[treewalker]

I have had a terrible time with boots in my hiking career. I usually either get blisters on my Achilles tendon or my big toe gets smooshed and my toenails fall off. I have a long (3-4 days) backpacking trip coming up this September and I NEED to make sure I have boots that will work for me. I don't have too much time to break them in before then, so I need boots that will work right out of the box. I am thinking I need custom boots. Price is really not an object, because I love hiking and I expect these boots to last the rest of my life. Waterproof and high enough to walk through a few inches of creek without leaking would be nice. What are the ultimate custom hiking boots?!?!

[RichP]

There has been talk on this forum in the past about Limmer Boots though I have no experience with them. They look old school and heavy but that's how I like them. http://www.limmercustomboot.com/cgi-bin/CustomBoot/index.pl

[huron]

You might try a few adjustments first. Some heel blisters can be caused by the heel cup flexing downward from the leverage of a high, tightly laced ankle. Try loosening ankle laces on the uphill. If the heel blister is from slippage, tighten the arch laces. For toes, aside from going up a size, tighten the forefoot on the downhill. Use a locking lace method to adjust them individually. Also, do you really need boots? Trail runners might work if you don't travel in snow much. Walk the stream without socks and the mesh dries quickly.

[HitTheTrail]

[HitTheTrail]

BTW, Altra just got bought out by VFC corp. They own North Face, Smartwool, Jan sport, Eagle Creek, Timberland (among others). I had an Altra rep tell me the product should be getting better with the next model.

[Navy salad]

If by "boots" you mean leather, it may be tough to find a pair that don't require at least some break-in. Also, note that fully waterproof boots can cause your feet to get sweaty, making blisters more likely. I tried on a pair of Altra shoes (recommended above) at REI lately and was amazed how comfortable they were right out of the box. I'll admit I didn't buy them (they felt like they would wear quickly due to being so soft), but I'm still wondering if should have! (Especially after hearing Anish wore them on the PCT.)

[joker]

[AlpineRose]

IME, toe smoosh happens when boots are 1) either too small, by even just a half size or 2) the toe box is not shaped like an actual foot. It took me a long time to learn this. I have a permanently smooshed, really ugly big toe because of it. Have you checked out Keens?

[texasbb]

It's hard to diagnose someone else's foot issues, but I have personally learned that if I can't wiggle my toes and even splay them broadly apart with the boot/shoe fully tightened, they'll be miserable within a few miles. I've also learned (as was mentioned above), that heel blisters are often (for me, always) a result of high-top boots cranking the heel of the boot forward into the heel of my foot. Stopping the laces an eyelet or two below the top can help on the steep uphills. Good luck.

[Mikey]

Leather boots can be broken in by hiking wearing wet socks. Long ago I lost one of my Lowa Alpspitz leather boots at the Mt Baker Coleman glacier trail head (the boot fell into a ditch and I failed to put it into my truck, got it back via the USFS Ranger station where sone nice person turned in my lost boot about 5 weeks later). I purchased a new pair of Lowa Alpspitz boots for a climb of Glacier Peak the following weekend. I went to the Mt Si trailhead, poured the new boot full of warm-hot water from a thermos, about 4 minutes later, poured the water out, put the new boot on one foot and the old boot on the other foot and hiked up Mt Si. I hiked Mt Si twice with the new boot wet. Then on July 9th, I wore that new boot for the climb of Glacier Peak (Sitkum Glacier) which I led and the new boot worked OK even though it was stiffer than the old boot. However, someone noticed I had red shoe laces on one boot and black shoe laces on the other boot and further noticed that one boot was new and the other boot was not new and my climb leader credentials came under examination (ie how could someone lose one of their hiking boot?). I do not recall where I heard that method of faster breaking in of a new leather boot. I see that there is a description of using water for leather boot break in "How to Break in Leather Military Boots". I acknowledge that I had the advantage of knowing that the Lowa Alpspitz leather boots fit nicely. Presently I have Lowa Renegade GTX Mid Leather Hiking Boots and they fit just fine.

[Bernardo]

Sorry if I'm bringing up something that's already been discussed, but aren't boots with ankle support and stiff soles considered standard equipment for walking on rocks? With good boots you can walk across a pile of rocks like it's a sidewalk. If you are on a good trail, I can totally see that boots aren't necessary. So it is a function of the terrain as well as the foot.

[joker]

That's my thought at least for my own feet and joints when on rocky terrain. But I've seen rather contrary opinions rather strongly and often quite broadly posited from time to time.

[timberghost]

I know Lathrop and sons does a custom boot to your feet. They send a kit which allows you to do all the measurements & etc then build the boot on that. https://lathropandsons.com/

[anonwums]

You should head over to Cabela's and try their boots made by Meindl. They aren't custom, but they come in wide sizes. I couldn't find boots that fit me until I tried them. Unfortunately, they have limited sizes, so you have to order online and return in store to avoid shipping costs.

[DIYSteve]