartooths. I see now they come in wide as well. What’s nice about Schnee’s is they will rebuild your boot for about $180 once you wear them out. So of you have two pairs, you can constantly rotate them and be in a pretty fresh pair.

 

[XMP]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm always keeping an eye out for boots that have a genuinely wide toebox. I'm another Altra fan; and wish there was a high end boot maker with the same philosophy.

 

[Sanchez]

I use a normal width Keen Targhee mid hikers for all my hunting when it is reasonably dry and not excessively cold. They work for me for most September elk archery and upland birds including chukars. Prior to these boots I was always squeezing my toes together or getting a sloppy fit on the rest of my foot.

 

[rbljack]

So far ive tried lowa tibets and Hanwag Tantra Top GTX in wide 10.5's. Of the two the lowa had a wider toebox. Both fit good in the heel. I just picked up the Hanwags used, and although a wide, they seem a bit narrow in the toebox. I was on the fence about doing a catch and release on them ( I bought them used here), but feel that I need to give them a little more time to see if I can break them in to fit my feet. Boots are so damn expensive, its hard to try on multiple brands and find "THE ONE" using online sources. The struggle is real!

 

[mtwarden]

a wide toe box is what separates good boots from working for me or not; I was using La Sportiva Omega's and they fit perfectly, sadly they are discontinued

after looking at a ton of boots (and trying several) I settled on Crispi Thor's; it's possible all Crispi's fit the same, but the Thor's are definitely good to go