Cramped in the forefoot

By martylolic1569250 Ranked #1324 - Men's Hiking Shoes September 16, 2008

After rteading many positive reviews, I ordered a pair of size 12's online. They felt pretty good out of the box and had enough toe room as far as the length goes, but during the first long dayhike my forefeet started feeling cramped and sore -- especially my left foot, which has a lump of arthritis on top of the big toe knuckle above the ball of the foot. These are the first shoes I ever purchased without trying them on first, and I'm afraid I may not be able to use them much. I went on several dayhikes, hoping that adjusting the tightness of the lacing system might make a difference. I also replaced the inserts with my old Superfeet, and that seemed to help a little though not enough. Right now I've got some foot-shaped forms crammed into the forefeet, hoping to stretch them out a bit.

I gave the Boa's 3 stars in this review because my problem has to do with fit and not the quality & performance of the product. Other than discomfort due to fit my overall impression is favorable, though I have not yet put them to the test of big hikes with a backpack load or repeated creek crossings.

The lacing system is very convenient to adjust, but what you can't do is adjust the tightness differently between the forefoot and instep. If you buy these shoes and they fit well, before you get past the point where you can return them you need to make sure the lacing snugs the boot to your satisfaction.

View Details: The North Face Plasma XCR Boa Shoe - Men's

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