[Closed] Walking boots for narrow feet?

Scarpa.

I've got narrow feet and Zamberlan fitted the bill, infact they were the only ones in the whole shop that did! This was about 11 years ago, still going as I only wear them on long hill walks, like old friends now!

I don't work fitting boots any more, but Scarpa and Zamberlan are (or used to be) narrow but relatively high volume top to bottom. Asolo are a lower volume fit all round. Mammut boots are also worth a look, and some Salomons might also fit. This is all from a 3 years ago though.

Yes, Scarpa. I've fairly narrow feet and find only Scarpa offer a good fit. I do, however need an extra, thin insole to put my ankle bone in the right place.

I have narrow heels so find Scarpa and most other lasts cause heel blisters. It took years of trying before I discovered Salomon and I can buy them "off the page" now. I believe that North Face are a similar last.

Strange, I've always considered Scarpa to be a wider fit than others. I've had La Sportiva and Salomon which were too narrow in size 8. I had one pr of Scarpa for 10yrs in a size 7.5 which saw me thru many alpine adventures.

Have a look at Aku and La Sportiva.

Altberg? Hand made in UK, available in multiple widths plus semi and full custom options.

Brilliant, just what I was after. I had moulded insoles made when I bough my current Scarpa's all those years ago, so that took care of the volume issue, though not 100% as there's a bit of toe room.

I'll try and get some fittings for the other mentioned makes.

You want toe room or you will lose your toenails. Scarpas have clearly worked for you for 10yrs. If it aint broke dont fix it.

My scarpas are 16 yrs old and still have many years left in them. They must have been used on over 800 hill days by now and in the Alps, Pyrenees and Himalayas

If you look at Altberg, check out the oddly named Yan Tan. It uses a last that's broadish at the toe end but narrow in the heel and mid-foot that they reckon caters for 25% of the population who have difficultly finding a boot to fit their foot.

My scarpas are 16 yrs old and still have many years left in them. They must have been used on over 800 hill days by now and in the Alps, Pyrenees and Himalayas

Lazgoat - as usual some sensible comments on here but some crap too. The best boots are the ones that fit, are comfy and fit for purpose (be that walking the dog, the Cuillin Ridge or K2)

1) telling you that I've got narrow feet and my 14 year old not-available-anymore-boots are fab is not at all helpful. Only [b]you[/b] know [b]your[/b] feet.

2) companies like Scarpa produce boots on varying lasts so saying that Scarpa fit me is neither helpful nor true. There are many types of Scarpa footwear and many different lasts too. Some are narrow, some are normal, some are wide. (Just look on their [url= http://www.scarpa.co.uk/technical/lasting/ ]website[/url] for explanations). Nobody can say that all Scarpa boots fit them due to the variation in lasting and designs.

3) Again same goes for Aku and La Sportiva being narrow. The La Sportiva mountain boots are known for being medium to wide, not narrow - again it depends on the last of the boot model

4) [url= http://www.altberg.co.uk/stockist-boots/ ]Altberg[/url] - they make men's boots from size 7.5 to 14 including half sizes, all of which come in 5 width fittings. They are a UK company based in Richmond, N Yorks. If you can get up to their factory shop to get fitted it'd be really useful. They do sell them thru many shops but in the factory you can also see a wider range of footwear available.
Any shop that stocks them can get the varying width fittings delivered to them.

5) Whatever you do, get your new boots from a trusted shop known for doing correct boot fittings

6) Most shops do not stock boots that are at the very narrow or very wide end of the spectrum, so you'll probably have to wait for them to get the boots in to try. Be patient, wait to get the right boots, you'll have to years to regret getting the wrong ones.

Also if you've not bought new boots for a long time, you will probably be astonished at how expensive they are now:
I got some Meindl Borneo boots in 2004 for £120
I replaced them with the same boot in 2009 for £150
They are now about £195 rrp

PS if you can, get boots that are made in UK, Germany, Italy or Romania. They have traditionally produced high quality walking boots for many years and the craft is alive and well. A lot of far eastern boots are just made in a factory to a low price point and 2 years after you bought them you'll regret it.

I destroyed two sets Scarpa ZG 10 3 years. I would have ought another pair but they stopped making them

My current pair of Asolo are narrow. My sister bought the same boots without knowing had I them for the narrow fit

But in the end what you need is a couple of hours in a well stocked shop

Yes, good fitting advice essential. Every time I go to a store with trained fitters and only try on what they think will fit correctly.

This may sound silly but go in the afternoon.
Your feet will be at their largest as feet tend to swell a little bit during the day (increase in volume due to increased blood flow thru actvity etc.).

I've not got much experience of walking boots, but I do have narrow feet. I've been using a pair of Keen Mid boots for about 5 years and can't fault them. May be worth trying if you can find a local stockist?

Finding a shop with the stock in Norwich is the problem for me. There a good selection of shops but they don't carry the brands, or all the sizes.

Maybe a weekend in the Peak District is a good idea?
Outside in Hathersage are excellent

Definitely give La Sportiva a go. I've narrow feet and they fit me better then any other brands, Zamberlans, Scarpas, Meindls etc. Good luck!

I found salewas to be perfect for my extremely narrow feet. A much better lacing system too.

http://safalra.com/other/historical-uk-inflation-price-conversion/

Also if you've not bought new boots for a long time, you will probably be astonished at how expensive they are now:
I got some Meindl Borneo boots in 2004 for £120
I replaced them with the same boot in 2009 for £150
They are now about £195 rrp

Apart form that ElShalimo's advice is spot on. It's a very personal thing, a good fitter in a proper shop makes all the difference.

It's not just inflation Mike, you need to also factor in exchange rates, recession and opportunism
When the Euro had parity with the pound, boot prices shot up accordingly even though purchasing depts buy a long way in advance. The prices never came back down.
Boots are semi-protected from wild fluctuations in supply & demand, eg theChinese middle classes never latched on to fell walking. There are lots of examples in recent years of global shifts in demand, basically any luxury goods sell like hot cakes in China etc

The recession was an influence too as many people didn't go abroad due to perceived poor value (probably based on Euro parity). Suddenly camping and walking gained in popularity so UK demand for these products increased. You may have noticed that nice quiet campsite ideal for a weekend MTB with mates suddenly got busy and was full of beered up morons

It's complicated but inflation isn't the answer as most boots are not made here
Anyway it was £120 in 2004
😯

I have asolo boots I have really narrow heals they are the only walking boots I don't get heal rub in