Shoe suggestions for low-volume, wide-toed foot?

[Becky]

Have you tried any of the shoes in the New Balance Minimus line? The shape and volume would probably work for you and they have either 4mm or zero drop options (last I checked, anyway). They also look cute/normal. The only missing feature is cushioning but like Oak suggested, maybe an insole?

I did, but I can't remember which model it was. The toe box felt too curved/short, although that may have been resolved with a bigger size. I didn't like the salesman, so I didn't stick around to find out!

I'll add the Minimus line to the list of things to try. Thanks!

[nscrbug]

Becky....you may want to take a look at the Merrell Bare Access Arc shoe. I just bought a pair last week to supplement with my Altra Intuitions. It is a zero-drop shoe that has some cushioning (I'd say a smidge less cushioning than the Nike Free 3.0, which I also have). Nice wide foot-shaped toe box, very flexible upper.

Linda

ETA - here's a link to the exact pair I have. http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/MRL1005/

[Susan Otcenas]

You might want to look at the Saucony Kinvara. I have feet exactly like you describe: narrow heel, wide forefoot, squared off toes (I describe my feet as triangles!) and low volume. The Kinvara fit me really well.

[OakLeaf]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

[zoom-zoom]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

I tried my friend's pair--she has a narrow foot. Length was good. But felt like pointy-toed pumps. Wide is apparently relative. Some Ds are snug on me.

[jessmarimba]

The kinvara 2s didn't. The 3s are coming out now/soon, so maybe those?

But I have really narrow, low volume feet and thought both the kinvaras and new balance minimus shoes fit great. Odd that wide-footed people like them as well!

[Becky]

Thanks for all of these great ideas! It gives me shoes to look for when I'm shopping, rather than blindly guessing or torturing the LRS employees.

The Kinvaras were nearly perfect. Unfortunately, there's too much room in the toe box upper, so I have trouble lacing them tightly enough without creating "bubbles". This seemed to be more pronounced with the 3s than the 2s. They're stil pointy though, IMO.

I went ahead and ordered a pair of Keen A86s and a pair of Altra Delilahs. The Delilahs have crazy amounts of toe room, are super light, and surprisingly comfortable for being so thin. I was most surprised by the extra room on the big-toe side. The little-toe side feels awesome.

But the Keens were the real shocker. Despite their pointy appearance, the outer curve of the toe box starts far enough forward to make my toes happy. The upper is quite low in volume, which I found to be a departure from Keen's normal fit. For me and my low-volume feet, this departure is a good thing. I have to lace them pretty tightly, so it seems like there's enough adjustibility for higher-volume feet than mine.

I need to take both pairs for a treadmill run. But, for now, the Keens are definitely staying, and I'm still making up my mind about the Altras.

[Susan Otcenas]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

Shape has changed a bit, as has the construction of the uppers in general. Kinvara is on version 3.