Anyone else have giant feet? Boot options

[jt13]

Those who are "gifted" like me know the pain to only be able to order shoes/boots online without first trying them on. As a guy who's been wearing size 16 shoes since I was 14 years old this has been a lifetime of a struggle. Generally I find a pair of boots or sneakers that I like and just buy 2 or 3 pairs and wear them for as long as I can to avoid the pain of shoe shopping again. Here we are again as I hunt for a serious mountain boot. My last 2 pairs of Danner Pronghorns fit like sneakers and have been good to me here in home in Appalachia, however they have annually disappointed me in the mountains out west. I found them to not be not being stiff enough and continually stretching on me throughout the day leading to my toes jamming into the end of the boots especially while side hilling.

I am trying to compile a list of boots available up to a size 16 that would be a solid backpack hunting/mountain boot and would love help from anyone willing or at least this list can serve to help other folks in need.

So far this is what I have come up with:

Schnees Beartooth II
Schnees Granite II
Kennetrek Mountain Extreme
Danner Powderhorn
Danner Vital
Lowa Camino GTX
Lowa Ranger III GTX
Lowa Tibet GTX
Lowa Renegade GTX
Crispi Nevada

 

[Ajax2744]

Ill just add I run lowa Camino gtx and absolutely love them. Best boot I have ever worn for sure.

 

[jt13]

Good to know! The caminos are at the top of my list at the moment

I should add a disclaimer to the little list I put together that I have not owned or worn any of them so any inout or reviews would be welcome.

 

[HowaHunter]

I am a size 14 and wear Keens. I believe they are the Durand also have another pair for antelope hunting- targhees. Disclaimer* I don't endorse SOME of that companies ventures in the outdoor world but they fit my flat huge feet nicely and I get a pro deal. So... Why not use em if they feel right. right? They hold up well. Better than the Danner Pronghorns I used to wear. The boots don't come up as high but i prefer that. I have tried on almost every 300+ dollar boot and it seems all of their footbeds are made for 2 styles of feet of which mine don't fall into. Good Luck.

 

[slatebuilder]

Thanks for the boot list, size 15 here. Shoes are a P.I.T.A.

 

[beagle001]

Check out Thorogoods. Not sure if they have boots your size, but I’m roughly a 13-13.5 EE or EEE and flat footed. I was very happy with my first pair that I actually bought for worn, so bought another, specifically for hunting. Only issue is breaking them in suuuuucks. The ones I have are the Gen-Flex2. I am interested in their other offerings though. Seem like a good company

 

[jeremyA1987]

Thanks for the list and the recommendations!
I've worn Vasque Wasatch GTX size 16 for about ten years and loved them, but they were discontinued.. been looking for some other good options... Been wearing a cheap WalMart pair till I can find a pair I like.

 

[jt13]

Ordered up some Camino GTX boots from Lowa today. I'll be sure to report back to all the large footed folks following this thread when they arrive.

Lowa definitely has the most options in the 15/16 range and they have wide sizes available in most models up to a size 14

 

[jt13]

I figured it was finally time for an update.

I've got about 30 miles or so on my Lowa Camino GTX's. I put about 10 miles on them in September and put them away until March where I've put another 20 miles on them. They seem to be breaking in well. The factory insoles were garbage, like walking on concrete. I replaced them with the Superfeet Green insoles. I don't have an issues or irritation until I hit the 4+ mile mark on any particular hike without taking a break. I do better when I wear a pair of sock liners under a pair of merino hikers. No issues with heel slip and minimal hotspots. I believe that most of my issues with the fit or comfort are with it being my first super stiff pair of boots and my fragile girly feet. The only issue I can point to in particular is that the heel cup seems narrow for me.

I'm going to stick with them and keep breaking them in and fiddling with lacing techniques or I might even try a different insole to see if I can solve the heel cup issue.

If I make a change my next try will be either the Kennetrek Mountain Extreme, Kennetrek Hardscrabble, or Crispi Nevada. As stated though, going to keep after these. They seem to be more comfortable with each hike, likely a combination of my feet getting used to them and them breaking in.

 

[MT_Chad]

I figured it was finally time for an update.

I've got about 30 miles or so on my Lowa Camino GTX's. I put about 10 miles on them in September and put them away until March where I've put another 20 miles on them. They seem to be breaking in well. The factory insoles were garbage, like walking on concrete. I replaced them with the Superfeet Green insoles. I don't have an issues or irritation until I hit the 4+ mile mark on any particular hike without taking a break. I do better when I wear a pair of sock liners under a pair of merino hikers. No issues with heel slip and minimal hotspots. I believe that most of my issues with the fit or comfort are with it being my first super stiff pair of boots and my fragile girly feet. The only issue I can point to in particular is that the heel cup seems narrow for me.

I'm going to stick with them and keep breaking them in and fiddling with lacing techniques or I might even try a different insole to see if I can solve the heel cup issue.

If I make a change my next try will be either the Kennetrek Mountain Extreme, Kennetrek Hardscrabble, or Crispi Nevada. As stated though, going to keep after these. They seem to be more comfortable with each hike, likely a combination of my feet getting used to them and them breaking in.

I thought shopping for my size 14s sucked, I feel for ya. I agree on the Lowa insoles sucking but I guess I end up replacing all of them with super feet as well anyway. I got a pair of merino wool felt lined super feet for my tibets that are comfy.

 

[sneakypete]

I’m 13 wide and I wear Kennetrek Mountain extremes and I’m on my 6th year of these boots. I did change insoles to super feet orange. My sock combo is a silk sock liner and rei expedition sock, I Never mess with the sock combo! Best of luck!

 

[Blinn]

I am another big foot with a size 14. I own 3 pairs of Kenetreks and a pair of Cabelas Meindl Denali's. The Kenetrek boots are simply better quality boots, but my Denali's are very good balance between comfort and stiffness, and are kind of my go to boots. My feet always feel the best at the end of the day in my Denali’s. If you end up purchasing Kenetreks, I would recommend going with the uninsulated Mtn Extremes. The Hardscrabbles are good, but I just like the support of the taller boots especially on steep sidehills and stepping over deadfall (god I hate deadfall...). My ankles just roll around too much hunting in my Hardscrabbles.

 

[shannerdrake]

I feel your pain. I'm a size 14 wide, but need a wide toe box and a tight heel. I'm a big fan of REI because they let me try things out and I can bring them back. I have never had a pair of Keens work for me and have tried a few. I also can't run Lowa boots either. Danners fit me fairly well. However, I've had a ton of luck with Merrell, they fit me perfect. Unfortunately, Merrell doesn't make a true honest backcountry or mountain boot. I usually run two pairs when I'm front country hunting and swap them every day.

One thing that I had a lot of luck with is once I found a boot that worked for me, I call the company and see which boots share the same foot bed. I can then bet that the those boots will run true to size. For example, the MOAB fits me perfect, but they don't make a good high top or leather upper MOAB, so I called Merrell and asked what boots shared the MOAB foot bed and then I picked a leather upper (Phazerbound) that had the MOAB foot bed - and they have been great.

 

[jt13]

Wanted to post another update on my boot saga.

After approximately 50 miles in the Lowas, they were still never a perfect fit. I believe it was mostly the heel cup being too narrow for me and it didn't improve with a thorough break in process as I hoped. So 5 days before a week of hiking in Colorado I performed the cardinal sin of buying brand new boots with the intent of taking them straight up on the mountain.

I bought a pair of Crispi Nevadas in size 15 and had them expedited to me. I pulled the boots out of the box, checked the fit, and put them in my luggage. The first dirt on those boots was from the Grays/Torreys Peak trailhead where we hiked both 14-ers in a 10 mile/3600 ft day. That climb was followed up with 4 more 10+ mile days over the course of the week in RMNP and what I have to report is that these things are nothing short of magical. A perfect fit for me, not so much as a hot spot. These are the boots I will be wearing for the foreseeable future.

With that being said, I will be posting up my Lowa Camino GTXs for sale on here first then maybe Ebay if there's no interest. Going to sell them very cheap and include the Superfeet Green insoles. Send me a PM of your interested in trying them out.

Hope this list of boots available for large footed individuals like myself helps some people put in the future!

 

[vagabond]

I'm a 15 narrow. Alway been a bugger getting good fitting boots.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Those who are "gifted" like me know the pain to only be able to order shoes/boots online without first trying them on. As a guy who's been wearing size 16 shoes since I was 14 years old this has been a lifetime of a struggle. Generally I find a pair of boots or sneakers that I like and just buy 2 or 3 pairs and wear them for as long as I can to avoid the pain of shoe shopping again. Here we are again as I hunt for a serious mountain boot. My last 2 pairs of Danner Pronghorns fit like sneakers and have been good to me here in home in Appalachia, however they have annually disappointed me in the mountains out west. I found them to not be not being stiff enough and continually stretching on me throughout the day leading to my toes jamming into the end of the boots especially while side hilling.

I am trying to compile a list of boots available up to a size 16 that would be a solid backpack hunting/mountain boot and would love help from anyone willing or at least this list can serve to help other folks in need.

So far this is what I have come up with:

Schnees Beartooth II
Schnees Granite II
Kennetrek Mountain Extreme
Danner Powderhorn
Danner Vital
Lowa Camino GTX
Lowa Ranger III GTX
Lowa Tibet GTX
Lowa Renegade GTX
Crispi Nevada

I also buy 2 pairs when I find new boots I like.
My latest are Crispi Colorados in size 14.
I have narrow and long feet and they fit me well...wear them every day year round.
Now at age 66 my feet have flattened a bit and I always wear Superfeet Green in my boots.

 

[perma]

Look at the Salewa Rapace. I am a 13EE in Ariat boots and those fit perfectly.

 

[jt13]

Almost 3 years to the day from when I made this post. I'm still wearing Crispi Nevadas, on my second pair. Some minor variation from the 2020 model to the 2023 but generally the same boot. I've got 50+ miles on my new ones and they're breaking in nicely. They should be wonderful for New Mexico in September