Advice on trailrunners for narrow feet

I've heard that Montrail running shoes often run narrow.

I've had luck with Salomon shoes and boots fitting my narrow feet. New Balance also makes many of their shoes in multiple widths, but I've not researched their trail-running options.
alex

One word: Montrail. Give them a try.

I'll second the vote for Salomon. They work for my narrow feet too.

Rod

Thanks so far for the tips! Montrail and Salomon are now on my list to try out.

i guess it depends on what part of the foot you mean. i have very narrow heel & wide forefoot – both salomon & montrail seem to have a pretty snug heel area, but they also both have always seemed rather wide in the forefoot area.

if you indeed have a narrow foot throughout, first brand i'd think to try is la sportiva – generally runs pretty narrow (by far i like their snug heel the best, but they are too narrow for me in the forefoot area & so don't work for me).

adidas runs pretty narrow in many of their shoes. might also try brooks.

My whole feet is narrow,thanks for the tip on La Sportiva. I have heard that most italian brands have shoes that are designed for narrow feet.Anybody know how Inov-8 shoes are for narrow feet?

The idea of lopping extra weight by shucking the traditional, heavier weight backpacking boots for some of these new trail-runner type shoes is more than just appealing and has drawn me to shop around. The Montrail Namche is especially attractive because of it's weight relative to some of the others. What type of socks would some of you recommend? Should I continue to wear the heavy wool sock with a lighter liner sock? Your advice is deeply appreciated.

Second the recommendation of La Sportiva. They are way too narrow for me (and I wear Montrails).

I have very narrow feet. My favorite show has been the New Balance 809AT which can be ordered in various widths including narrow.

I also like the Salomon XA Comp.

However, I found that the Salomon XA Pro 3D XCR was too wide and did not fit well.

I haven't worn La Sportiva in many years.. but they did tend to run narrow. Several Inov-8 shoes work well for people with narrow feet. I love the flyroc 310 which works well for me. It's narrow except for the footbox. Several models are narrow throughout.

Some of the shoes by Salomon can work with a narrow foot, but most are too wide.

New Balance sells most shoes with diffeent models, I am pretty sure several of their AT (All terrain – aka Trail runners) come in a narrow width.

The Montrails do run narrow because I have a normal D width foot as measured on the Brannock device, but normal width Montrails feel too narrow for me. In fact I used to avoid Montrails as being too narrow, but a month ago I bought a wide size Hardrock and what a difference the extra width makes–they actually fit!

I would be careful about generalizing size within a particular manufacturer. Many shoe manufacturers actually use different lasts for different shoes. For example, La Sportiva uses Broad Lasted last and Slip Lasted Strobel last among others. I have a narrow low volume foot and tend to need a narrow size shoe. Only certain La Sportiva and Montrails actually work well form me. The Montrail Hardrock definately tends to run narrow, so much so that it's one of the only shoes that Montrail also makes in a wide size. Not all Montrails run narrow. The same holds true for La Sportiva. Certain La Sportiva hiking/climbing boots built on a Broad Lasted last seem to be able to accomodate a narrow foot. Montrail has some good general information on measuring your foot and choosing a shoe. You can find it at:

http://montrail.com/technologies_integrafit.aspx?cat=-100

Thanks Mike for the sizing tip on Montrail! Like you said different brands have shoes with different sizes in their collection.Now i have too find out wich models from the different brands are made for narrow feet!

I haven't found a Montrail or Salomon that I liked. The Montrails have a sole that looks and feels like a wedge, and the Salomons all seem to have very weak midsoles.

Recently I found a pair of Adidas Venture shoes looking very lonely on a half-price clearance shelf. These are amazing shoes. Superb 3/4 shank plate, super sticky rubber wet or dry, superb ventilation, beefy air-core laces, tug-on loops that don't collapse, and so comfortable I didn't even have to change the insoles! Best for low-medium volume feet. The instep area is quite narrow, but there is loads of room in the forefoot. My shoes are marked 10.5, but fit closer to 10. Call it 10.25 :)

I have the Ultra Raptor (38.5) and it is too wide and voluminous, especially in the forefoot. I have a medium width low volume foot with a pretty narrow heel. I noticed that the Ultra Raptor is often described as a medium-wide shoe.

I wear Scarpa Tele and AT ski boots which are a favorite for low volume feet. Figuring their trail runners were worth a try, I ordered a couple different pairs of the more neutral ones. Too big.

I used to wear Salomons (various XA Pros and Wings) but they seem to have gotten much bigger in recent years. The more durable offering have excessive heel/toe drop (not as much an issue when walking but still). The mesh is especially porous.

I was pretty happy with Saucony Peregrines but the uppers have gotten extremely delicate in recent versions. They are pretty ripped up after a couple weeks in the Alps even with aquaseal reinforcements. The new versions also stretch excessively when wet.

I prefer wearing light socks (Smartwool PhD ultralight mini socks or similar) which makes this all the more difficult. I am hoping to find a better solution than heavier socks!

I have fairly narrow feet, and loved, loved, loved my Inov8 Terroc and Flyrocs. Shame on the aholes for changing their shoe lineup.

So, Ive been on the hunt for a while. Probably have ordered and tried about half dozen pairs in the last month.

My problem is I dont think many shoe treads are aggressive enough compared to what Im used to.

New balance sometimes fits good. I wanted to like the Minimus Trail Zero V2, but ..for some reason the curved shape feels unnatural underfoot, and some kind of nerve "popping" sensation was triggered in my left toes. Weird. Not a minimal shoe at all, and the 1/4" thick foam insole is laughable in a supposedly minimal shoe. Probably one of the cushiest shoes I tried.

La Sportiva Bushido. Wanted to like this too. A support shoe, that bothered me, but it was fairly light. Toebox very narrow, have to size up a whole size. Toebox also not very high, not feel good unless I took insoles out. When I sized up for the toes, part of the upper rubbed under my ankle, just too deep of a shoe.

Inov8 Roclite 295. A poor, poor , substitute for the old Inov8 shoes. Cheaply made, feels cheap, looks cheap, and too much volume in the toe for slender feet, it wrinkled when the laces were tightened. Inov8 used to be for narrow feet, not anymore.

Inov8 Roclite 243. I pretty much liked this shoe. The performance fit was decent. However, the bottom has exposed EVA foam on both sides of the arch, and a narrow strip of rubber sole in the middle, and that EVA wouldnt last half a day on sharp rocks. Back it went. A bit too minimal for my JMT hike as well, for shorter trips I would have gone for it.

New Balance 810. Good fit, feels good. Not aggressive enough tread and not flat tread. Who the hell makes a shoe with a round bottom????

Asics Gel Fuji Racer V3. Feels pretty good. Actually a bit wide at the heel. About average tread depth, which I think isnt enough unless you just want 100 miles from a pair of shoes, but that seems to be how the vast majority are made today. The tread on some trail shoes is laughable.( My son had a pair of montrail mountain masochist that the tread wore away significantly in 80 miles. ) Im still undecided on the fuji racers, its close, but really not as rugged construction around the rand as Id like for a JMT hike. Annoying way of being too tight across my midfoot, and runs a bit small. An 11.5 is somewhere between an 11 and 11.5, and a 12 may be a bit too large, but I may try it. Forefoot is plenty wide.

Also try New Balance. Their web site allows you to search on shoe width – which almost no-one else does.

Cheers

> Should I continue to wear the heavy wool sock with a lighter liner sock?

I do.

Cheers

I have narrow feet and mid range arches and have found that Solomon and Asics fit me the best. It's been a few years so I couldn't tell you model numbers though.

Ill also add that the Salomon fit me well too when I first tried the XA 3D Comp a couple yrs ago. The only issues I had were they were all kind of heavy and overbuilt, and the minimal tread depths. More like a cross between a hiking boot and a trail runner, but without an aggressive deep tread.

Inov-8s are know to be narrow. I am the opposite extreme, unfortunately, but I love the pair I have. Just not for trail use for my 4E width feet.