Feet

[ayjay]

Not those on your tape measure, the ones at the end of your legs.

I've got wide feet and have struggled for years to buy shoes that actually fit my feet.

I can remember exactly three times in my life when I've tried on a new shoe and there's been that sublime moment when you realise that they do actually fit and are comfortable.

I don't actually have many shoes, three identical pairs of Keen sandals, one pair of walking boots and two pairs of wellies, (one pair neoprene lined for winter and an ordinary pair for summer) and that's it..

I walk out in the New Forest most days, not very far or very fast but I'll be on my feet for a couple of hours minimum and maybe only cover two miles in that time, (cos I'm looking/photographing stuff, not cos I'm slow) I don't always want/need to wear my walking boots, many of the paths I use are gravel and are easily negotiable in my sandals.

The enclosure I visit most often has been subject to a great deal of forestry work this winter with the consequence that most of the gravel paths are very chewed up, not much more than a linear mud bath really.

I decided that a pair of walking shoes would be a good idea and the search began to find a pair that fit. My walking boots are made by Meindl, they are called "Comfort Fit" and are made on a wider last than most of their boots, they do fit and I'm happy with them. Meindl also make a few pairs of walking shoes in "Comfort Fit", the hard part is tracking some down, none in any local stockists, the nearest of those is 20 miles away and hadn't got a clue what "Comfort Fit" actually meant, he tried to tell me it was just a memory foam insole.

I gave up with them and contacted Meindl with the simple question:- "If my Meindl Boots in "Comfort Fit" are a size 8.5, will a walking shoe the same size (and fit) be right for me. The answer was "Our customers tend to find that our footwear is true to size, but we would always recommend trying shoes on".

I ordered a pair on the net and had to send them back cos the weren't wide enough.

The next step was a visit to Cotswold Outdoors shop in Bournemouth, (also 20 miles away), I'd checked their website and they appeared to have a few offering that may be suitable, in particular a couple of different pairs of Keen walking shoes, (the same make as my sandals which are a good fit) unfortunately I didn't check the website thoroughly and what they were showing was company stock not the stock in that store, despite it being that store's website.

I did get a pair that will fit with some very minor stretching, that's doable as they are leather, but the interesting thing, and the whole point of the post (I always get there in the end) is that there were three men in the store looking for footwear and we all wanted wider fitting shoes than were generally available.

Where are all the people with "normal" feet? Have the manufacturers got it wrong?

[kellys_eye]

Cost cutting - as always.

I have a similar problem with gloves. I use disposable gloves in my cooking and the largest pair I can get take me a good five minutes to put a pair on.... Even with them being latex(y) they simply refuse to fit over my hands and what's worse, they pull all the hairs out of the back of them too!

But shoes...... Mrs k_e buys hers as usual. "I'm a size 6 - always have been " she harps. Then she's getting blisters, bunions, bruised toes etc (and being T2D she has to be careful of her feet) until I point out "well buy size SEVENS then!" Since she's moved to size 7 she's had no problems. But she still says "I'm a size 6 - always have been."

I find that safety boot manufacturers - the decent makes - do a good job of sizing and I'm always wearing them for everything. Went to a wedding wearing them once Should have worn the black ones but I went wearing the tan (aka YELLOW) ones.....

[dewaltdisney]

I think buying on line is a gamble, they rarely turn out as a good fit. I bought some boat style shoes for summer on line and they crippled me they were too tight and I lost a toe nail. I like Clarks wide fit if I can get them but many shops do not carry a wide range of widths in styles.

DWD

[Rorschach]

Sizes vary so much between manufacturers, shoes are one of the few things I won't buy online.

My shoes range in "size" from 9 to 12, madness really.

[Dave54]

Shoes are a pain to buy. As Roschach says, size seems to be virtually meaningless these days.
I've got a pair of "Brahma" work type trainers that have worn very well and are very comfortable for my wide feet.
American though. Looking on eBay they look tricky to get here. I bought these from a market stall at a local indoor market.
Lighter shoes I like Skechers. I've got a pair of their leather slip on shoes that were like a pair of slippers the first time I put them on. They've worn fairly well too. I'm not that bothered about the style TBH, but comfort first.

[wine~o]

I'm the opposite and have always had narrow feet. As a child I used to have to get shoes special order from Clarks.

As an adult I usually find that if I buy Italian shoes I get a better fit (apparently the Italians have narrow feet, who knew ?)

Clarks no longer cater for my width fitting.

Trainers aren't an issue as I can just do them up tighter.

[ayjay]

I think buying on line is a gamble, they rarely turn out as a good fit.

DWD

I bought a second pair of the Keen sandals that I like on-line, same size as I already had obviously, after sending them back for a 9 and then a 9.5, I gave up and went back to the shop where I'd bought the first pair, a size 10 fitted, but when I checked were exactly the same physical size as my 8.5s. My third pair are also 10s. They're not as well made as the original pair, I wore those constantly for 5 years, including to work when I could get away with it, the soles wore through in the end.

Shoes are a pain to buy. As Roschach says, size seems to be virtually meaningless these days.
I've got a pair of "Brahma" work type trainers that have worn very well and are very comfortable for my wide feet.

I'm not that bothered about the style TBH, but comfort first.

I've never yet found a pair of trainers that fitted, I don't even look at them now. Definitely comfort first, my Keen Newports won't win any style contests, (very popular with boaty people though).

I'm the opposite and have always had narrow feet. As a child I used to have to get shoes special order from Clarks.

Clarks no longer cater for my width fitting.

i had a couple of pairs of Clarks shoes that nipper grew out of, Clarks kids shoes are made one width fitting wider than adult shoes of the same size, he didn't stay my size for long though and is about a 13/14 now.

My Clarks Nature Treks fell apart last year. I really liked those, they were proper foot shaped shoes, I bought them in 1982 , had them resoled once by Clarks. They got left in the back of the car in a placcy bag after a holiday a couple of years ago, when I took them out they just disintegrated, all the leather had rotted around the stitching to the sole.

[Bob225]

Wide feet here, with dropped arches (flat foot) I can only wear leather shoes/trainers as they stretch and give more, the plastics and man made stuff splits

Reebok classics suit me fine but there £50 on sale and anything up to £75 if not (last pair from schuh was £60 after discount) and last about 2 years with daily use

Depending on brand and believe it or not colour, size 11 - 13, white shoes never seem to be a good fit for me

[kellys_eye]

I'd love to be able to afford some hand-made shoes - Saville Row type stuff..... but knowing my luck the best I;d get would be some Phillipino flip-flops made from old tires.

[OchAye]

Let see if I can help a little.

I decided that a pair of walking shoes would be a good idea and the search began to find a pair that fit. My walking boots are made by Meindl, they are called "Comfort Fit" and are made on a wider last than most of their boots, they do fit and I'm happy with them. Meindl also make a few pairs of walking shoes in "Comfort Fit", the hard part is tracking some down, none in any local stockists, the nearest of those is 20 miles away and hadn't got a clue what "Comfort Fit" actually meant, he tried to tell me it was just a memory foam insole.

The correct fitting for me for every day shoes is Clarks 12UK standard width which I think is G, their wide is too wide for me. To put it in perspective most non-clarks shoes are too narrow for my feet and I would have to look for size 13. Shoes that Clarks buys in to sell on their sale do not fit me.

I looked for walking shoes and I knew by definition I would have to go for longer than 12UK in order to use thicker than my normal socks. I ended up with Merrell with Goretex top at a surprisingly good price from Amazon (yuk). But at size 13UK. They seem to fit me ok. If you can link your size to Clarks shoes ... Merrells may help you, they are not particularly wide but they are so light and comfortable.

BTW. I tried some Salomon at Blacks, possibly 12.5 they were both too narrow and too short.

[Someone-Else]

I had to get a pair of "specialist trainers" I looked on line, gave the place a call and the bloke said I should get 2 sizes bigger than my normal shoes, I did, and they were perfect. But 2 sizes bigger, just because they were a different brand? what's that all about?

[ayjay]

The correct fitting for me for every day shoes is Clarks 12UK standard width which I think is G, their wide is too wide for me. To put it in perspective most non-clarks shoes are too narrow for my feet and I would have to look for size 13. Shoes that Clarks buys in to sell on their sale do not fit me.

I looked for walking shoes and I knew by definition I would have to go for longer than 12UK in order to use thicker than my normal socks. I ended up with Merrell with Goretex top at a surprisingly good price from Amazon (yuk). But at size 13UK. They seem to fit me ok. If you can link your size to Clarks shoes ... Merrells may help you, they are not particularly wide but they are so light and comfortable.

BTW. I tried some Salomon at Blacks, possibly 12.5 they were both too narrow and too short.

Whenever I've tried Clarks shoes the G has been the wide fitting, Clarks kids shoes available in those same sizes as adult sizes go up to an H fitting.

Not particularly wide is not going to be comfortable for me, no matter how light they are.

I'm not keen on upping the size (length) required to get a better fit, In the past when I've done that I've ended up with well over an inch of free space in the toe area - this becomes a true nightmare walking down steep hills over rough ground.

To give an idea of the width I'm looking for, take a look at a couple of sole outlines, Keen Newport H2 on the right, I wear these most of the time, the other ones are what I bought on Friday, having worn them for a half hour indoors yesterday, they're going back, they're loose at the back and tight at the front.

Measured widths at the widest points 109mm against 128mm.

shoes.jpg (631.64 KiB) Viewed 6894 times

[OchAye]

Errrm, I need 13 if I am to use thick(er) socks so I am not getting longer shoes for extra width. OK, sound as if you need wider than Clarks standard width in which case the Merrells are of no use to you :-(

[ayjay]

I wore the pair I got from Cotswold whilst tramping around the lounge and watching the rugby at the weekend, after about a half hour it was clear that they weren't a good fit, just a bit loose at the heel and too tight at the toe.

They're getting in a couple of styles for me to try that were what I wanted in the first place for when I take them back but I'm not that hopeful.

In the meantime I've ordered yet another pair via the internet, a 5E width fitting. Why can't everyone use the same designations for width?

https://www.widefitshoes.co.uk/mens-pro ... ing-shoes/

At £200, I'm almost hoping they won't fit.

[boxedin]

I standardise on New Balance and have a 2E fitting which is wide but not the widest. I foot half a size bigger than the other hence that shoe wears out first.
Running shoes tend to have width fittings and you can get gait analysis for free at running shops which helps just to check where you strike. A lot of the running manufacturers now make trail running/walking shoes I would have thought they would be a good option.
They can have goretex uppers as well and when combined with gaiters give good protection in wet weather. However not suitable for scrambling terrain because of lack of ankle support

NB and Brooks tend to have wider toe boxes
http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/new-size-guide.html
http://www.newbalance.co.uk/id/sizechart-footwear.html

Because of my knees I put cushioning and lightness above durability. The cushioning in shoes doesn't last too long they recommend you change running shoes every six months

I always crosscheck shoes with reference to the cm sizing only as sizes vary across and within brand the only way really to be sure is to try them on
If you buy too big you can use a thicker sock but thats not much fun in summer