I will need new shoes before Santiago - they need to be extra wide = 6E

[AlwynWellington]

Background

I have just purchased some new shoes for my Camino. They are US 11 long and 4E wide. (I normally wear a US 8 or 9 and have chosen the extra length to get a wider fitting) They will have about more than 100 km on the clock before I leave home. I need extra wide shoes, especially for the right foot. The extra width needs to be in the forefoot, just behind the right little toe. As a 4E still causes pain I have had these new shoes "blocked out". As was done with the pair before this new one. Even in my metropolis "blocking out" can take a week going backwards and forwards. (The shoes before that were 6E, which is wide enough without treatment. Unfortunately the manufacturer no longer makes a 6E).

I understand most manufacturers have a suggested upper usage limit of around 1,000 km per pair. After that the performance falls away. And significant wear and tear can become an issue.

I also use a professionally prescribed trithotic inside the shoe. This means I cannot wear open toe sandals for walking.

I am to start at Le Puy in southern central France. By the time I get to Logrono (where I plan some rest and relaxation for about one week) I will have done 900 km, plus around 100 km at home for a total of about 1,000 km. at that point. Plus sightseeing at each stop.

The two manufacturers I am aware of who do 4E are New Balance (NB) and Asics. But they do not do 6E. (New Balance used to but stopped in 2015)

My questions - these focus on width (and NOT any other aspects)

1) Do readers know a manufacturer who makes a running / walking shoe coded 6E for width?

2) Do readers know of stores in Logrono, Burgos or Leon who can supply New Balance or Asics brands?

3) Do readers know, if I can get 4E widths only, how I might get them "blocked out" in Logrono, Burgos or Leon?

4) Do readers have any other useful advice, having regard to the background above?

Thanking the community in advance.

 

[Pingüigrino]

Background

I have just purchased some new shoes for my Camino. They are US 11 long and 4E wide. (I normally wear a US 8 or 9 and have chosen the extra length to get a wider fitting) They will have about more than 100 km on the clock before I leave home. I need extra wide shoes, especially for the right foot. The extra width needs to be in the forefoot, just behind the right little toe. As a 4E still causes pain I have had these new shoes "blocked out". As was done with the pair before this new one. Even in my metropolis "blocking out" can take a week going backwards and forwards. (The shoes before that were 6E, which is wide enough without treatment. Unfortunately the manufacturer no longer makes a 6E).

I understand most manufacturers have a suggested upper usage limit of around 1,000 km per pair. After that the performance falls away. And significant wear and tear can become an issue.

I also use a professionally prescribed trithotic inside the shoe. This means I cannot wear open toe sandals for walking.

I am to start at Le Puy in southern central France. By the time I get to Logrono (where I plan some rest and relaxation for about one week) I will have done 900 km, plus around 100 km at home for a total of about 1,000 km. at that point. Plus sightseeing at each stop.

The two manufacturers I am aware of who do 4E are New Balance (NB) and Asics. But they do not do 6E. (New Balance used to but stopped in 2015)

My questions - these focus on width (and NOT any other aspects)

1) Do readers know a manufacturer who makes a running / walking shoe coded 6E for width?

2) Do readers know of stores in Logrono, Burgos or Leon who can supply New Balance or Asics brands?

3) Do readers know, if I can get 4E widths only, how I might get them "blocked out" in Logrono, Burgos or Leon?

4) Do readers have any other useful advice, having regard to the background above?

Thanking the community in advance.

Hello Alwin. I just reading your post, I think you could find your shoes in main cities in the Camino Frances, like Logroño, Pamplona. Burgos or Leon. But it could take time and its not sure you can find that shoe shop you need. I suggest you to buy a pair of shoes, try and broke it, and them, the day before you fly to Spain, send it to the Post Office of the city you choose. They will keep your shoes for nor less than twenty days. Or in case you don want to be in a hurry, you can said a frien o a relative to send the shoes one or two weeks before you left. Sorry for my bad english.
Buen Camino.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Hi Alwin
Orthofeet is known for its extra wide options: http://www.orthofeet.com

 

[t2andreo]

Until you closed with New Balance and Asics not working or no longer producing the shoes you need, my advice was going to be to check the Spanish websites for both. For what it is worth, here they are:

New Balance - http://www.newbalance.es/es/stores

Asics - http://www.asics.com/es/es-es/

Both sites have a store locator you can use to locate a vendor in one of the major large towns or cities along the way. Others have correctly stated that you can find shoe vendors (generally) at Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Astorga, Ponferrada, Sarria, and Santiago de Compostela.

However, I suspect you particular situation is going to be more problematic. The width issue is going to severely restrict the availability and selection, even if you DO find a source in Spain.

All said, my 'best" suggestion for you would be to bring a second pair with you on the plane. You have two choices for "forward deploying" them:

1. (My recommended choice) Make a reservation at a hotel about where you think you will need the shoes. Send an e-mail (use Google or Bing Translate) to ask the hotel if they will accept and hold a parcel you will mail to yourself care of (c/0) the hotel. If they will, then you simply mail the extra shoes to this address, perhaps with your name and reservation number in the lower left corner so the hotel will notice it when the parcel comes. You can send the shoes from a post office in France before you start form Le Puy, to a Spanish address with no problem. The French postal system is a bit more expensive than the Spanish system. However, your parcel should arrive before you do.

OR:

2. Send the shoes ahead to a post office (Correos) by way of general delivery (Post Restante). There are prodigious instructions on how to do this here.

If you thought you would need the shoes by the time you hit the halfway point on the Camino Frances, this would be Leon. The actual mid-point is closer to Sahagun (before Leon) but Leon is the nearest city with shoe stores and more than one post office, as well as hotels to reserve at all price points.

I hope this helps.

 

[OzAnnie]

Hi Alwyn
Im pretty sure the boots/shoes you leave home with will carry you all the way. Many people walk further than the magic 1000ks quoted as the given life. I get a lot more distance myself without much wear on heals.
Buen Camino
Annie

 

[t2andreo]

OzAnnie is likely right. My Keen hiking boots get resoled after every month-long Camino. I usually get about 1000 km per sole.

Anecdotally, I found a place in Virginia where I used to live that removes the old, worn out soles and installs new, factory-provided soles, using the same process as during original manufacture. Restoring the boots this way saves money and keeps me in a well, worn-in pair of uppers. I mail them the old worn out boots. They return the resoled boots, with a new insole and laces. This year may be the last year for this pair, after four Caminos. We will see.

It is very possible that you can "make do" with one pair of shoes for the entire Camino. When I walk 775 km from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, the outer material on the heel portion of my soles is worn through in places, the mid-lining is exposed in small spots. But, the boots work just as well as they did when new. They got me there.

You could also just mail a new pair of footwear, not necessarily hiking boots, to Ivar. Look here in the forum for Services by Ivar to learn how to do this. You can mail items from France. I have done so.

I hope this helps.

 

[AlwynWellington]

Orthofeet is known for its extra wide options

Thank you. I've just been to their site. The only Camino type shoe that is a 6E has "solid" material in the upper forefoot area and does not appear breathable. My experience over the past four years tells me I have a high preference for "breathable" uppers.

Plus they only ship to the US. This is not a problem for on shipping to NZ. But might cause big issues trying to get replacements when on the hoof in Spain.


Thanks also to the other contributors. The way forward seems to be a combination of what has been suggested above.

 

[auldies]

Hi Alwyn
Not sure if this link is helpful.
Hitchcock Wide shoes - New Balance Extra Wide Walking Shoes
It seems to tick all the boxes (looking with an untrained eye) for you and has availability, but the shoes are white, so that could be an issue.
http://www.wideshoes.com/catalog.cfm?stylecode=813WT
Hope you find what you're looking for. Very important to have happy feet!!

 

[luvtraveling]

I would not ship anything to Spain before you leave home. The woman I walked with shipped a box from Calif. to Spain the day before she left. It arrived, or so she was told, but she never got it. Packages must clear customs and can take a month or longer. Her box contained her sleeping bag and some warmer clothes, all replaceable. I would not risk shipping hard to find items.

 

[spursfan]

If you really need a spare pair, then you might think about carrying them with you

 

[Returning2TheTrail]

I tried to buy replacement shoes in Estrella and had no luck. I bussed up to the nearest main city Santander and also had no luck. I ended up flying to london to buy new shoes and then back.

But if you can make it to at least Burgos you should be able to pick something up, but I would highly doubt anything would be available for you prior to Burgos

 

[Jo Jo]

I attempted to buy wide shoes in Spain (Frances, July 2014). I could not find them anywhere, even in the big cities (and I believe I went to every sports shoe place in Burgos and Leon).

The best I have found in the U.S. is Apex V551 (which makes a 4E that is breathable enough). Not quite wide enough for me, and the search is still on.

I would either plan on mailing yourself shoes in Logrono, or perhaps carrying two pairs of shoes. I wear running shoes for pavement and concrete walking surfaces, and for the dirt/gravel paths (and rain) I also wear Keen Arroyo II sandals (closed toe. They have a removable insole to accommodate your orthotics--you may have to completely remove the laces from the front of the foot, as I do) . With two pairs of shoes splitting the distance, your running shoes should last to Santiago. The second pair of shoes is by far the heaviest item in my pack, but well worth it.

Buen Camino,
Jo Jo

 

[Vacajoe]

Try ALTRA shoes - they have a very wide toe box that are perfect for my very wide feet! You won’t have to buy the extra-wide size either, so the fit will be better on the rest of your foot. The Altra Timps work best for me.

As for distance, I walked over 1000km on the Camino with on pair last year. They were definitely worn by the end, but still provided the needed tread and support.