There is no standard for this because different people have different shaped feet, and shoe companies don't generally tailor their shoes. They pick a model for a foot shape and stick with it.

So, what's great for me may be painful for you. In high end boots, like hiking and ski boots, a very experienced seller will know which boots cater to which foot shapes, and they can recommend which to try after measuring your foot.

Unfortunately experienced sellers are rarer and rarer. The last time I went shopping for boots the salesperson knew nothing.

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Let people know where you are and they may be able to recommend shops where salespeople are well trained and who keep quality stock, there are still a few of these around (in the UK at least).

Zamberlan full grain leather boots have been very comfy and extremely hardwearing for me.

Hoka make the squishiest most ‘walking on clouds’ trainers I’ve ever worn. They are not especially hard wearing, but they are made relatively well.

I also highly rate Inov8 Roclite Pro and Trailfly. These have extremely hard wearing graphene soles and are comfy but in a responsive, agile type way. Not all bouncy like a Hoka.

That’s what worked for me. Your feet may be entirely different and your preferences.

Go to a real old school shoe shop. The fit is the most important thing.

My family has been going to the same shoe shop for 55 years, nothing beats them.

FYI.. New balance offers wide options, too

> I'm looking for the top teir, walking-on-clouds, high quality, big money footwear that I can wear forever and be comfortable.

You're from the UK. Drive up to Northampton, basically the traditional cobbler capital of the world, have them make you a custom shoe last based on your feet then have one of those shoemakers make whatever you want on that shoe last. That's what you do when money is not a concern.

And even then you'll need more boots and shoes, a single pair will never last forever and won't be as versatile as you want it to be.

Otherwise, if you want awesome sneakers made in the UK, try Crown Northampton. For boots and shoes there's countless cobblers, a good price/performance comes from Loake, though I hear the stuff that's not made in UK isn't very consistent (still high quality if it's made as intended).

Visit https://www.johnlobb1849.com/contact/ourshop and set up an appointment. You live in probably the most target rich footwear country in the world, look within.

Hoka and brooks work for me

Unfortunately I can't just pop to London, it's 11 hours of driving 😅

That's unfortunately an 11 hour drive to pop to Northampton 😅

I'm very rarely out of the county, and even more rare I'm that far north, but it would be fantastic if I'm ever in the area. I had no idea about their reputation, that sounds great!

I think that might be a good choice. Unfortunately nobody seems to define exactly what a wide fit is. I measured my foot and it seems to be 100mm across at the widest part.

Wow, that sounds brilliant!

https://support.newbalance.com/s/article/How-do-I-know-if-I-m-wearing-the-correct-size-of-shoe

This has a print out, so you can stand on it and verify your size. Most places have something similar

Oh awesome I never saw this guide! Hmm, without printing and going by my rough measurements, I come up as narrow on here, but that doesn't sound right. I'll print the guide off and try, thanks for this!

Yeah that area is really famous :)

The first part was a bit sarcastic of course... but for the dirty rich people, it's also a possibility.

No sweat. It says to measure towards the end of the day because your feet swell, throughout the day

This is so individual- but my favorite walking shoes are Nike Free Run. Never had a more comfortable walking shoe.

Brooks for most comfortable, they dont last forever though.

For sneakers some of the most comfortable shoes I've worn are Adidas boosts (ultraboost, yeezy 350, yeezy 700v1). They're so comfortable and fit me well even though I also have wider feet. But I would definitely reccomend trying them on before buying.

No foot wear is bifl, and that’s double true for cushioned comfortable footwear.

Hoka is known for being very cushioned, but yeah it’s the standard 300 miles or so.

Crispi, Miendel, scarpa, whites, nicks are all very high quality boots.

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New balance is one of the few to truly offer a range of width options. They even have extra wide shoes for little kids (which aren’t easy to find). The fit definitely makes a difference.

I used to get about 1k miles out of several Pairs of brooks

Maybe get some loafers for summer. Cant think of anything more comfortable than that.

Good boots are only as good as the socks you wear with them. I highly recommend darn tough; wool socks that stay dry, warm and comfortable with a lifetime warranty

Until what happened? 300 miles isn’t where the shoe falls apart. It’s a loss in ideal cushioning.

Lowa GTX waterproof (Goretex) hiking boots. Danner (the ones made in USA, not imported) are still great. Had a pair of Danners for 30 years until they were too far gone to rebuild. The company will completely refurbish even the most worn out ones but they're not cheap. Neither of these options are under $250 USD.

Try ordering those New Balance shoes in wide width.

Walk on clouds leads me to believe you want gushy padding. Shoes like that are disposable. The rubber padding wears out by design so your joints don’t during high impact exercise.

Then on the other end of the spectrum hard soles boots like Nick’s are as long lasting as footwear gets, very comfortable and ergonomically healthy once broken in. But you will never call them gushy.

That seems pretty subjective is there any data behind this? If I changed shoes every 300 miles I’d be getting new ones every few months

It is subjective because everyone’s gait and weight is different. Maybe for you it’s longer. But generally speaking, the cushion of the shoes will be long gone by the time it’s literally unwearable.

Edit: also this is the guideline for running not walking, which obviously involves more impact.

Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 gore-tex. Best hiking shoe ever

It's pretty personal tbh.

For me, Adidas Ultraboosts are by far the best feeling sneaker I've worn. So comfortable and light it's like nothing is there.

Boots? Salomon hiking boots or Redwing leather boots are what I've got at the moment but I'm eyeing up a set of Nick's that's tempting.

Can you get access to a brannock device to measure your feet? Width plays a big part in fit, not just the typical length measurement you see

FYI, for anyone reading this:

The "model" of the foot is called a "last."

If you have a good pair of leather shoes, you can probably find the lasting number for that model and see what other options the mfg makes so you know exactly what to buy.

Sizing can (and does) vary between lasts, not only across different companies but even within the same one!

Mephisto shoes, dress shoes feel amazing. I can wear them 12 hours a day.

I wear altra low peak 5s as my daily shoe. Super comfy and wide so your feet are not smooshed and lay naturally in the shoe

If the narrow is too tight I would just go up a width.

Don't forget your feet will splay out more when you stand up and put your full weight on them. The more you weigh the more they splay usually.

I find that I also go down a half size in size with NB if I go up a width fitting so if you on the border of the next size down I would try to get both sizes and return the one that doesn't fit as well.

I got some boots from The Office of Angela Scott that are blowing my mind. I also love Beek’s all-leather boots.

Lmao get ready to go down the rabbit hole of expensive and quality footwear to find out what you want. It's a fun journey, goodluck!