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. 

Understanding the toebox width and shape

If you’re here, you’ve most likely experienced some or most of the following during hiking: 

• Toes that are cramped so much that you’ve developed blisters or even some bleeding, as shorter toes were pressed too hard against longer ones and their nails rubbed too hard against the skin of longer toes 
• Pain in the toebox area 
• Bunions and/or bunionettes 
• Stubborn and painful corns and calluses exactly where the pressure in the toebox was the highest. 

If that’s the case, and you’ve experienced these in more than 1 hiking shoe (toebox), you most likely need a roomier one. 

And, when it comes to the wide toebox, there are nuances. As you can see in the image above, not all of us have the same feet and toe shapes. Some need more room closer to the tip of the hiking shoe, while others need more room around the ball of the foot. Because of this, we stick to our lab measurements strongly.

Toebox width in hiking shoes: lab data 

To measure the inner width of the hiking shoe toebox, we can’t just stick a caliper inside or a laser. There’s no room to do that, plus the anatomy of the shoe itself does not allow us to do so. So, we thought of a workaround that’s actually straight to the point!

We’ve created a gel that, once poured into the toebox and frozen, gives us a perfect mold of the toebox 

Once the gel has hardened, we take our calipers and measure the toebox width in 2 places: at the big toe and where it’s the widest. 

We use the big-toe width as a direct measurement of the toebox width. However, given the different shapes of feet, we can also look at another measurement. 

We discovered that the toebox width where it’s the widest is directly related to the overall hiking shoe width, so we use that lab data to talk about the shoe width. However, when looking at the toeboxes, we can use this measurement as well to talk about the shape of the toebox: some are pointy, others rounded. 

The bigger the difference between the 2 toebox width measurements, the pointier the toebox (more tapered). The smaller the difference, the rounder the toebox. It is that simple. 

Knowing this, you can always look at our lab data to find out which toebox is wider or pointier. 

Why lab data is so important

Hikers can comment on the toebox width and say whether it works for them and whether their toes can splay. Many experts can also visually inspect the toebox, but the lab data is superior because: 

1. The tests are standardized and objective. The results don’t depend on anyone else’s foot shape. We can look at both toebox width and conclude how wide and tapered the toebox is 
2. The data is comparable across all hiking shoes we’ve tested so far in the lab. 
3. The tests focus on the actual toebox width, its interior. Others who comment on the width just by looking at the shoes don’t know how thick the upper is, which significantly varies from shoe to shoe. Then, some hiking shoes also have thick toe bumpers or upper overlays, which may create an illusion of a wide toebox. 
4. We also quantify toebox height which no other measurement or assessment so far was able to do.

In the example above, we see a hiking boot that proves how the thickness of the upper varies throughout the toebox (although that's the case in practically all hiking shoes), which highlights the importance of gel-mold measurements even more: 

• At the big toe, when measuring the toebox width on the outside using calipers, we got 87.0 mm. Measuring the width at the same place but on our gel mold, we got 76.7 mm
• Using calipers directly on the outside of the toebox where it's the widest we measured 103.8 mm. The same place measured on the gel mold got us 97.8 mm. 

Toebox height in hiking shoes 

Some hikers don’t just need horizontal space but also vertical. This is not something that is often discussed and brands certainly don’t give information on the toebox height. Enters: RunRepeat testing. 

Knowing the toebox height of hiking shoes means avoiding horrible pressure on the toes and nails that sometimes ends up with black toenails, or preventing the big toe from hitting the toebox and maybe even poking a hole through it, by giving it enough vertical space. 

Keep in mind that hiking shoes with very stiff uppers don’t have any give. Toes that love extra room in the toebox usually enjoy softer materials. If that’s not an option, find a toebox that is as roomy as you need it to be. 

Foot-shaped toebox in hiking shoes: 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 feel 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 the 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 a 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 toebox 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 a wider toebox than you actually need: 

1. Feet may start sliding, so your toes might instinctively try to stabilize the feet by clawing into the ground. This might lead to hammer toes and more tired feet. 
2. Constant rubbing can lead to blisters as well. 
3. Running on trails, especially on non-flat terrain, with a wider-than-needed toebox, is very risky. You may experience imbalance, slipping, and even falling.

How hiking socks can help with the fit?

The most popular choice for 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.