A larger boot size generally gives you some extra width along with the extra length, so it can feel better at first. But that relief can come with a tradeoff. Your heel may move more, your foot may slide around, and the ball of your foot may no longer sit where the boot is designed to bend. Less squeeze doesn’t automatically mean a better fit.

In this article, we’ll get into why we choose leather, why it beats with fabric linings, and the specific leather we use at Naang. We’ll also cover how to care for your leather boot lining and a small detail we use to improve your fit. .

There are some things that Lace-to-toe boots are just perfect for, like hiking or rucking. Because they have lacing that extends farther toward the toes, it gives you more control over how the upper fits around your foot.

Toe spacers do pretty much what the name suggests. They’re small devices, commonly made from soft silicone or foam, that sit between your toes and hold them apart, some might say they space them out. Some separate just two neighboring toes. Others fit across the foot to separate all five. The amount of separation depends on the spacer’s shape, size, and flexibility.

Your foot is a three-dimensional body part. Your boots need to accommodate it that way. You can have plenty of space beyond your longest toe and still have a boot that squeezes your little toe or presses down on your toenails.

Heel slip sucks; it happens when your heel lifts inside the boot as you walk. A stiff new sole can be a key contributor to that movement, but so can excess space around the heel or instep, loose lacing, or a boot shape that doesn’t suit your foot.

Nick at Stridewise recently featured Naang Boots in his video about The Best Boots for Wide Feet, highlighting our EEEEEE widths, handmade construction, hand-welting, and value. If that video brought you here, welcome. I’m dana, one of Naang’s co-founders, and I’m the person to contact about getting your fit right.

There’s one detail I want to expand on: EEEEEE, or 6E, isn’t our limit. We can go as wide as your feet need. We can also go as narrow as your feet need.

A recent study on minimalist footwear caught my attention because the shoes shared several features with Naang’s design philosophy, in particular with our anatomical zero-drop boots: room for toe splay, a level heel and forefoot, and flexible soles with minimal cushioning.