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Eric Hansen
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Eric Hansen
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 5:51 pm 
I have Morton's toe (2nd toe longer than first toe) on both feet and mild "hammertoe" on both 2nd toes as a result. For years I've just sized up a bit to give the 2nd toe some room, and worn 2 pair of socks to fill in. La Sportiva's has been my go to shoe, primarily the Eco 2.0 (no longer made). Anyone have any experience with other brands offering roomy toe box but relatively narrow to normal mid foot and heel. I'm noticing Topo Athletic reviews and thinking they may be a possibility. Any other advice, suggestions welcome.

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zimmertr
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 6:04 pm 
I also have wide forefeet. So much I've now gone through five pairs of mountaineering boots failing to find a pair that keeps my toes from going numb. Altra makes the best shoes for this in my opinion. I'm on my sixth pair of Superiors now. The lowers start to wear out around 250 miles though and the uppers usually blow out 100 miles after that. So they don't last long. The Lone Peaks are a little more durable and fit the same way but I prefer the Superiors. Their Olympus shoe had a much more robust upper and cushiony lower that may last longer. But I wasn't able to get a good fit. One size gave me heal slip and the next size down was too tight on the top of my foot. Hoka Speedgoat 5 in the "Wide" size fit me well enough as well. But I toe jam in them downhill badly enough to develop bruises on my big toes beneath the nails. They're significantly more cushiony so I normally reserve them for days where I do > 15 miles or otherwise need to prioritize accumulating less leg fatigue. I've tried Topo Ultraventures as well and they felt cheap IMO and caused me major toe jam on the downhill. But I only tried them on P3 and have been meaning to give them another chance on a less vertical trail. If anyone has any info on mountaineering boots with roomy toe boxes I'm all ears.....

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Chief Joseph
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 8:12 pm 
I have that condition too, when I played basketball and was a pretty fast runner I would lose the nails on the 2nd toes at least once per year. The only thing that helped was to make sure I kept my toe nails short, shoes laced tight and a bit of room in the toe box. I always wondered if having the longer 2nd toe contributed to my foot speed. I mean I wasn't blazing fast, I think my best was 11.2 in 100 yard dash when I was 16....and pretty sure when I was running the ball in football and being chased, I was faster. paranoid.gif I haven't really had a problem with it since I began hiking as long as my boots-shoes are the correct size, but then I am a fairly slow hiker, so that might be part of the reason.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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rubywrangler
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 8:16 pm 
I also have Morton’s toe on both feet along with a pretty good sized bunion on my left foot. I really like the fit of the la sportiva ultra raptor mid gtx wide, but the “mid” part does not seem very durable. Mine started separating above the heel after only about 14 days of use. Not cool for $175! They also released a mens low top wide this year. As far as I know, no non-gtx. (Yet?) Agree the toe box of altras is really nice, but the arch support is not. After wearing timps for 5 days in the Grand Canyon this spring I was hobbling for 2 weeks. Maybe better with some good aftermarket insoles, but if you have any PF issues I would be careful. Salewa mountaineering boots have a wider forefoot than most.

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Chief Joseph
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Chief Joseph
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 8:22 pm 
Try hiking in heavy duty Croc's, works for Iron and I have had some success as well. wink.gif

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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Bowregard
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PostTue Oct 04, 2022 9:51 pm 
For those that like Altras but need more support try their "Olympus" model. It provides much more support than the Timp, For boots I have found Hanwag (German mfg) has a bit more room than most. And they make a wide size now for many of their models. The hard part is finding them to try on. I'm sure this has been mentioned before but I have found that placing a square knot at the top of the lower group of laces just loose enough to get my foot in allows me to tighten the upper boot against my leg but leave the forefoot loose. I do not have the same condition as you but have dealt with hammertoes, PF, and bunions and having enough room in the forefoot of my boots is the difference between enjoying my hike and just enduring it. Good luck to you.

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Snowdog
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PostThu Oct 06, 2022 10:37 am 
I have a different issue (Morton's neuroma), but it requires a similar fix. Why are foot issues named Morton? ????? When my podiatrist told me I had Morton's neuroma, I said "can I give it back?" winksmile.gif I Like Altras- esp the Olympus because of extra cushioning. But agree they don't last long. Hokas are great- the speedgoat & other trail running/hiking. I do get Wide- that increases space in forefoot. As for Mtneering boots- I have sized up, and/or gone with Wide (I do not have a wide foot).

'we don't have time for a shortcut'
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Slide Alder Slayer
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PostThu Oct 06, 2022 12:23 pm 
I've been fitting for 16 years. If you find someone with experience they should do a analysis of your feet but will recognize that is secondary to listening and allowing you to guide them to assure you have a proper fit.

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Stella
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PostSat Oct 08, 2022 10:18 am 
I inherited Morton’s toe from my mom. Hers was bad enough that she had surgery at 40 to modify the second metatarsal. It was very successful. Mine is not as bad and a recent trick has given a lot of relief. Shaving off some of the padding on the underside of my Superfeet inserts give the toes enough added room to avoid aches and bruising. My toes don’t miss the padding.

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Bootpathguy
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PostSun Oct 09, 2022 9:18 am 
Same issue. I've been hiking in Salomon footwear for many years. No issues My normal street shoes are the same brand Customer for life

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Eric Hansen
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Eric Hansen
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PostFri Oct 14, 2022 7:23 am 
Thanks for all the ideas, comments and advice.

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Eric Hansen
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Eric Hansen
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PostSun Mar 05, 2023 4:19 pm 
Some progress for me. Went up a half size in a pair of La Sportiva Spire, a 2lb. trail shoe I would describe as half low hiking boot, half trail runner. Heel box seemed a tad wide and took a little break in before I could get a good heel lock. I've got 50 miles on them. Notably, no toe bang on a - 3,000' descent to the Grand Canyon's Tonto Plateau. I'm using a Super Feet green insole. Also went up a half size in a pair of Brooks Cascade 16, a trail runner. Less miles on them but they seem promising.

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HitTheTrail
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PostSun Mar 05, 2023 6:12 pm 
I have the same issue (as well as a few other foot issues) and had been using Altra's. But I have totally lost confidence in their quality and have since switched to Topo Athletics'. Specifically, the Trailventure 2 WP mid hiker. They have the same foot shape as Altra but a much better build quality. Love them so far.

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Jeff Spann
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PostSun Mar 05, 2023 9:40 pm 
I have Morton's toes as well as bunions on 1st and 5th metatarsals on both feet. I discovered the wide toe box and relatively narrow heel on Keen Targhees when I bought a used pair about a year ago. I've put 100s of miles on them as both hiking and street shoes, and they still hold up well. They work great on my feet; no problems with toe bang on downhills, which I've had with most other shoes. I recently bought a pair of Targhee 3s for the better tread grip because I was slipping on dry silty soil on steep downhills. I've only used them on a few hikes, but they grip better and fit my feet about the same. The one problem for me is the thin relatively hard insole---but I'm an extreme outlier needing lots of cushioning. I've been using the super cushiony insoles from my original Targhees in the new ones and they work fine. Fifteen years ago the hammertoe on my left foot got bad enough that I had it corrected, along with the big toe bunion. I ended up with a 2nd toe slightly shorter than the big toe, but I lost a lot of flexibility in both 1st and 2nd toes and have had pain on the medial side of that foot ever since. I think the podiatrist was unethical in talking me into having the surgery. I swore that I would never have any foot surgery again, but the 5th metatarsal bunion on that foot has become a problem. The Targhees still accommodate it, but putting that foot into a ski boot was becoming impossible. I finally decided to bite the bullet, and went to an orthopedic surgeon foot specialist this time. He pointed out that the 5th metatarsal bunion was caused or exacerbated by the fact that I had been walking on the outside of my foot to avoid the pain on the big toe side, and to try putting more weight where it belonged. This has helped me a lot. When I told him that all I really needed was to be able to fit into a tight ski boot, he told me to go to a really good ski boot fitter first before thinking of surgery. If I ever do decide that I need foot surgery again, I'll definitely go to that guy.

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Bowregard
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PostSun Mar 05, 2023 10:23 pm 
Jeff Spann wrote:
I think the podiatrist was unethical in talking me into having the surgery.
I can relate to that Jeff, I had pain near the metatarsal pad in my foot and after a number of ineffective tests got talked into surgery that included fusing the 2nd and 3rd toes, removing the nerve between them, and partially cutting of the calf muscle. I asked the pediatrist point blank what the chances of my issue resolving on it's own over time and told me it would had resolved by now if it was going to. I later learned from my wife's orthopedic surgeon that simply cutting one ligament that attaches to the toe would probably have resolved the issue (my wife had that done and it resolved her similar symptoms with a simple in-office procedure). He also said he avoids removing the nerve because a good percentage of patients have phantom pain afterwards (as I do). Cutting the calf was the part of the procedure that I was most unsure about but that worked out OK (Healed up well and added some ankle flexibility that I never could achieve before). I don't think the podiatrist was was trying to take advantage of me I just think he was a bad communicator and should have been less aggressive. I have adjusted to my new "normal" which includes a tolerable level of pain whenever I use the foot and a lot less flexibility but I honestly think I would have been better off without the surgery. Given time it is amazing what the body can heal.

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