Colorado shoe fitter

I don't live in the springs but my experience has shown me that you should be looking for running shoe stores. Find a specialty running shoe place and they usually know what they are doing.

Being in CO they should also have a good selection of trail running shoes.

EDIT

Might be worth a call or a visit

BOULDER RUNNING COMPANY
3659 AUSTIN BLUFFS PARKWAY
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80918

(719) 278-3535

Regardless of where you live, a good running shoe store is better. My experience in looking for footwear at REI and other outdoor stores is that they have a small selection and aren't really skilled at fitting those of us with foot problems (severe pronation is only one of my issues).

Yeah…it is hard to find a good salsperson who really know the ins & outs of foot shoe compatibility. Is there a certain quality or brand that is better for the added weight of a pack, or that provides a stiffer sole for better control?
Regards,
John

+1 on running shoe outfitters. Outdoor stores, like REI, will more likely just try to sell you more boots.

A runner's outfitter will most likely have special equipment that can monitor your gait to determine if you need a certain brand. Tell hem you're looking for trail runners. Just make sure you do extensive research on what characteristics you need the footwear to have. It's better to have that laundry list down pat so that you can make sure you get exactly what you need.

Alternately, you can do your research here and other places on different brands of footwear and then order a few pairs from a place like Zappos that has a good return policy. You might have to hike in a few different types before you settle on something you like. It takes a little trial and error to find 'the shoe'. If you post the characteristics of your feet here, I bet you get some good advice on what to look at from similarly-footed (?) BPL'ers.

My advice, start with 100% synthetic construction. Any shoe that is made even partially of leather or suede will soak up water, stay wet for extended periods, and possibly stretch/crack/shrink/ etc. Look for footwear that dries as quickly as possible, which trumps any sort of GTX lined footwear.

Be prepared for one thing- decreased durability. Gone are the days of wearing one pair of footwear for several seasons. You will be lucky to get more than 400-500 miles out of most trail runners. But the trade offs are worth it. For foot comforts, agility, lack of blistering, and (debatable) safety, trail runners are hands (um, feet?) down the way to go.

Thanks for the great advise! I had my ASOLOs fitted by a guy who knew is stuff, and I hiked 500 miles in the with zero blisters or fittment problems. I guess I was lloking for the same result, even though it is probably not realistic.
I think I will do research on here and hit a running store as well. I do have a lot to learn on trail runners, but I am sure I will find the right combo of features of the right shoe on this site.
My feet are as follows: Thin heels, flat arches(I wear orthotics), very sensitive big toe, 4" across the ball of my foot,and thin ankles (6" circumference just above ankle).
Thanks & Regards,
John

Hi John

The FIRST thing you need to do is to have your foot measured on a Brannock device. Any good sports shoe store should be able to do this for you. If they can't, try elsewhere.

Let me emphasise however that you need more than the length or shoe size: you need your foot width as well. This can range through A, B, C, D, E, EE, 2E, 4E and even up to 6E. Wearing a shoe which is too narrow for your foot WILL give you immense foot problems: blisters, aches, even damage.

Unfortunately many shoe companies do not list the width of their shoes. Many just say 'wide' when the actual width is no more than D. Never mind how pretty the shoe looks: check the width and do not buy if too narrow!

Yes, I have some passion on the subject. But these days my feet get no blisters and are happy at the end of the day.

Cheers

I went to REI in Seattle. I told the guy I wanted some lightweight, breathable, mesh running shoes. He brought out a stack of leather, gortex hiking boots. WTF??? I hadn't even said the word hiking to him.

Running shoe stores are great. I went in one and I told the guy up front he was going to think I was crazy, but I wanted mens shoes, I needed them to be about 3 or 4 sizes "too big" and that I wanted a flexible sole that didn't try to interfere in any way with the natural movement of my feet. After trying on a few pairs of excellent shoes, he actually said to me that he thought I was crazy at first, but indeed shoes about 3 or 4 sizes too big are the only ones that truly fit me.

Roger,
Thank you for providing me with the benifit of your knowledge. I will be sure to have my feet properly measured. It is a hame that shoes are not listed my the proper sizing info.

Diane,
Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I saw a show rep try to argue the point that trail runners will not work for hiking to a guy who was wearing a pair of trail runners. That was funny! This occured at trail days on the AT.

Regards,
John

Hi John

The New Balance web site DOES list shoes by width. Have a look at their store web site:
http://www.nbwebexpress.com/?s1=NBAS&s2=shop

I have NO connection with NB apart from reviewing some of their shoes for BPL – eg
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/nb_mt1110gt_review.html
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/nb875_review.html
and a review of the MT910 shoes is coming.

I like the NB shoes because they do come in a range of widths AND because NB tell you what the widths are. So many brands won't tell you. OK – I also like them because they fit me!

> I saw a show rep try to argue the point that trail runners will not work for
> hiking to a guy who was wearing a pair of trail runners.
Perhaps the rep didn't sell trail runners, just boots? Profit margin can be a great explanation for strange behaviours.

Cheers

The best place to go to get fitted for great trail runners or lightweight hikers is the Boulder Running Company. They are through out Denver and surrounding areas and yes Boulder. The people there are experts and they do a great job of in store fitting and they also have you walk on a treadmill and video tape you walking to make sure you get a perfect fit.

I also hear that Runners Roost is good as well but, I perfer the above.