As everyone has so far been trying to emphasize,
fit is everything!
Every foot is different, and, if my experience is anything like everybody else's, the smallest issue can cause problems. A misplaced seam or a stitch line that's not perfectly flat can feel like it's digging into your foot like a dull knife after only a few miles. (I feel like all of this is completely obvious - and it may very well be - but I'm saying it anyway in case you don't know.)
It is, therefore, (like everyone else is saying as well)
imperative that you try the shoe/boot (doesn't really matter
which (shoe or boot) outside of specialized purposes, such as mountain climbing, walking a lot off-trail, or on talus or scree - and so on) for as long as you can under the circumstances you will wear them. Of course, to do a very thorough test that's longer than 20 or 30 minutes, you'd have to actually buy a pair. REI will allow you to walk around for an extended period, even with a load if you bring your pack - and they usually have a small ramp in the shoe store so you can simulate walking up and down a slope. Their salespeople are usually pretty knowledgeable as well.
My feet are very narrow at the rear and very wide at the front, plus I have a bunion on my right foot. This means that, when trying new shoes, I must make sure that the shape of it fits 1) tight enough in the heel that it doesn't slip and 2) doesn't squish my toes or overly compress the ball - the widest part of the foot, an inch or so behind where the toes join at the front.
I spend a lot of time searching for the right shape.
And then, feet and shoes and manufacturers change: sourcing, last style/shape/you-name-it adaptation, sizing - you could get a taste of what sizing issues are by ordering shoes from someplace other than the US. It's a jungle out there! European sizing is entirely different than ours,
and European manufacturers are variously adapted to the sizes of feet in their region of the world. Don't even think about buying Japanese shoes!
For a while there, I thought I'd found a manufacturer which consistently made a boot that was perfect for me:
Chaco. I bought a pair of their
Garvin boot way back there, then another 3 pair on STP when they went on sale 50% off because that first pair was so comfortable: narrow heel and nice, wide forefoot. Have worn one pair until the sole came off. But then they opted to quit making anything but sandals (until just recently), and I suspect that the actual manufacturer of their latest efforts has been "outsourced", since I ordered a pair from REI when they were on sale (
Jaeger), and my assessment so far is that their quality has gone down a bit, and they've opted to forego (pun) the wider forefoot.
Note that there are
no guarantees, not even some particular maker you love or had great experience with in the past.
Asolos are known for having narrow forefoot, but I have 4 pair, and they're mostly pretty good despite the reputation for a narrow toe. Not at all like the old wonderful Garvins, but pretty good. Sometimes, if you're careful, you can get bit by a serendipitous bit of luck that leads you in a good direction: such is the way in which I acquired not one, but 2 pairs of men's 11.5 size Lowa Banff boots off the REI clearance rack for more than 50% off! Leather lined luxury!!
OTOH, I also bought something else from the same rack at a different time, completely on a whim, that seemed OK in the store, but were horrible once I walked any distance in them. They got thrown out, I think - though throwing away anything is rare for me. I try on everything, sometimes multiple times, because your perception (in addition to all the other things that can also change) can mess you up too.
Merrells seemed okay in the store, but were too stiff in use. Turned out that, for me again, the forefoot was a tad too narrow. I probably have 3 or 4 pair of them (because I just keep trying), including an older version of the "Ventilator". Wearable around the house and to the grocery, but actually hiking in them would be pure misery.
OTOH, the
Salomon Quest 4Ds I bought didn't seem like they'd work, but now they're as comfortable as houseshoes. (But your foot might not think so. Like it or not, you'll have to let your
foot decide for you.)
I have 2 or 3 pairs of
Keens - the Voyageur (I think) in both low and mid, and something else I can't remember. Liked the Voyageur, and have put a lot of miles on both of them just doing my nightly 4-5 mile walks, but the other pair (that I can't remember) sit in the back of the closet in the very back room of the house.
So, yeah, I got way too many shoes and way too many boots. I took a photograph of my boots' soles for
franco once and posted it here when we were casually "debating" styles of Vibram soles over the years.
My story is, therefore, instructive. The boots above are pretty good (FOR ME), and I've been wearing at least one pair (the
Raichles, which I bought at Whole Earth here in Austin - the one across from the University - in the 1970s - they're beat up and show the signs of having been over a lot of miles, but I can still wear them. NOTE that they're
smaller than the others as well - my ideas about proper sizing have changed a bit since the 1970s - I now wear a boot that's at least a half size larger than my measured foot.) since the mid 70s. Note that those Mazamas up there are really, really heavy and stiff - but the quality of construction makes them wearable - I've even run in them. (I didn't do that again, though - I have to admit. My leg musculature complained of the footweight.)
ETA: Inserts: I like the
Superfeet, though I haven't worn many. What I've tried, I've liked. Because of the low volume of my particular foot (and that "wild second toe" due to the bunion), I actually feel best with more "padding" in my boots and shoes: I usually wear (at least in the winter, and almost
always with large, heavy boots) 2 pairs of socks, a liner and (almost always) thick Smartwool Mountaineer socks, plus an extra "cushion" pad under the usual insert - even the Superfeet. I know, I know - it's way too much, but I feel like I'm
always wearing my Hokas with the extra thick soles. (That reminds me that I found a pair of Hoka boots (uh huh) on clearance on REI's rack last year, and I love 'em! I feel like I'm walking on mini-stilts, so it takes a bit of getting used to, but they're comfortable.
P.S./FYI: I'm not
recommending any of the brands or models I mentioned, just using them as examples.
