sural nerve damaged, low top winter hikers

Check these out.

LL Bean Mountain Tread

They are not your usual Chinese made low cut hikers. They are made in Italy by AKU, the same manufacturer that makes Beans’ mid-cut Cresta Hiker. Very heavy duty hiker, just lo-cut. Vibram soles. GoreTex Lined. They don’t have insulation, per se, but the fabric and leather is thick and they are not at all “breezy” like Keens or trail runners.

They are my go-to winter footwear around town, in the rain, in the snow. I would wear them hiking more often, but the terrain in NH is so rocky that I wear the mid-height Cresta Hikers most of the time, just to protect my ankles a bit.

Available in wide widths so you can get a good fit,

No need for new shoes: insulated insoles, insulated gaiters, …

@hcw1954 Thanks, Looks very promising. How do the shoes run in terms of fit? Narrow, wide, large toe box etc? LLB offering 10% off and free shipping. Very, very promising, thanks

@Woubier: Insulated gaters, I'll check them out. I doubt I could fit an insole in my shoes with thicker socks. Maybe go thinner socks and insoles???? hmmm , you got me thinking

>> Looks very promising. How do the shoes run in terms of fit? Narrow, wide, large toe box etc? LLB offering 10% off and free shipping. Very, very promising, thanks.

I have wide feet. In Brooks running shoes, I wear either a 9.5 EEEE or a 10 EE (with SuperFeet inserts replacing the factory insole).

I ordered the Bean's — both the low cut and the Cresta Hikers — in 9.5 W and 10 W. I can wear either size comfortably (again with SuperFeet insoles replacing the factory insoles) with a thin poly liner sock and midweight smartwool hiking socks, but after several hours around the house, opted for the 10s in both boots. Interestingly, the low-cuts took more breaking in than the all leather Cresta hikers.

So, I would take a stab at whatever size you wear in running shoes. If you think you are in between, go with the bigger half size. If you live near an LLBEAN store or outlet, you can return them with no shipping. Try a couple pair around the house. For me, the smaller size feels "better" when I first put them on, but after an hour starts to feel a little tight. I'd rather have hiking boots be too big, rather than too small.

@hwc1954: Thanks, I usually wear regular width except when shoes run narrow. I have a high arch and narrow shoes just do not fit. But it sounds like a regular width would do me. Thanks again, Charlie

How thick of course are insulated insoles ? And do you absolutely need thicker socks then ?