Hey Fred Flinstsone, I got your boots

[Gone in 60]

Fred Flintsone had two things in common with me. He was a cheap SOB with really wide feet.

I've found it really difficult to find comfortable wide boots for my EEEE feet. My Tourmaster Epic boots came in Extra Wide sizes, and mine have been wearing well for the past few years, but I figured I should have a backup pair when I need them. Unfortunately, the Epic was discontinued, and other Tourmaster extra wides are out of stock in my size with the online and real stores I've looked at.

Found these on Ebay for cheap. The Echo model must not have sold well, as they are at blow-out prices pretty much everywhere. Got mine today and am wearing them around the office to break them in. Pretty darn comfortable. Not real leather, but some sort of synthetic waterproof material. There's a flexible paint coating on the ribbed trim bits on the front and back that seems to flake off, but I'll just paint those parts with Plasti-Dip or flex paint if it bugs me enough.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374866985705?var=643957430610

[GoldOxide_imp]

Man, that is cheap (in price).

Whenever I see "waterproof" and "breathable" attributes together, I start gettin' pinged with doubt.

Under all conditions, I have never seen that true, particularly at bargain prices.

[Gone in 60]

The whole boot is pretty stiff. Had a hard time pulling them off. The toe is stiff, not hard like a steel toe. I like a low-profile toe as opposed to something like a work or hiking boot that would make shifting complicated. I'll never push the waterproof part, but I did go out and grab Fedex and UPS off of my dock in the rain and my feet are still dry. It's a shame there isn't a wider variety of boot brands with offerings for people like me (see what I did there?)

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

I have found over these long years that I don't like to pay premium prices. My riding boots have all been repurposed work boots that I can also wear working in the backyard here in Texas. I prefer the kind with low or shallow lugs and a lower heel. The tall/deep lugs on the sole always seem to get stuck on the pegs. I also like the lower tops that my jeans will fit over, and he ones with a zipper on the inside panel. I set the laces snug enough that all I need to do is unzip the zipper to get them on or off. If they last for two years, I'm happy to have paid 40 bucks for them. My present ones are Wal Mart specials.

[Gone in 60]

I'm with you when it comes to boots, Charlie... high-speed, low-drag. Shallow or no lugs to get hung up on pegs, easy-on, easy-off.
I like the Epic boots because they're tall but allow my jeans to pull over them, foot-in, zip-up, and I'm ready.

The only non-riding wide-enough boots that I've found that fit comfortably enough for riding and aren't too chunky are brown Wolverines, which are my "going somewhere after work" boots. Still, to m in sc's point, they have a pretty soft toe. Still, not wide enough for me for more than a day. I wore them on a week-long trip once, and ended the last day of the ride in $12 WalMart throw-away sneakers because my feet were too sore.

These new boots definitely have a composite structure under the outer material in the toe. I can't compress them by squeezing them and the uppers are also very stiff, so they'll do fine.

Any old boots that are cycled out of riding or working are kept at the in-law homestead, where I'm called upon to do muddy work.

[the Ferret]

My wife got me a pair of these for Christmas as I have taken to wearing side zip tactical style boots in the summer for lighter weight, ease of putting on and breathability while still being waterproof. I wear a wide boot but not sure about the extra wide requirement some of you might need

https://www.merrell.com/US/en/moab-2-8-i...3620M.html

[Gone in 60]

Merrells are good. Mrs. G wears them, but they aren't wide enough for me. It's rare that I find any kind of boot that's really comfy, so the Tourmaster wide sizes are a great score for me or anyone with a 4E tread. Funny, I never knew there were different widths for shoes until I was being fitted out during basic training, and the boot guy measured my feet and asked me "If my mother was a duck or somethin".

[the Ferret]

quack quack

[GoldOxide_imp]

Merrells are good. Mrs. G wears them, but they aren't wide enough for me. It's rare that I find any kind of boot that's really comfy, so the Tourmaster wide sizes are a great score for me or anyone with a 4E tread. Funny, I never knew there were different widths for shoes until I was being fitted out during basic training, and the boot guy measured my feet and asked me "If my mother was a duck or somethin".

I have wide feet, Gone.

Thus, I cannot wear [el cheapo] cowboy boots.

For half my riding career I rode cowboy boots, but, they were genuine Texas and Nevada made boots and they were not cheap (rawhide, not snake skin). They lasted, were ultra comfortable (while being narrow!), but my wide feet didn't seem to mind. Walked NYC 14 hours non-stop. This was not possible with the [el cheapo] boots.

Also, and unlike the genuine cowboy boots, the [el cheapo] boots seemed to always transfer dye to my socks.

I will always remember those southwestern U.S. made boots. They were deceivingly comfortable.

Anyway, flat feet - stranger things.

[Gone in 60]

Wow, the Bots are on it tonight!
Just got this email. What a coincidence…