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Fixed new snow boots. The travails of narrow feet.

I got warm snow boots from Amazon (no narrow sizes), but they yawned open at the top. This caused my skinny heels to lift up. The boots slopped around my feet.

So, I rummaged in my sewing box ( I save everything) and found two black buttons and narrow black cord. Figured these textured buttons would be easier to handle than slippery plastic ones.

Pulled the boot tops together by making a loop to go around the button. This keeps my heels down. Holding the heel down stabilizes the foot and prevents blisters, among other benefits.The boots fit much better.

Fewer people with narrow feet

Since 1960, the number of Americans with narrow feet decreased from twenty percent to three percent. This is due to rising obesity. When you gain weight, your feet get wider.

REI doesn't carry narrow hiking boots anymore. I feel heartbroken.

Does anyone else have narrow feet? How do you manage?

LiterateHiker 9 Jan 27
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9 comments

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1

I had some soft and supportive insoles made by my podiatrist

@Robert_2001

Lucky you! My custom-made $400 orthotics are hard and painful.

@LiterateHiker Have you ever tried on a pair of Danner boots, either Mountain light or Danner light, they both have narrow lasts and they are recraftable. My backpacking boots are Danner and they are very comfortable.
[danner.com]

@Robert_2001

At $380 plus tax, Danner boots are too expensive for me.

I thought $260 for my beloved Lowa hiking boots was expensive! They fit me like a glove. I'm on my 4th pair.

1

Perhaps you can have a pair of boots made for you? While yes they will be expensive, it's likely they can be maintained and rebuilt as needed.

@Mitch

Custom shoemaking is a dying art across the world.

I can't get my hiking boots resoled. "To be resoled, boot soles must be stitched on," the last old shoemaker in Wenatchee, WA said.

The soles of my beloved hiking boots are pressure-glued together.

Made in Austria, my Lowa boots cost $280. They last about three years. The tread wears down and I slip on steep trails.

I hike over 300 miles/year. The tread wears off in 800 to 900 miles.

[tribune.com.pk]

1

Good job. Everyone has unusual situations they have to deal with.

Back in the 60s my mother happened to have a pair of shoes that she never wore because they were too small. It turned out that a Hopi neighbor's father in Tuba City was shoeless at the time because he couldn't find any pair small enough to fit him.
My mother's shoes fit perfectly, so she gave them to the man.

Weeks later we'd pretty much forgotten about the whole thing when the man and his son showed up at the door with a hand carved Kachina doll to say thanks. My mother kept the, ultimately worth hundreds of dollars, Kachina until she died.
It's amazing how doing relatively small things well can make very large differences to people.

1

May be easier to just gain weight so your feet get bigger... 😎

@Canndue

No way! You sound like nurses who give me mammograms.

"If you gained 20 pounds, it would be easier to do a mammogram on you. Then you'd have more fat."

1

My wife has narrow feet, kind of funny watching her try on a pair of Blundstones, they just fall off her feet when she tries to walk.

1

oh sorry don't know how I missed it. Beautiful boots. I use orthotics from my chiropractor that are exactly my feet. Supports my arch and does make less space inside. You could see iif orthotics help. Or good quality insoles.

@gigihein

Good idea. My expensive, custom orthotics are painful, hard plastic. Will try them in these boots.

Update: OUCH! The hard orthotics hurt.

@LiterateHiker mine are insoles but with contours of my feet. I only saw the hard ones years ago when a friend got them at VA. I told him they couldn't pay me to wear those. I have waterproof ones for my Keens, suade ones for my Naot sandals and the ones in my hiking boot and sneakers are thick material on soft rubber type material underneath
They are called foot levelers. my chiro orders them for me.

1

Disappointed no picture, but clever idea for sure. Hope it keeps keeping your feet in. I don't have narrow feet, but more often shoes feel too wide. I have a high arch, so have to try kn every shoe that it gives me space.

@gigihein

Can't you see the picture I posted?

1

Nope big wide feet size 13 double E

bobwjr Level 10 Jan 27, 2021
1

Good job finding a creative and cheap solution!!

@HippieChick58

Thank you, dear.

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