I think I found my shoes (wide foot problems)

[Jbirk]

Were walking in 3 weeks and I’m pretty stoked that I finally found the shoes I will be using.
I have had a hard time of it as I wear a 14wide. It’s not an easy size to find in any shoe store so I have been ordering online and sending back as soon as I try them on. My wife thinks I’m nuts.
Shoes ordered, tried on and sent back:

Brooks Cascadia 14 (not wide enough. I was hoping for these to fit. I ran hundreds of miles in Brooks Ghost without a problem but these are way narrow)

Keen Targhee 14 ( not long enough)

Hoka OneOne 14 ( not wide enough)

Oboz Sawtooth 14w ( great fit all around. I really liked these shoes but when walking the cuff rubbed my ankle in a painful way)

Merrell MOAB Ventilator 14w ( the ankle cup was a bit large and it caused some slippage but I got used to it. Shoes fit great and we did a couple of 8 mile hikes through the mountains of North Carolina. The problem with these is that the rubber in the front started to separate. Merrell replaced them immediately after a text message with a picture. It made me worry they would not last and I doubt I will find any thing close to my size in Spain)

Solomen XA Pro 3D 14w (these are the shoes I’m going to wear. I have worn the waterproof non wide version for over a year now with no problems. The laces are nice and I will bring an extra pair in case of a break. The fit and quality is excellent)

New Balance 910v4. (These would be my next to order if the Solomons didn’t work out.

I’m also bringing a pair of ECCO Yucatan 13.5

My career was in the military and law enforcement and I have spent a lot of time on my feet. I know the importance of a good pair of shoes. I never thought it would be so difficult. I wore size 13 as a young man and it was much easier to buy shoes then.

If any person needs good wide shoes in size 14 check out the Solomen

 

[peregrina2000]

Were walking in 3 weeks and I’m pretty stoked that I finally found the shoes I will be using.
I have had a hard time of it as I wear a 14wide. It’s not an easy size to find in any shoe store so I have been ordering online and sending back as soon as I try them on. My wife thinks I’m nuts.
Shoes ordered, tried on and sent back:

Brooks Cascadia 14 (not wide enough. I was hoping for these to fit. I ran hundreds of miles in Brooks Ghost without a problem but these are way narrow)

Keen Targhee 14 ( not long enough)

Hoka OneOne 14 ( not wide enough)

Oboz Sawtooth 14w ( great fit all around. I really liked these shoes but when walking the cuff rubbed my ankle in a painful way)

Merrell MOAB Ventilator 14w ( the ankle cup was a bit large and it caused some slippage but I got used to it. Shoes fit great and we did a couple of 8 mile hikes through the mountains of North Carolina. The problem with these is that the rubber in the front started to separate. Merrell replaced them immediately after a text message with a picture. It made me worry they would not last and I doubt I will find any thing close to my size in Spain)

Solomen XA Pro 3D 14w (these are the shoes I’m going to wear. I have worn the waterproof non wide version for over a year now with no problems. The laces are nice and I will bring an extra pair in case of a break. The fit and quality is excellent)

New Balance 910v4. (These would be my next to order if the Solomons didn’t work out.

I’m also bringing a pair of ECCO Yucatan 13.5

My career was in the military and law enforcement and I have spent a lot of time on my feet. I know the importance of a good pair of shoes. I never thought it would be so difficult. I wore size 13 as a young man and it was much easier to buy shoes then.

If any person needs good wide shoes in size 14 check out the Solomen

Here's hoping that's the right shoe for you. I have been obsessing about shoes myself these days, after many years loving my Salomons.

I have found that "wide" can mean a lot of different things. I actually have narrow feet in all but the metatarsal and toe box area, and I think my feet have been flattening and widening with all these caminos. I have worn and loved Salomons for years. About 6 or 7 years ago, I started getting very painful corns between my 4th and 5th toes, only on Camino, never anywhere else. These things start like clockwork after about a week of walking. I just put up with them, but this year decided to try to solve the problem. My many medical advisors have told me I need a wider toe box, that the Salomons are too narrow for me. I got lots of good advice here and am set to try the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 in about three weeks. They seem to meet my need of "wide" but your wide may be different than mine.

It's kind of a risk to start a camino with a pair of untested shoes. I have worn them around for a week or so, and will take a couple of 12 mile hikes next week to see how they go, but the only way to really know how they work is to walk for a week or so on the camino. My back-up plan, if these give me problems, is to get a pair of Salomons in Granada, where I hope to be a week after I start. Hope your Salomons are just what you need!

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Jbirk]

Have you tried the “wide” Solomons. I believe they just came out, only in black. They are a bit wider than my other Solomens.

 

[Lurch]

Huh...try finding size 16s. Retired from both your occupations and years of walking pavement or dusty trails tend to broaden the foot, not to mention make them a bit flat.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Were walking in 3 weeks and I’m pretty stoked that I finally found the shoes I will be using.
I have had a hard time of it as I wear a 14wide. It’s not an easy size to find in any shoe store so I have been ordering online and sending back as soon as I try them on. My wife thinks I’m nuts.
Shoes ordered, tried on and sent back:

Brooks Cascadia 14 (not wide enough. I was hoping for these to fit. I ran hundreds of miles in Brooks Ghost without a problem but these are way narrow)

Keen Targhee 14 ( not long enough)

Hoka OneOne 14 ( not wide enough)

Oboz Sawtooth 14w ( great fit all around. I really liked these shoes but when walking the cuff rubbed my ankle in a painful way)

Merrell MOAB Ventilator 14w ( the ankle cup was a bit large and it caused some slippage but I got used to it. Shoes fit great and we did a couple of 8 mile hikes through the mountains of North Carolina. The problem with these is that the rubber in the front started to separate. Merrell replaced them immediately after a text message with a picture. It made me worry they would not last and I doubt I will find any thing close to my size in Spain)

Solomen XA Pro 3D 14w (these are the shoes I’m going to wear. I have worn the waterproof non wide version for over a year now with no problems. The laces are nice and I will bring an extra pair in case of a break. The fit and quality is excellent)

New Balance 910v4. (These would be my next to order if the Solomons didn’t work out.

I’m also bringing a pair of ECCO Yucatan 13.5

My career was in the military and law enforcement and I have spent a lot of time on my feet. I know the importance of a good pair of shoes. I never thought it would be so difficult. I wore size 13 as a young man and it was much easier to buy shoes then.

If any person needs good wide shoes in size 14 check out the Solomen

A brother in feet (instead of arms) I've used both the New Balance Leadvilles and the 910s (EEEE) for backpacking. I used the 910v3 last September on Camino, and I may either use a new pair of 910s, or Fresh Foam 1080s. But, I might have to try a pair of the Solomons and see how the feel. I didn't know they had come out with a wide width version. Are you using their trail runner?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Huh...try finding size 16s. Retired from both your occupations and years of walking pavement or dusty trails tend to broaden the foot, not to mention make them a bit flat.

I see why your call yourself "Lurch"!

 

[Sparrow in Texas]

I am also a member of the "my feet have gotten wider and longer" group. Very similar to the Altra Lone Peak are trail shoes by Topo, the waterproof version called Hydroventure which I recently bought, and the Terraventure, the non-waterproof version.

 

[Kanga]

Seem to be a few of us with “duck” feet - wide in the front but with a narrow heel. I’ve also got very high insteps. Adjustable sandals work best for me.

 

[PaulCat]

Solomen XA Pro 3D 14w (these are the shoes I’m going to wear. I have worn the waterproof non wide version for over a year now with no problems. The laces are nice and I will bring an extra pair in case of a break. The fit and quality is excellent)]

I'm thinking of getting a pair of solomen's for my walk as well. A pair of their trail runners. My feet sweat a lot and last time I made a bad sock and shoe combo that resulted in blisters from day 2-33.

This time i.am taking extra care to choose sock and shoe combo. I'm still real hesitent of taking Merino wool socks with me despite the praises that are sung about them. I'm just used to thinner socks than the darn tough treking/hiking socks.

I'll.also be packing some teva treking sandles that I wore for about half the Camino last time. I liked them better than my shoes.

Also, I remember seeing solomen's replacement laces in many stores along the Camino. I know they weight almost nothing, but it might save a few bucks and ounces if you don't need to buy them in the long run.

 

[JanelMcB]

Altra Lone Peak 3 or 3.5 have a wide toe box. I have both. Though I have not yet noticed it, some folks think the 3 is just a bit wider than the 3.5. Maybe try one or both?

 

[Jbirk]

A brother in feet (instead of arms) I've used both the New Balance Leadvilles and the 910s (EEEE) for backpacking. I used the 910v3 last September on Camino, and I may either use a new pair of 910s, or Fresh Foam 1080s. But, I might have to try a pair of the Solomons and see how the feel. I didn't know they had come out with a wide width version. Are you using their trail runner?

Yes the trail runner XA Pro M+.
The M+ Is the wide version

 

[Jbirk]

I have been trying out socks as well. I really like the “Fits” Light and Medium hiker. I actually went down one size and the fit fantastic.
We bought them in a small hiking store in North Carolina but found them online.

 

[Bopper]

Seem to be a few of us with “duck” feet - wide in the front but with a narrow heel. I’ve also got very high insteps. Adjustable sandals work best for me.

My feet are similar - which sandals have worked for you? I think that maybe best for me too (my feet also swear!) My first,Camino is in June!

 

[peregrina2000]

I have been trying out socks as well. I really like the “Fits” Light and Medium hiker. I actually went down one size and the fit fantastic.
We bought them in a small hiking store in North Carolina but found them online.

I love FITS socks. They are a spin-off from smartwool. Apparently a group of employees got disgruntled with the decline in smartwool quality (which I noticed as well) and formed their own little company. Not sure whether they are available outside the US, though.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@Jbirk , like you I had lots of problems finding long distance shoes that worked. I even had surgery to correct suspected osteo arthitis in the right little toe. (My right foot is the wider of the two)

After three years I was introduced to New Balance 860 series.

The more recent models have obly got better for my needs. Now the whole space forward of the laces is a flexible material with good ventilation. The outcome, for me, is a shoe that shapes and holds my feet. And the ventilation means no moisture build up and no chafing.

A particular delight is to wade through streams across beaches on my training walks and know feet and soxks will be practically dry in about 15-20 minutes

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)