Recommend WIDE winter boots?

[Curtis B.]

Can anyone recommend wide fall/winter boots? I'm a 9.5 2EE, looking for lightweight but GoreTex lined, good grip soles, preferably a fairly straight last.

I ruined my feet in standard width shoes on the 100 Mile Wilderness a year ago and have only just barely begun to consider hiking again-I have to face the fact that my feet are spreading, as is my gut during this forced hiatus!

So far I've found in wide widths:
Asolo Fugitive and Flame
Merrel Moab Rover Mid
Vasque Breeze 2.0
Lowa has some special sizing: http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/special-sizing/ But I can't find anyone who carries them.

And supposedly Lathrop & Sons will custom fit a pair of boots for another $150, but I can't quite understand what they do other than perhaps cutting an insole.

As well, I'd love to find an insulated boot suitable for snowshoeing.

Any ideas?

[Justin Baker]

I am a 9.5 and also have wide feet. Keens are the only shoes that come close to fitting me (I don't wear them though, I'm into minimalist shoes) Their standard widths fit very wide. If you can find wide sized keens those might be even better.

[Roger Caffin]

> I'm a 9.5 2EE, looking for lightweight but GoreTex lined, good grip soles,
> preferably a fairly straight last.
That has got to be easy!
http://www.newbalance.com
Use their search function for YOUR size and YOUR width.

Um – they have changed their web site from really good to slightly crappy. Management … Anyhow, click on Mens, Trail, then use the inconspicuous horizontal search bar to select size and width.

Good god – they really have screwed up. They used to list the shoe last for every model, but I can't find that any more. Sigh. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Well, at least you can select for size and width, which is more than most companies offer.

Cheers

[Mike Henrick]

I also have wide feet, even more so after the PCT. Altra's and Keens are the only thing that fit and sadly the Keen's don't seem to last very long. I recently started using the waterproof version of Keen Marshal's – a hiking shoe – with a gaiter and neoprene sock. Very warm for shoulder season, I think I'd be good into the teen's with this combo.

[Alex H]

another Keens wearer. I am wearing both the Marshall's without GTX it is more minimal in support) and the Voyageur which is beefier. As Mike said the Marshall also comes in GTX and is all synthetic so drains and drys well. Many folks have used the GTX version of the Voyageur for a long time- the Targhee but it does have leather parts of the upper.

[Curtis B.]

Thanks for the recommendations so far.

Roger, I bought a pair of New Balance MT1210s based on your earlier review of them. Just last night tried them on and found them to be very small and narrow–everyone claims they are true to size so perhaps these were just mismarked. Ordered a 10EE to try on and hope they work better.

I'll head to the nearest REI to try on a couple of Keens. In the past I've found them to be sloppy in the toe box, but now that is probably exactly what I need!

Interestingly, I find myself changing my attitude towards the shoe/boot buying process. I used to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find the best price (probably not the best use of my time, but I had more time than money). Now, I'm delighted to pay full retail or even $20 extra from Zappos or even a local retailer just to find a wide in stock! I'm not quite ready to pay for full custom, but I could envision that happening once I exhaust the other options.

[Doug L]

I'm a big fan personally, but they aren't listed in wider widths. I do find that they run wide, more so in the rear/heel than they do in the forefoot.

[two pints]

Keen's Targhee II mid comes in wide. I tried the non wide version of the Targhee II and the Keen Durand Mid WP and they seemed to be close to wide enough for my feet which usually are shod in 4E's from New Balance. So that opens up new options for me.

I have tried on Lowa's wide size before and found them to be quite restrictive, so I will not be including them in future boot shopping expeditions.

I am currently retiring a pair of Merrel Moab GTX Mid Wides. They were a bit too tight in the toe box, and pretty bad all around.

[hwc 1954]

LLBEAN sells their European made leather hiking boots in EE widths:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/506768?gnrefine=1*MATERIAL*Gore-Tex%5E

They also sell mid and low-cut GoreTex hikers from the same Italian company (AKU) in EE widths.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?freeText=mountain+treads&init=1&sort_field=Relevance

Both of these are quite a bit more substantial than the Keen Targhees.

---

I also have learned the hard way to prioritize getting the right width and fit over bargain hunting in footwear. I get numbness with any squeeze whatsoever across the toes. Better to spend the money and get footwear in the proper width. I've even gone to a 4E in running shoes. In hiking boots, I go with the EE and the larger of the two sizes that fit.

The nice thing about Bean (or Zappos) is that I can order two sizes (usually a 9.5 and a 10), wear them around the house a little bit, and decide on the best fit. In the BEAN EE leather boots, the 9.5 feels better at first, but after an hour or so starts to feel a little tight across the toes. So, I've gone with the 10EE to get a little extra room.

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