Shoes with a wide toe box

So my girlfriend has had trouble fitting shoes. She has really wide feet, they almost look like duck feet. She had surgery a long time ago to get whatever was wrong with them fixed and has a few screws and stuff in her feet. Even with the surgery they're still wide.

Anyone have any good recommendations for a shoe with a relatively wide toe box? She had a pair of women's Miuras, but they wound up being too tight. She's climbing in some women's Defys right now, but she wants something more precise and powerful. She also says the Defys slip around on her feet after a while because of sweat, which I understand. She has a pair of Mythos the she wears for long all day stuff, but they're a very loose fit; she can wear socks in them.

So, wide toe box in a size 6-6.5? Any good recommendations? She's going to sit down and try a bunch on next time we're at Waterstone but she'd like some direction.

5.10 piton

I have pretty wide feet and the only shoes I like are Anasazis. And also the new Arrowheads, which are incredible.

Most Five-Tens are relatively wide. My $0.02: Look at the Galileo, VCS anasazi, anasazi Verde, anasazi Blanco.

Evolv, 5.10 or LaSportiva Mythos or Moccasym

Using other's advice above as a starting point the only real way for her to find the right shoe is to go try them on. Hopefully you have a gym with shoes that will let her do more than just put them on and walk around.

Keep your eyes open for shoe demo days. Those can be very helpful.

If she has a real issue with finding the right shoe, once she finds a good fit, she might consider buying more than one pair since unfortunately, I've found that shoe makers are always fiddling around with changing lasts and fits over time. The gamble on buying extra stock is that our feet also change over time.

FYI-with my wider feet, 5.10s have been my best bet for past 10yrs, like others, the anasazi (will have to check out the arrowheads).
Oh yes, if you get a leather upper, you have a better chance of stretching out the fit. That of course is a plus and minus.

mark, my experience is the Mythos are for narrow feet but I haven't looked at those in many years so maybe they've changed ?

LaSportiva Muira VS. I have wide feet and love mine.

For goodness sake have her try on some men's shoes- the whole point of women-specific shoe styles is that they're lower volume, which typically means narrower and smaller around the heal.

I have wide feet and I've always purchased men's climbing shoes- works like a charm.

That's pretty much the plan, I just wanted some direction to send her in. 5.10 mens shoes sounds like the plan.

brittany kruger wrote:For goodness sake have her try on some men's shoes- the whole point of women-specific shoe styles is that they're lower volume, which typically means narrower and smaller around the heal. I have wide feet and I've always purchased men's climbing shoes- works like a charm.

Seriously tho.... any mens shoes should do her fine

caughtinside wrote:mythos are terrible shoes for wide feet.

I have fairly wide feet and they seem to work well for me. I have a pair sized for crack climbing where my toes can sit flat. They tend to stretch out, but maybe it is just because I bought them at my shoe size for crack climbing.

Scarpas are the only shoes I can wear for anything. I have Scarpa telemark boots, AT boots, mountaineering boots and climbing shoes. They just work!!

caughtinside wrote:mythos are terrible shoes for wide feet.

Yup.

Sam Stephens wrote:That's pretty much the plan, I just wanted some direction to send her in. 5.10 mens shoes sounds like the plan.

hey sam what size shoe does she wear. i have a very well broken pair of moc's she can try on. 7.5 mens and in need of a resole but can give her an idea of broken in fit.

Owen Darrow wrote:Scarpas are the only shoes I can wear for anything. I have Scarpa telemark boots, AT boots, mountaineering boots and climbing shoes. They just work!!

I agree, I have EEE feet and Scarpa shoes always seem to fit the best.

rock_fencer wrote: hey sam what size shoe does she wear. i have a very well broken pair of moc's she can try on. 7.5 mens and in need of a resole but can give her an idea of broken in fit.

T she wears a womens size 6-6.5. Thanks though.

Acopas have a wide toebox....if you can find em.

My wife has a very wide forefoot, and though she's not in the market for new shoes, it is approaching. Talking to a number of shoe junkies, they have all recommended looking at Optimus Primes by Evolv. They have a rounded toebox and more volume in the forefoot, but otherwise are pretty aggressive shoes. However, they seem awfully hard to find for her to try on.

Good luck!

another thing to remember, especially w/ leather uppers:
as a shoe stretches across the toe box, you end up edging on the rand instead of the sole; after the leather has stretched try to resole the shoes using the new wider profile.

oh, and I love Moccasyms once they're appropriately stretched out.

Matt Roberts wrote:My wife has a very wide forefoot, and though she's not in the market for new shoes, it is approaching. Talking to a number of shoe junkies, they have all recommended looking at Optimus Primes by Evolv. They have a rounded toebox and more volume in the forefoot, but otherwise are pretty aggressive shoes. However, they seem awfully hard to find for her to try on. Good luck!

I've got similarly duck-shaped feet (short, with a wide forefoot and narrow heel), and Optimus Primes are the only aggressive shoe I've found that fits the shape of my foot properly. The downside is that they are 'very' aggressive, and the rubber upper won't stretch at all. They have to be a good fit straight out of the shop.

I prefer the term hobbit feet to duck feet, and having said disorder I have found the La Sportiva Katanas to suit me well.