UKH

Trying to find some b3 boots that will fit me. My feet are fairly large on the instep, but my heel is pretty small. I haven't been able to try on too many boots yet, but the ones I have don't work. Nepal extremes fit very well except for they rubbed badly at the top of my instep I tried to fix with lacing but no luck). They fit the heel ok so long as I used a heel lock lacing. Tried a couple of other pairs (can't remember which) which just didn't fit either. Because of where I live I have to get boots ordered in to store, so I can't go and just try on loads. Any suggestions or personal experience?

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I think my feet are like that. I have 15 year old Nepal Extremes which for me are very comfy and then also Trango Extremes - didn't fit as well at first but after maybe 8 years are good now! - and Sportiva Baruntse which have thermofit liners so are always going to fit pretty well.

My heel seems to be knobbly at the back because I always wear a whole in the lining of shoes and boots directly behind the back of my heel!

In reply to TobyA:

Thanks, I'll take a look at those. Do your nepals rub on your instep or are they fine there? Really annoying because that's the only part of them that won't fit and it seems so minor.

In reply to bhpwfnh:
I have low instep, but narrow heels and broad forefoot. Nepals work for me. The other brand that might work is zamberlan, but I'm not sure how good their tech boots are, or if they'd work with a higher instep. Certainly their walking boots work for me, low instep, and my wife, high instep..

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Maybe try a different Sportiva boot? Baturas?

In reply to bhpwfnh:

It's a lot easier to fix heel lift than alter the fit at the front. Have you tried heel lifts (they come in different thicknesses), or different insoles. I know some people who can't wear their boots without Superfeet/Sole footbeds. If I was you I would spend a weekend climbing in North Wales and visit Llanberis, or the Peak and visit Hathersage, or North Lakes and visit Keswick. Trying lots on to find the best fit is the best bet.

Most modern boots are better fitting than ever before, but I'd say the Phantom Guides have a good snug heel fit, but (I find) are fairly roomy at the front. Also worth looking at Salewa if you can find it anywhere (Outside).

Finally... the boots you're looking at are stiffer than your foot, so it's highly unlikely to completely stop heel lift. The best you can hope is to limit it so as not to cause blisters etc.

In reply to bhpwfnh:
Hi, similar problems here.

To fix the instep problem with Nepals you will need to play around with the positioning of the removable tongue, rather than the lacing alone. My feet are rather different, and I have to position the tongue of my right boot at least half an inch higher than on my left foot, to give some more volume over the middle of the foot. It is a tedious job, as you have to fully open the boot, take out the tongue, press it back onto its velcro attachment, tie the boots again, walk a bit, rinse, repeat...

Other than that, Scarpa boots have a strongly padded heel box that gives excellent support. Here I only have extended experience with the Triolets, but have tried out the Phantoms for a couple of days and liked them very much, will definitely buy a pair when my old Nepals finally die, However, they have to fit well right away, as you cannot really fix your heel by tying down hard, as the padding will put a lot of pressure on your achilles tendon.

CB

In reply to cb294:

Thanks everyone. One thing I'm a bit worried about is that lots of these suggestions them to be fairly heavy boots. I am looking for ones that work in Scotland, so ideally don't want to spend £400 on heavy plastic boots. Or would the better fit make it worth the extra weight/price?

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Both Scarpa models are rather light (especially the Triolets), definitely lighter than the Nepals. Just one caveat, Triolets don´t have a notch for a front bail (but do at the back), so only work with crampons that have a front basket.

CB

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I don't think anyone has suggested a plastic boot

The Batura and Phantom Guide are gaitered boots i.e. a fabric boot with an integral gaiter. The Triolets are Fabric boots. Aside from the Baruntse I think all the boots suggested are lighter than the Nepal Extreme which you mentioned.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Sounds similar to my feet. I'm in Scarpa Mont Blanc Pros. Nepals were comfy in the shop but had too much heel lift. I swapped out the insoles to get my foot to sit better in the boot.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

My feet are size 10 by length but E2 wide forefoot, narrow heel & ankle, quite bony, toes long & nearly all the same length.

I get on with the Trango range - size 46 Guides ("UK 11.5" is a joke, they are 10 & no more) fit snugly with only thin socks for summer. For winter I have Evo Extremes size 47 (size 12 yeah right, maybe 11ish) which fit nicely with one thin & one thick pair socks.

The Scarpas I've tried so far have no room for small toes & too sloppy at the heel.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Snap - wide fore foot, narrow ankle. Tried various boots over the years - Solomon Mountain Guides, Zamberlans, and a couple of others i can't even remember. All caused problems and resulted in either blisters, cramping or numbness.

Got some Scarpa Phantom Guides a few years back and they are without doubt the most comfortable boots straight out teh box I have ever had. Also have a pair of Scarpa Charmoz now, and same goes for them - roomy at the toe, tight at the heel.

In reply to bhpwfnh:
I've the same issue with my feet. My feet are too wide for Phantom Guides and Sportiva's boots are mostly a joke - I can't get my foot in the shoe. Raichle (now Mammut) aren't bad, but their Nordwand boots are too wide in the heel for me. They've changed the boots since I last tried, though. However, after trying about ten different boots with different socks and insoles I came across the North Face Verto range and they fit so well. Genuinely brilliant, straight out of the box. I have the S6Ks and they are awesome (review here: https://gearandmountains.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/the-north-face-verto-s6k-... ). You may be able to find them on clearance too as I think the 'TNF' badge might well have scared some people off.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I have a similar problem, solved by AKU SPIDER Kevlar GTX Mountain Boots ! Big name but very light and for me a super fit. The warmest single boot I know. Good Luck the fit si so important. P.

In reply to bhpwfnh:
I've had similar issues with prominent arches and wide feet but narrow heel. Can't even get into sportivas. Had some success with Scarpas and both the triolet and mont blanc pro have worked well but for a more serious climbing boot I like the Scarpa Jorasses, though they are harder to find now.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Have you had a look at Salewas - they have boots with medium and wide fitting, and the heels are reasonably neat fitting. The other manufacturer who make boots with a narrow heel and wide forefoot are TNF - they have a B2 and a B3 boot in their current range.

In reply to bhpwfnh:
By the sound of it we got similar feet. I just bought TNF s6k glacier. I've tried most single boots from la sportiva and scarpa without much luck. Recently i climbed in scarpa jorasses which are pretty wide but also so in the heel. With The S6k I managed to lock down the heel pretty good with the lacing. They got great wiggle room for my toes and doesnt put pressure on my forefoot.

This weekend I will travel up to Abisko, north Sweden, and do some climbing in them, so far only walked in them.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I am wide toes, small heels, Zamberlan also work well for this fit. NB I am female, not sure what gender you are, and I appreciate lasts are different.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I have wide front foot and narrow heal, the first edition of Scapa Mont Blanc fit perfectly but I believe they have changed the last though there are some older models about still (no other Scapa b3 boots fit me) also try Aku

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Wide fore foot, high instep, narrow heel - I've found that Scarpa and Raichle (now Mammut) last works well for me.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I used Zamberlan and it fits with me perfectly so far and no complain.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

I have wide front ('duck shaped') foot (the old Scarpa BXX last was spot on). Not sure about heel, but having struggled to find something that works have found the Mamut Mamook a good fit. Really light and quite warm too.

In reply to bhpwfnh:

Scarpa boots - especially if yr heel bone is pronounced

Can anyone recommend any shops in/near Edinburgh that have a good range of B2 and B3 boots, that don't revolve around Scarpa or Sportiva?