Footwear for WIDE feet??

[Firefighter503]

I wear size 12 E or EE feet depending on the brand, and I have had luck with Solomon Quest 4D GTX boots, and then Brooks Cascadia 7's when I saw the light. Only 1 blister ever between the two, which I don't consider to be the fault of the boot.

[peakbagger]

I have used 4E new balances for years. Dunham is a trademark owned by New Balance. New Balances tend to run a half size small so if in doubt order the next size up. The stock new balance insole is not very thick, if you plan to buy superfeet or another third party insole make sure you try the boot on with the insole you plan to buy.

[Christine_Runs]

Montrail trail shoes fit the bill.

[MBaker]

If you wear a specialty size shoe, 4E, or other, I would make sure you have a plan to get replacements while hiking. I have wide feet and found it very hard to get shoes that fit me, 13 4E, while on the trail. Proper shoe size and fit is probably the most important gear decision you'll make on the hike. I was forced to wear shoes that didn't fit at different points on my hike and it's not pretty. If your feet are too wide, you'll blow out the sides of your shoes, and it's painful. Blisters and other uncomfortable foot problems can end a hike quickly. Merrell offered some reasonably priced shoes and boots in varying widths. They also have a great replacement policy for through hikers if they fall apart.

[maybe clem]

If you wear a specialty size shoe, 4E, or other, I would make sure you have a plan to get replacements while hiking.

Yep. Get 'em ahead of time and break them in well, then have them sent to you in your mail drops. That's what I did. I think I went through four pairs on my A.T. thru (a new pair about every 500 miles).

[thebrewguy]

I swear by Lowa brand boots. The first pair lasted 4-5 years. Current pair is 2 years old. I have very wide forefeet and they make wide sizes. I also use Superfeet insoles. The guy sold me on them with my current boots and I'm very happy with them. Stay away from Merrel with wide feet, all the ones I tried on felt awful for my fatties.

[rjjones]

Try finding size 7E. 7'ns are hard enough to find without adding the E.I now have Asolos,i beleive 250tp or something.Heavy leather boots in a D.I lace the lower section a little loose and i think the leather stretched enough that they feel pretty good.Had a pair of Lowas that just wouldnt feel good.Lowa wouldnt do anything for me so i now have them on my shelf{if anyone is looking for size 7 lowas CHEAP}.

[gunner76]

My Merrells are 13 wide. Pretty happy with them.

I wear a 14 or 15 wide depending on the shoe/boot. For me a palce called Shoe Carnival is where I find most of my shoes. Picked up a Columbia hiking boot size 15 and 3 tennis shoes size 14 there a couple of days ago.

New Balance is my favorite when I can find them in my size.

[Maven]

I am a new balance fan. I am a 13 4e running shoe but needed a 14 4e hiking boot. I got the new balance hiking boot 14 4e and it wasn't wide enough. There was no place to turn and then i found a wooden boot stretcher. Got the boot wet and put the stretcher in for the night. In the morning it fit like a glove. for all you other freaks like me either pay for custom boots or try the stretcher!!

[QiWiz]

As an 11.5 4E guy, my best luck has been with New Balance, usually some type of trail runner, or light hiking boot. If I find a model I really like I buy at least one extra pair, because by the time I need to replace them NB usually has different models available. I can pretty much count on them fitting without trying them on. I will often order from a site that has free returns (just in case).

[peakbagger]

I do the same with my New Balances, I make sure I have a new pair set aside on the shelf in my closet so I have a new pair ready to go. New Balance doesnt do huge production runs of the wide sizes, last year they were out of stock within weeks of the new model coming out. I had to hit several retailers until I found one who still had on in stock. Cabelas occasionally will order up a run of an older model for their stock. I have picked up a few pairs that way after someone on whiteblaze posted about it.

Be glad, if you think getting hiking shoes are bad, gettiing 4EE steel toes are worse, they usually use a stdnard width ANSI toe cap on a wide last. I usually have to go to a 14 or 15 and then pad the inside of the shoe so that my toes are clear of the toe cap.

[prain4u]

I contacted Merrell Shoes this week--as I was hearing conflicting stories regarding whether (or not) Merrell makes hiking footwear in extra wide widths (such as 4E). This was their reply:

Thank you for the email and your interest in Merrell! Throughout our line, we make every model in a regular width and a few select styles in a wide. Our wide width styles are generally equivalent to a 2E. In some cases, individuals who have feet wider than a 2E have found that some of our wide width styles work for them. I have included a link to our website showing all of the current styles we manufacture in a wide width. I hope this information helps and if you have any other questions, please feel free to let us know.

Wide Width Styles:
http://www.merrell.com/US/en/Collect...red-WideWidths


Have a great day!

Todd Miller
Merrell Consumer Relations
T 1.800.288.3124 F 1.888.306.0936
http://www.merrell.com

[tjkenney67]

+1 on Salomans... XA 3D Ultras (12 wide) ... very comfortable after a short break in period....

[sgt easy]

thanks to all - man, boots are so variable. tried on more than 10 brands/styles over the last week; finally settled on keen gypsum mids in size 12, which is 1/2 to one size up from my "normal". btw, two separate places echoed my concerns about vasque and their shoddy mid-sole material...anyway, with trekking socks and a green insert, they are at least initially the most comfortable hikers i've ever had. the toebox is both roomy and armored, so i should be able to stumble to my heart's content starting in about 6 weeks.

[SunnyWalker]

Keen hiking shoes/boots.

[Carry-On]

I am a woman with size 8 long feet, with slightly longer arch lengths. My feet aren't especially wide, but I always seek out wide shoes because there is no way I can get my foot into a size 8 or even 9 in women's. Usually I end up in a 10 or 10.5 in women's, which are much too long. It turns out that I have tall feet, and my third toe is as long as my big toe, so most toe boxes are too narrow or tapered and don't fit right.

So, I have high volume feet. I did my thruhike in Brooks Cascadia 7 trail runners, with blue Super Feet insoles and got no blisters doing that. I first started with the women's size 10, but dropped to a men's size 8 after I realized the high volume foot issue. The men's 8s were nearly perfect, and a shoe "guru" at EMS in Manchester Center, VT showed me a way to lace them to keep my heels from lifting up and my feet from sliding forward. It took a while to find the right shoes, but the Brooks plus Super Feet are perfect for me.

[Hoofit]

I've found that Keens are more roomy especially in the toebox. They work for my wide feet.

Great shoes and boots - be prepared to replace them every four or five hundred miles as the soles wearout pretty fast, especially when traversing Places like "Rocksylvania"...

Airing out your feet will go a long way to avoid the blisters on a long day's hike.

[maybe clem]

Do they have to be boots? I wear E4-E6 depending on the brand. I've had varying success with New Balance, Aetrex, Drew and Dunham.