this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2023
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My feet are wide which really limit my options, but I just got a pair of Hoka Arahi 6. Also a fan of New Balance 1006 and Altra Lone Peak.
I have wider-than-average feet as well, and the biggest issue I experience is heel-slip. Is that something you just get used to, or are you able to find shoes that don't have it?
If you are getting heel slip, get something from Altra. I like the Lone Peaks for hiking and trail running and disc golf, and wear the Torin knit to keep my feet cool for everyday stuff and around the office.
Altras use a "foot shape" - wide toe box and narrow heel. I always thought I had wide feet and like you would have a ton of heel slip and get blisters on my Achilles because of it. Switched to Altras and can go 15-20 mile days hiking with a pack without blisters.
They are also zero drop, meaning the heel is on the same level as the toe, so switch to them slowly. If you go from a "normal" shoe with a heel to zero drop and immediately start running miles and miles all at once, you can stretch out your Achilles and calf muscles and injure yourself, so take it easy and just wear them around the office or house and on short walks for a week or two before stepping up to anything strenuous.
Lems have wide high-volume toe boxes with relatively narrow heels. Could be worth a look.
What's heel-slip?
I'm throwing 350-400 foot drives with golf discs on one planted heel and not having issues with slipping with the mentioned shoes, or Moabs, Salomons, or Oboz (more great daily walkers!).
Salomons in particular are particularly narrow, so if your narrow feet fit in those narrow shoes, then you will definitely not have heel slip.
Heel slip is when you have a wide fore foot and narrow or normal sized heel, so you buy a wide shoe and the heel is then too wide so it feels like either your foot is about to slip out the back, or it slips side-to-side, or you crank down the laces so tight to keep your feet in you end up causing problems on the top of your foot.
Better to get a "foot shaped" shoe like Altra and let your toes splay out while using a normal shaped heel. Your feet will thank you.
Interesting. The regular Salomons pinch me in the front and back so I definitely agree about particularly narrow. My complaint with Salomon wides is that the toe box isn't that wide but even worse it's not long enough. I kept a pair anyway until I was able to replace them with a pair of my own choosing.
The Altras definitely have the best overall last for me, but I'm not sure I'd say my toes have enough room to splay. What I don't like is their support level for use on court or on trails, as I end up with high-ankle strain. I'm a hiker and a cyclist, but not a runner, so for me the platform isn't stable enough but that's a wrong-for-me problem not a bad-shoe problem. They fit my foot so well I play flat courses on hot days with them anyway, but my new Hokas may displace them.
I can generally ignore my heel's fit, focusing on length and toe box. I'm wearing Oboz for work right now and I do have some wiggle room in the heel, but it's never bothered me.
Based on this discussion as a whole, I'd recommend wide New Balance and Hokas.