Recommendations for wide fitting size 13 hiking boots

[MisterP]

Looking for recommendations from anyone else with large, wide feet for good quality wide fitting size 13, waterproof hiking boots (not shoes). Grisport's look good but seem only to up to 12.

[Tracy D'arth]

Who for? Big Foot?  Army boots? The SBS and SAS have good rubber sole boots.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Meindl make proper boots in proper sizes and are generally a much wider fit than other brands

 

Meindl boots are hand made in Germany are are well worth the money, they can be re-soled etc.

 

Not cheap (at around £300)  but can be worn immediately from day 1 they are comfortable - I've had mine for several years, whereas with £150 boots I was replacing them pretty much every year. I normally walk over 1000 miles per year carrying a fair bit of weight and over all terrain types from tarmac to stone-chip trails to grass.

 

One example  from their range

 

Meindl Dovre Pro (Short) GTX – BushWear

 

or :

 

Meindl | Cotswold Outdoor

 

Home | Meindl - Shoes For Actives

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[Mike Hurley]

[MisterP]

11 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Meindl make proper boots in proper sizes and are generally a much wider fit than other brands

 

Meindl boots are hand made in Germany are are well worth the money, they can be re-soled etc.

 

Not cheap (at around £300)  but can be worn immediately from day 1 they are comfortable - I've had mine for several years, whereas with £150 boots I was replacing them pretty much every year. I normally walk over 1000 miles per year carrying a fair bit of weight and over all terrain types from tarmac to stone-chip trails to grass.

 

One example  from their range

 

Meindl Dovre Pro (Short) GTX – BushWear

 

or :

 

Meindl | Cotswold Outdoor

 

Home | Meindl - Shoes For Actives

 

 

Thanks Alan, I haven't come across Meindl will check them out. Happy to invest in something decent.

27 minutes ago, Mike Hurley said:

 

Mike, you've missed the boat, literally. These are long, not wide.

11 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Who for? Big Foot?  Army boots? The SBS and SAS have good rubber sole boots.

 

Eh? Total non-comment there Tracy!

[cass1]

Try altberg they are in yorkshire and will make to order

[MisterP]

Thanks ?

30 minutes ago, cass1 said:

Try altberg they are in yorkshire and will make to order

 

Thanks ?  Just checked these out, they look like exceptionally good long term value especially when compared to big box retailers like Berghaus (not that I'm knocking them).

Edited February 8, 2021 by MisterP
Added comment

[tree monkey]

Another vote for Meindl, good quality boot.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

28 minutes ago, MisterP said:

they look like exceptionally good long term value especially when compared to big box retailers like

Wearing big boxes on your feet sounds like the ideal solution! ?

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

56 minutes ago, cass1 said:

Try altberg they are in yorkshire and will make to order

 

Must admit to never having much success with Altbergs.

I think it comes from the fact that they are the main supplier to the military and they 'build to a price' rather than build to a quality.

Unlike (say) 50 years ago when army surplus was good-stuff we now have the case where soldiers are buying their own boots and kit as the issue equipment is uncomfortable or unable to take the hammering.

 

BBC NEWS | UK | Soldiers 'having to buy own kit'

 

During the past year 55% of troops and 42% of officers say they had to pay mail-order services or army-surplus stores out of their own pockets.

They mainly bought boots, combat trousers, jackets, sleeping bags, torches and load-carrying equipment including day sacks and chest-webbing.

 

 

I  had a pair of Altbergs which I had to give a way, I thought they fitted but the toe box was very low, another pair didn't even manage the Pennine Way (275 miles) before coming apart, Altberg were good about it and gave me my money back, but that was when I switched to Meindl

 

Its a bit like :

 

In April 1965 an instance was credited to astronaut Gus Grissom who later died in a tragic fire during a pre-launch test in 1967: From space man Gus Grissom, as he orbited around the earth in his space capsule: “I shudder to think, this thing was built by the lowest bidder.”

Edited February 8, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[GRLMK38]

Harkila go up to 14/48. Not cheap but well made.

[Ianws]

Scarpa, Merrell and Keen work for some people. I would always want to try them on but shops aren't open at the moment. 

[mrsmelly]

Just now, Ianws said:

Scarpa, Merrell and Keen work for some people. I would always want to try them on but shops aren't open at the moment. 

This is the major problem. Sizes differ by manufacturer ( different chinese factorys were they are mostly made ) before being badged turn out different fittings. I take a 9.5 usualy so that means a ten many times but occasionaly a 9 is best. I simply cannot risk on line shoe buying, all that sending back if they dont fit etc is realy a non starter. My boots have started to split but I am hanging on till shops open hopefuly. 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

22 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Meindl make proper boots in proper sizes and are generally a much wider fit than other brands

 

Meindl boots are hand made in Germany are are well worth the money, they can be re-soled etc.

 

Not cheap (at around £300)  but can be worn immediately from day 1 they are comfortable - I've had mine for several years, whereas with £150 boots I was replacing them pretty much every year. I normally walk over 1000 miles per year carrying a fair bit of weight and over all terrain types from tarmac to stone-chip trails to grass.

 

One example  from their range

 

Meindl Dovre Pro (Short) GTX – BushWear

 

or :

 

Meindl | Cotswold Outdoor

 

Home | Meindl - Shoes For Actives

 

Having had a pair of Meindl's in the past I'd also tend to vote for them as well but looking at the Meindl website they only come up with two styles in size 13, this (https://www.meindl.co.uk/product/mens/boots/guffert-gtx/) being one of them.

10 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Must admit to never having much success with Altbergs.

I think it comes from the fact that they are the main supplier to the military and they 'build to a price' rather than build to a quality.

Unlike (say) 50 years ago when army surplus was good-stuff we now have the case where soldiers are buying their own boots and kit as the issue equipment is uncomfortable or unable to take the hammering.

 

BBC NEWS | UK | Soldiers 'having to buy own kit'

 

During the past year 55% of troops and 42% of officers say they had to pay mail-order services or army-surplus stores out of their own pockets.

They mainly bought boots, combat trousers, jackets, sleeping bags, torches and load-carrying equipment including day sacks and chest-webbing.

 

 

I  had a pair of Altbergs which I had to give a way, I thought they fitted but the toe box was very low, another pair didn't even manage the Pennine Way (275 miles) before coming apart, Altberg were good about it and gave me my money back, but that was when I switched to Meindl

 

”

I had a similar experience with Altbergs, we were initially issued with LOWA boots (https://www.police-supplies.co.uk/lowa-mountain-gtx-boots#product.info.description) which are brilliant but don't come in size 13's but in a cost cutting exercise they changed them to Altbergs on the next issue and they don't bear any comparison.

 

For the OP, just out of curiosity do you have a pair of hiking boots at the moment? If you have, this lot(https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/walking-boot-repairs-and-resoles/) do a brilliant repair,renovate,resole service. Not massively cheap (you get what you pay for) but the last pair of LOWA's I sent for them to renovate came back like new boots.

[MisterP]

11 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

For the OP, just out of curiosity do you have a pair of hiking boots at the moment? If you have, this lot(https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/walking-boot-repairs-and-resoles/) do a brilliant repair,renovate,resole service. Not massively cheap (you get what you pay for) but the last pair of LOWA's I sent for them to renovate came back like new boots.

 

No, up till now I've been buying cheaper boots like Hi-Tec which I've been ok with over the years but I've now got to a point where I want to invest in 2-3 pairs of decent walkers (summer/winter) and am prepared to pay for quality. I walk about 8-10 miles a day. I've spent the last two years downsizing to a comfortable minimalism in preparation for becoming a liveaboard by the summer this year (as noted elsewhere in my intro on CWDF).

 

I'm in the incredibly fortunate position of having an office job that will allow me to continuously cruise as we pretty much said goodbye to the traditional office and commute, save for meeting up a few times a year. I've had the benefit of living in Canada (BATUS) and other army postings over the years so am really looking forward to going back to a more hands on way of life. I'm spending the next few months starting to source at least some of the kit before I move onboard. Can't wait!

[Richard10002]

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Richard10002
Not size 13

[Wanderer Vagabond]

11 minutes ago, MisterP said:

 

No, up till now I've been buying cheaper boots like Hi-Tec which I've been ok with over the years but I've now got to a point where I want to invest in 2-3 pairs of decent walkers (summer/winter) and am prepared to pay for quality. I walk about 8-10 miles a day. I've spent the last two years downsizing to a comfortable minimalism in preparation for becoming a liveaboard by the summer this year (as noted elsewhere in my intro on CWDF).

 

I'm in the incredibly fortunate position of having an office job that will allow me to continuously cruise as we pretty much said goodbye to the traditional office and commute, save for meeting up a few times a year. I've had the benefit of living in Canada (BATUS) and other army postings over the years so am really looking forward to going back to a more hands on way of life. I'm spending the next few months starting to source at least some of the kit before I move onboard. Can't wait!

It's a wise choice to invest serious cash in some decent boots, I don't think there is any crossover in the Venn diagram of 'cheap boots' and 'hiking boots'.

 

I was fortunate in that when I retired I had just managed to wangle a second pair of LOWA Mountain GTX Boots (as link above). I sent away the original pair to LSR to renovate and ended up with two excellent pairs of virtually new walking boots (sadly LOWA don't seem to make your size) and in the past 7 years of continuous cruising (up until the pandemic) we've clocked up 6 of the National Trails using the boat as a base for one's within or near(ish) to the canal system (Cotswold Way, Ridgeway, Cleveland Way and Hadrian's Wall Path (left the boat on the Lancaster)).