To be honest, I never gave the toe box of my or running shoes much thought until I started writing about the outdoors. In fact, I’m certain I’d never even heard the term “toe box.” I just tried on shoes in the store and if they felt good and I could afford to buy them, I wore them on the trail until holes appeared in them, then I repeated that process.
Testing hiking and running shoes for my job at Advnture is a different story, however. I frequently hit the trail in shoes and boots I’d never consider wearing otherwise in the name of journalism. Some are too stiff and technical for the way I like to move on the trails, others are far too in style, and quite a lot of shoes meant for muddy trails are .
But over the past few years and countless footwear tests, the one feature that really stands out to me as a make-or-break factor when it comes to hiking boots and is the width of the toe box. If it’s not obvious by the name, the toe box is the term given to the part of any shoe that surrounds your toes. It’s not a separately constructed component, it’s just the area where your toes will go when the shoe is on.
However, it’s not always designed with actual toes in mind. Now, the end of your shoe can’t be a square, otherwise you’d trip over with every step. It’s best if it’s a little rounded, but thanks to fashion trends, many shoe companies have taken this too far.
If you go and grab a selection of your running, fashion and work shoes right now and line t.
