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Hi,If you know me, you will know that I have shoe woes. I have a UK 3e wide foot and I have spent a small fortune and too many hours on trying shoes that will be wide enough for me.
I have written to several leading brands and asked if they will ship 4e wide shoes from the US to Europe and they (and stores like REI) say they cannot.
New Balance replied and said that in circumstances such as mine they suggest I find a friend who lives in the US who would be happy to act as a middle man and accept a delivery and forward it on for me.
So... I'm just wondering.... if you live in the US... if I ordered a pair of New Balance Leadville 3's in a 4e width would you be happy to ship them on to me... of course I would arrange and pay for all shipping?
If you know me, you will know that I have shoe woes. I have a UK 3e wide foot and I have spent a small fortune and too many hours on trying shoes that will be wide enough for me.
I have written to several leading brands and asked if they will ship 4e wide shoes from the US to Europe and they (and stores like REI) say they cannot.
New Balance replied and said that in circumstances such as mine they suggest I find a friend who lives in the US who would be happy to act as a middle man and accept a delivery and forward it on for me.
So... I'm just wondering.... if you live in the US... if I ordered a pair of New Balance Leadville 3's in a 4e width would you be happy to ship them on to me... of course I would arrange and pay for all shipping?
Thank you so much for the replies. I had a look at MyUS but it raised the same problem I have with buying from REI... they wont ship these shoes to europe as there is no license? I have no idea why?
@davebugg it's very good to know that the Leadvilles are good. I literally thought yesterday that I might just have to give up walking as shoes are spoiling everything for me.
As I have two kind offers I will go with the first kind person! @Pilar I'll sent you a PM
Honestly thank you for replying... I just hope they work out for my feet! Below is my footprint beside my Altra lone peak insole... you can see it's quite wide
View attachment 38746
@LesBrass as you know I wear sandals. But I do wear shoes in winter at home. How do you find the Altra Lone Peaks?
Ecco Off-Roads. Not the light version. Currently the anniversary model, very pretty. Although were an overall dune colour and needed a good scrub with a toothbrush after the Madrid!
View attachment 38747
Below is my footprint beside my Altra lone peak insole... you can see it's quite wide
Ah @LesBrass you have feet just like mine!
Wow, very helpful. Thanks so much. I have always worn hiking shoes, like Salomons, but this year I may do something wild and crazy and just go with a regular old running shoe. Since my feet always seem to get wet in the rain anyway, notwithstanding all the fancy rainproofing the shoes have, I'm not sure what the advantages are. And I assume even though running shoes may get wetter, they also dry a lot more quickly. Thanks again, I will have to mull this over.
Wow, very helpful. Thanks so much. I have always worn hiking shoes, like Salomons, but this year I may do something wild and crazy and just go with a regular old running shoe. Since my feet always seem to get wet in the rain anyway, notwithstanding all the fancy rainproofing the shoes have, I'm not sure what the advantages are. And I assume even though running shoes may get wetter, they also dry a lot more quickly. Thanks again, I will have to mull this over.
Lesbrass, I just checked your location, France. I will add two references for you to check out. You might be able to find a Meindl stockist. I have boots and shoes of that brand, and am afraid that I only stop wearing them in the summer when I move into sandals. I went hunting the other day for a new pair and no other brand that I tried gave me the immediate knowledge that they were right for me. I have a fat foot, square toes, high instep. Meindl.co.uk, and http://www.independent.co.uk/extras...en-wide-feet-under-100-gore-tex-a6837471.html. The only shoes, or rather sandals I ever bought sight unseen were Birkenstocks, because I know their fit. Good luck with your final choice.
I have had a pair of New Balance Leadvilles, and I'd say that they fit pretty true to size, if not a bit larger. I have a pretty narrow foot, and the Leadvilles didn't work for me. I wear the much narrower NB Vazee Summit.@peregrina2000 no worries... I've had so many offers of help I could buy a shoe shopThe biggest problem now is finding/deciding on which size (I'm waiting to hear back from New Balance before ordering).
I feel your pain with finding a shoe that is simply comfortable. I thought I had a good shoe with Altra but none of them have been quite right... but they are close!
I wore Altra Lone Peak 3.0 on the Via. This was a good shoe, perhaps a little loose in the upper but wide enough for my fat square toes. I never walked in zero drop shoes before and they do suggest walking them in ... I did get a lot of foot pain, which has since gone. It might not have been related but it started on day 2 and I've never had it before? BUT no blisters and the shoe was light and good traction.
I tried to buy another pair when I got home but it was being replaced by the Lone Peak 3.5 and I couldn't buy my size. I did eventually buy the Lone Peak 3.5 . My foot felt more secure in the shoe which was good but this change meant that my little toe was pushed under the next toe and I had horrible blisters as a result. I wore it on the Rota and the CP in November and even on a hike this week and every time the same blisters. But... this might just be because of where my little toe ends up in the shoe? But I'm not trying them again.
I also tried the Olympus 2.0 in the same size as the Lone Peak 3.0. This was a great shoe and I wore it last year on the CF but it was far too narrow for my foot and I had so many inbetween toe blisters... but ooh they felt like little cushions on my feetI did buy a size up in the new Olympus 2.5 but that was huge and the heel felt stiff and uncomfortable.
In short I really would like the Altra to work for me but their sizing is very hard to get right. They certainly run small so you will need to go up a size. But they are light, they were great to walk in, good grip, coped in wet and dry and they dried quickly... but it's all about the width and my square feet just don't work in the new style.
If you can try a few pairs it will help you get an idea of the sizing?
The biggest problem I have is that I try them at home for a week or so and they feel great but as soon as I walk 10-20km the problems start to show... so I have a collection of hardly worn shoes
I did also try Topo Athletic terraventure at home and they were quite nice but a smidge too narrow so they went back... as did the Inov-8 Trailtalons, which I loved but they too were just a tad narrow too.
My biggest problem is that here I have to rely on shoes that are roomy rather than specifically made as a wide fit shoe and for some reason wide fit sold in the US but not in Europe... but now I have an army of senders I can order at leisure... this could be akin to the search for the holy grail
I hope this helps... courage as they say in France
Lesbrass, I am sorry you are still not sorted. As I was reading this post,Pilgrims - many thanks for all the ideas and suggestions and offers of help! BUT would you beleive I can no longer find the Leadville in my sizeI have just ordered two pairs of the Fresh Foam Hierro V3. instead in two different sizes. It doesnt come in the 4E in europe but I can try the 2E.
I put off ordering my Leadvilles as I had the chance to try some salomons and merrells. I'm not a great deal wiser now but I like to try anything and everything just in case.
I wore Salomons on my first and second caminos but when I bought them for my third they were too narrow and no good. There is now the XA Pro 3D M+... and the M+ means a wider fit. I can buy a pair in europe so I'll order and see (sadly I've read that they are still quite narrow but I'll try them.)
I've also been told to try the wide fit Merrel Moab 2 (I didn't realist that MOAB stands for Mother of all Boots). I cant get these in France but I tried a 'normal pair' and they felt ok-ish. So it's on my maybe list... these would need to come from the US as they dont sell a wide in europe.
@t2andreo thank you for that great offer (and idea!) but sadly I'm going to be starting about the same time as you so I need my shoes before... but it's a great idea and I appreciate your offer!!
@kirkie thank you so much for the ideas... we've made a few day trips to larger cities to search for shoes over the last couple of years but it's never proved fruitful. There is a specialist shop in our nearest town but sadly they have no specific wide-fit styles... We've also behen to Bordeaux and Toulouse as both have specialist shops and again they have a wide range of brands but not in the wide fit. Actually finding a specific 2E or 4E width is limited in europe. I also prefer to walk in a lighter shoe... I've tried a boot and a mid-boot a few times and they just dont seem to work for me. But I always follow up on new ideas so thank you very much!!
@HedaP thanks for the ideas. I wore the lone peaks on the VdlP and they worked ok but the new lone peak is cut differently and pushes my pinky toe under the rest and results in horrible blisters... I've tried twice with them and they're not for me. I did try the Topo at home before I walked the CP in November... on balance I went with the Lone Peak but maybe that was the wrong choice as I ended up with those pinky blisters? Maybe I should try them again? thanks for the suggestions!!
I honestly think I could write a book about these shoes! I just don't understand why manufacturers don't provide a simple .pdf footprint template that we could print and try... gosh that would make it so easy to at least narrow down selections before buying
Hi LesBrass. Is this of any use?Pilgrims - many thanks for all the ideas and suggestions and offers of help! BUT would you beleive I can no longer find the Leadville in my sizeI have just ordered two pairs of the Fresh Foam Hierro V3. instead in two different sizes. It doesnt come in the 4E in europe but I can try the 2E.
I put off ordering my Leadvilles as I had the chance to try some salomons and merrells. I'm not a great deal wiser now but I like to try anything and everything just in case.
I wore Salomons on my first and second caminos but when I bought them for my third they were too narrow and no good. There is now the XA Pro 3D M+... and the M+ means a wider fit. I can buy a pair in europe so I'll order and see (sadly I've read that they are still quite narrow but I'll try them.)
I've also been told to try the wide fit Merrel Moab 2 (I didn't realist that MOAB stands for Mother of all Boots). I cant get these in France but I tried a 'normal pair' and they felt ok-ish. So it's on my maybe list... these would need to come from the US as they dont sell a wide in europe.
@t2andreo thank you for that great offer (and idea!) but sadly I'm going to be starting about the same time as you so I need my shoes before... but it's a great idea and I appreciate your offer!!
@kirkie thank you so much for the ideas... we've made a few day trips to larger cities to search for shoes over the last couple of years but it's never proved fruitful. There is a specialist shop in our nearest town but sadly they have no specific wide-fit styles... We've also been to Bordeaux and Toulouse as both have specialist shops and again they have a wide range of brands but not in the wide fit. Actually finding a specific 2E or 4E width is limited in europe. I also prefer to walk in a lighter shoe... I've tried a boot and a mid-boot a few times and they just dont seem to work for me. But I always follow up on new ideas so thank you very much!!
@HedaP thanks for the ideas. I wore the lone peaks on the VdlP and they worked ok but the new lone peak is cut differently and pushes my pinky toe under the rest and results in horrible blisters... I've tried twice with them and they're not for me. I did try the Topo at home before I walked the CP in November... on balance I went with the Lone Peak but maybe that was the wrong choice as I ended up with those pinky blisters? Maybe I should try them again? thanks for the suggestions!!
I honestly think I could write a book about these shoes! I just don't understand why manufacturers don't provide a simple .pdf footprint template that we could print and try... gosh that would make it so easy to at least narrow down selections before buying
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