5 Best Hiking Shoes With A Wide Toebox

How we test hiking shoes with a wide toebox

We hiked in these shoes for 30-50 miles in each pair. This allowed us to assess how the toes feel when the legs and feet swell. Are they cramped? Are there any blisters? And, in the lab, we measured the width of the toebox in 2 places: where it's the widest and at the big toe. This gave us the overall width and the info on how much the toebox tapers (how pointy it is) which is important for people with more square-shaped toes. 

Our selection method includes doing the following:

• Investing time, energy, and our own resources to buy wide-toe box hiking shoes. This guarantees the 100% objectivity of our comprehensive reviews.
• Clocking up the miles wear testing the shoes on the trails. We specifically determine their fit, comfort, traction, heel protection, waterproofness, durability, and more. We also subject all the models further to technical terrains, murky routes, and tough weather conditions.
• We utilize our lab tools and equipment to measure 20+ parameters of the shoes. Moreover, we cut the shoes in half and into pieces using our saw machine. This puts all the elements on display and analyze the details. 

Make sure you actually need wide hiking shoes

Because if you don’t, you can get injured in hiking shoes with a loose fit. Make sure you follow these tips when trying on hiking shoes:  

1. Go shopping for hiking shoes in the afternoon, when your feet are most likely a bit swollen from a day of work and activities. The swelling happens when hiking and this is how we take it into account. 
2. Try the shoe on, lace it up and check if there are any pressure points. Is the shoe too narrow? Are your toes cramped inside the toebox? Does the shoe feel too tight all over? There should be a thumb’s width space between your toes and the front (or the back) of your shoes. Aim for a snugly comfortable fit that is non-constricting. 
3. Use the socks you usually use for hiking when trying the hiking shoes on for the first time. 
4. If you’re using orthotics or special insoles, use them in the store when giving new hiking shoes a try. 
5. Use the ramp! Walk up and down. If there are different surfaces (grass, huge rocks, concrete), try the shoes on all of them. You should not be sliding forward in the shoes when going downhill, and your feet should not slide to the sides (a sign of the shoes being too wide). 

Don’t forget: many hiking shoes need a break-in period. Before setting out for a long hike, break your shoes in first. 

Industry labels for wide hiking shoes 

How to notice wide or extra wide shoes? You can recognize wide hiking shoes by examining the label on the shoes or on the shoe box: men should look for 2E for wide or 4E for extra wide, while women should look for D or 2E.

These letters are different because men's feet are different from women's feet. Women’s heels tend to be narrower and forefoot wider than men’s. This is a general rule, and, of course, exceptions exist. 

The shoes for men and women are labeled like this:

Keep in mind that the extra width is mostly reflected in the toebox. 

On our website, you can always filter the hiking shoes by gender and width. But, because the extra width is mostly about the toebox, we will now take a deep dive into that topic. 

Exact width measurements with shoe suggestions

In the lab, we use our caliper to measure the width of the forefoot in 2 places: 

1. Toebox width at the widest part, around the metatarsal joints 
2. Toebox width at the big toe. 

We're able to do this thanks to our special gel formula. We pour it into the hiking shoe and then freeze it. 

Once the gel settles, we can take it out and voila - we have a gel mold that perfectly reflects the inner volume of the toebox

Then, we measure the width of the toebox at the big toe. 

What this allows us to conclude is not just how wide the toebox is at the widest part, but also how much it tapers moving higher up. The bigger the difference between these 2 measurements, the more the shoe tapers. 

This is extremely important for people who have toebox shapes that ask for more attention. 

Hiking shoes that are narrower at the big toe would obviously work better for the Greek type than any other toebox shape. Just like the Roman and the German type would most likely need extra wide shoes/toeboxes. 

What lab numbers are not telling us?

While these upper width measurements are done in the RunRepeat lab and nowhere else, we are aware that these measurements should be taken with a grain of salt because they don’t tell the whole story. This is exactly why we also do wear tests and don’t rely on lab tests only! 

The caliper measurement of the toebox width means we measure how wide the shoe is on the outside, where we press our caliper on both sides of the toebox. What’s not included here is the thickness of the upper and, more importantly, whether it has some give! 

First, the upper can be made of a stretchy material, which would allow the pinky toe to “breathe” a bit more or the toes to splay. Stiff materials would cramp that adventurous pinky toe and glue it to the rest of the toes. 

Second, hiking shoes prioritize protection. The toe bumper can work wonders, but sometimes it extends all around the toebox, or the shoe features overlays that make it more supportive and stable.

These additional overlays prevent the upper from stretching and toes from pushing against it a bit more than the official width allows them. 

Leather is not stretchy at all, while knit and mesh can allow for some toe splay if there are no harsh overlays present where you'd want them to stretch. Best to examine the shoe or its specifications if you worry about those few millimeters that only stretchy materials can allow. 

Toebox height: who should pay attention to it

Hikers whose big toe naturally points up and not straight forward. When in contact with the upper, there’s rubbing, which can lead to blisters and black toenails. 

Of course, assessing this on whole shoes is almost impossible. Protective overlays and toe bumpers can be too thick. Fortunately, we have a gel mold that enters the scene.

We also recommend examining the upper: some materials are stretchy and, therefore, less likely to hurt the toes and toenails pointing up. Other uppers, like leather, or shoes with stiff toe bumpers and protective overlays, are very hard and have no room for your toes to “breathe”. 

Foot-shaped toebox: what to expect

The name is self-explanatory and here’s what that looks like in the hiking world: See this Altra hiker that has a foot-shaped design (up), vs this shoe that has a regular design (down). 

There are different brands that make hiking footwear with, what is usually referred to as, natural design (Altra, Topo, Vivobarefoot, etc.). These shoes are great for people who have a wider forefoot and who enjoy the feeling of the toe splay inside the shoes. This is a huge pro. 

However, such shoes tend to come with a few warnings (technically, they are not cons): they tend to be minimalist, which means low to the ground. This equals less cushioning and more ground feel. Also, it means having a lower heel-to-toe drop that could also be 0 mm. 

Making sudden changes in heel drop, especially when going from, say 10 mm, to zero drop, is a dangerous move and should be done cautiously. 

If this is something that peaks your interest, we strongly recommend reading our in-depth guide on Heel drop: Heel to Toe Drop: The Ultimate Guide. 

Consequences of a tight toebox

We can usually feel whether the toebox is narrow: our feet get cramped and we might fell the pain in an instant. However, the discomfort can happen later on as well, once our feet swell and we cover longer mileage. 

Here, we list most common consequences of a tight toebox. This does not mean that the tight toebox is always the only responsible cause, so consider the list as a general guideline, not precise diagnosis.

1. Ingrown toenails and Morton’s Neuroma can both happen when the toebox is not wide enough. Best to look for a wider forefoot.
2. Black toenails can happen both when the toebox is too tight or too low. This is when you should pay attention to the height of the toebox as well. 
3. Painful corns and calluses may not be painful at the beginning but should be “treated” with a wider toebox so that the condition does not worsen. 
4. Blisters, especially at the big toe or the pinky toe, can happen when the toebox of your hiking shoe is not wide enough. 
5. Hallux rigidus and Hallux valgus (bunions) should be treated with a wide toebox, to start with. 

Why loose fit is a bad idea

Hiking shoes should fit properly, just right. Not tight, not loose. Here’s what can happen if you decide to get wider shoes than you actually need: 

1. Feet slide within the shoes, side to side. This is uncomfortable and risky, it means that you don’t have the needed lockdown for hiking and you will feel less stable and secure. 
2. With such sliding, your toes might instinctively try to stabilize the feet by clawing into the ground. This might lead to hammer toes and more tired feet. 
3. Lose fit can also lead to more ankle instability because legs will try to compensate but the base is not locked as it should be. Think ankle twists and sprains. 
4. Constant rubbing can lead to blisters as well. 

How hiking socks can help with the fit?

The most popular choice in hiking is Merino wool. Most socks have it, at least to some degree. But, what matters when we’re discussing the fit and not just performance is the thickness of the socks. 

Very thin ones can definitely help, especially if they also do compression. They feel like the feet have got thinner a bit! And compression helps with (against) blisters as well. Regular socks are, well, regular and the shoe should feel normal in them. Thick socks, on the other hand, which are great for winter and because they offer a lot of cushioning, might make the shoes feel tight.