Thread: Correctly fitting boots

Your comment re. 20mm in the toe suggests you may be looking at it the wrong way around. That sounds like an awful lot - personally I wouldn’t want more than 10mm. Reason being if you have the space it’s hard to stop your feet moving inside the boots, you may better to restrict this in the first place.

For this reason I favour a closer-fitting boots with thinner socks over needing thick socks to fill them.

Like @No.3 says, most euro boots are too narrow for kiwi feet, so to get something that fits we end up going half a size up (and therefore too long). That will be exacerbated if you use orthotics.

Too late now, but next time you’re buying boots I’d be looking for something that gives you the space you need through the centre without adding a whole lot of length.

Most long distance trail walkers now where trail shoes not boots. Another thing that could help is creeper socks the ones with toes. Not sure if the 5 finger shoes that Micky was thinking of are still a thing.

Like No.3 I have wide for length feet, and used to have to go a few sizes up to get the required width. I found with creative lacing, I had a lot more flexibility in my choices of boot
Locking in the laces for the foot part of the boot allowed me to have them loose, while having the ankle part of the boot tight to stop my foot sliding down inside the boot.
Also having boots with a lace set back from other others allowed for additional tightening to stop the forward sliding.
Hard to explain....here's a picture.

Thanks @mopheadrob, I've had a few boots that were a perfect fit for my kiwi feet and that was the beginning of me getting back into tramping and having this problem. I now have a pair of inov-8 boots that fit great (with the extra clearance) so will try the lace locking trick that @mark_k, @quentin & others have mentioned. @No.3 has got the right idea I think re size & setup, I've got large and wide feet with med/high arch's so all these ideas are a huge help because most shops sell what they think could work-possibly without any real world experience. @Micky Duck Tomorrow I'll try a few places as I really want to find some of those funky 5 toe shoes to try on because it'll be like going barefoot/dive booties. I've seen some people doing great walks barefoot so that would be a nice compromise.
Photo of ugly feet with 1L bottle for scale.

Would part off the issues be that the boots aren't stiff enough & would a pair stiffer boots help ?

Originally Posted by hunt08

Would part off the issues be that the boots aren't stiff enough & would a pair stiffer boots help ?

I've had stiff boots before and now have flexible ones now to try.

There's a few different ways to lace your footwear for heel/ankle lock. The video I posted works well with my Crispi Nevadas, I've a more ankle height pair of boots that I use different technique for. I've short but wide feet so tend to have a fair bit of room at the end of a boot too

Saw some of those toe shoes in a frontrunner store again a few months back. ‘Vibram fivefinger’

Still just as unpleasant to look at as way back when they were first released.

Guidance/education my wife found helpful for her high arches.

“If you have high arches, it means that less of your foot makes contact with the ground when standing, walking or running, which in turn produces less shock absorption. People with high arches are more prone to ankle injuries, foot pain, plantar fasciitis, hairline fractures, inflammation in the ball of the foot, and hammertoes.12 The best shoes to help lower the risk of foot-related problems for people with high arches have a roomy toe box, ankle support, and a flexible midfoot with ample cushion for shock absorption.“

In a lot of boot brands, the Half size is wider but no longer than the previous full size. IE 9.5 is the same length as 9 but wider in the toe area. So often no need to go up 2 sizes.

Also, if you are walking a lot of the great walk tracks i usually do them in tramping sandals. Usually super grippy,no need for socks and your toes are covered so no stubbing your toes either. If theres particularly cold i wear a pair of waterproof sealskins to keep my feet warm. Far comfier than boots.

Not sure if it'll make any difference to the foot issues, but consider looking at Injinji toe socks. They do all types of socks and even thin ones you can wear under a regular sock. Some people swear by them for foot and toe comfort for long days in the boot.

If all else fails, consider a podiatrist or a foot specialist physio - they can get custom-made innersoles made up to fit your feet and arches and also source the good orthotic innersoles that correct posture and improve the support inside the boot. They can make a huge difference - it's like doing 4 hours and having foot pain to being able to go a few days full time hunting in the back blocks just with corrected innersole fit.

Wife has foot problems as in small feet for her size. After many different types of shoe and innersole including podiatrists she ended up at Frontrunner in Dunedin back in August. Amazing woman there sorted her out and we are currently walking 5km a day. Before that she would struggle to walk 1/2km especially after a day of standing at work.

So solutions are out there it's finding that one person who understands your problem