Minimalist Shoes for Wide Feet: 5 Awesome Picks

Are you looking for the best minimalist shoes for wide feet? There are so many options when it comes to shoes, it is easy to get overwhelmed.

Some shoe stores don’t bother to separate the shoe types, and so you do not know which shoes are for narrow feet or which ones are for wide feet?

If you are not much of a label reader then you may just walk out of a shop and leave your perfect fit, thinking that what you are looking for is not stocked by this particular store.

In some cases, the store assistant may not be very knowledgeable. In this day and age where information is easily accessible, and the world is a global village, there is surely no excuse not to know about the different types of shoes out there and why they are good for different uses.  

Minimalist shoes are made to mimic barefoot walking and running as much as possible. They may not be thin as barefoot shoes but they are thinner than regular shoes. The soles on minimalist shoes are super thin and flexible.

The fact that they are mimicking barefoot shoes, means that they also need to mimic how the foot is shaped. If you look at the natural shape of the foot, it is quite different from the regular shape of the shoe. 

Minimalist Shoes for Wide Feet

Photo Name What We like
New Balance MT10V1 Minimus Trail Running Shoe They are lightweight. They are suitable for wide feet. The design is minimalist.
JOOMRA Minimalist Trail Running Barefoot Shoes They come at a bargain price. The toe box provides plenty of room. They usually run true to size.
Inov-8 Bare-XF 210 V2 Sneaker They are lightweight. They are fairly flexible. They come in a variety of colours.
Xero Shoes Prio They are suitable for wide feet. They are fairly breathable. They are very comfortable.
Vivobarefoot Primus Lite They are lightweight. The soles are very flexible. They are thin and puncture-resistant.

The toes need to splay and have a proper grasp of the ground. This is what makes barefoot runners some of the strongest runners. Their feet muscles know how to deal with what the ground offers.

Cushioning is good but it can create a false response. In this article, we take a look at the top minimalist shoes for people with wide feet.

In a Hurry

Do you need a quick guide to buy the best minimalist shoes for wide feet, but have no clue where to start? There are a few things that you will need to take into consideration. 

The best minimalist shoe has a maximum impact on your overall walking and running experience without being intrusive. You should hardly notice the presence of the minimalist shoe. This means that it needs to have as little material as possible. 

The sole should also be as thin as can be, this way it allows for the ultimate barefoot experience allowing you to feel the ground beneath your feet. Looking for a shoe for wide feet means that it should have a wide toe box.

A minimalist shoe should have all the trimmings you do not need and all the necessary features. This also translates to the shoe being lightweight.

Our Top Pick

Xero Shoes Prio

We have done our research and found our top pick to be the Xero Shoes Prio. These shoes allow your feet to be as natural as they are meant to be. They are lightweight and flexible as well which makes them a great pair for performance running. They bend and flex and protect your feet from getting hurt but allow them to experience the ground. The wide toe box allows your toes to fully splay. 

The design is a foot-first design, with a zero-drop sole which means it has no elevation. This encourages proper posture. This brilliant design helps promote stability and balance. The sole gives you great traction and can keep you safe on the track and in your everyday business. When it comes to shoe sizes for running shoes, most should be a size bigger. However, this particular shoe has been resized to fit true to size which means that you can go ahead and buy your regular shoe size.

Product Reviews of Minimalist Shoes for Wide Feet

New Balance MT10V1 Minimus Trail Running Shoe 

New Balance MT10V1 Minimus Trail Running Shoe

If you’re looking for a shoe that provides you with other good space for your feet as well as breathability. This is the right one for you. The upper part of these shoes is largely made out of a mixture of synthetic and mesh materials.

It has a shaft that measures low-top from your arch. The sole of the shoe is made out of Vibram. This all but guarantees you a shoe that has great traction and durability. It comes treated with anti-microbial to ensure that it does not develop an odour. 

The outsoles of these shoes have flex grooves which work to enhance your attraction. They are also suitable for taking on uneven surfaces and rocky terrain. There is a small 4MM drop between the 4 foot and heel of the shoes. The midsoles are Acteva. 

There are 3 main designs that you can choose these shoes from. Most of them are largely black or grey. If you are looking to brighten it up you can get one that has a significant bit of yellow or blue on it.

What makes these shoes ideal for providing you with additional space is the fact that the webbing or mesh material used on the upper part stretches 2 allow your feet additional room when required.

This is achieved without doing away with forefoot toe splay and midfoot wrap that holds your feet steady when going through the extreme adventure.

Pros

  • They are lightweight.
  • They are suitable for wide feet.
  • The design is minimalist.
  • There are several options to choose from.
  • The soles are very flexible.
  • They are odour resistant.
  • The soles give a lot of traction.

Cons

  • They tend to run small. You may need to go a size larger.

CHECK REVIEWS AND PRICE

JOOMRA Minimalist Trail Running Barefoot Shoes

JOOMRA Minimalist Trail Running SHoes

At the price point that these shoes come at it is almost impossible to find a better product on this one. As you can probably tell the upper part of the issues is made out of breathable synthetic material.

It is a thick topline that wraps itself around your feet to give you the same sort of feeling that you get from wearing gloves.

The design is meant to follow the natural shape of your body, in this case, your feet. This is why you may find yourself forgetting that you even have these shoes on. That’s a great level of comfort to have.

To provide you with great traction these shoes have rubber soles that are great for a wide range of surfaces. They are also made to be durable. You probably don’t need to be told that these shoes are incredibly responsive.

If you need to make use of your own insoles you can remove the ones that come with these shoes. The insoles in these shoes are designed to provide you with arch support. They also reduce weight transfer and pressure as you move.

There are 12 colour options that you can choose yours from. These should provide an option for people of all sorts of tastes. To ensure that your feet stay in place these shoes come with a Velcro and speed lacing toggle.

These combined to not only give you the option to adjust to a comfortable fit but to also support your feet. The design isn’t quite conventional when it comes to shoes. Years ago, these would have been outliers. Today they are reasonably common. 

Pros

  • They come at a bargain price.
  • The toe box provides plenty of room.
  • They usually run true to size.
  • They are lightweight.
  • The design is minimalist.
  • There are a lot of colour options.

Cons

  • Not very durable.

CHECK REVIEWS AND PRICE

Inov-8 Bare-XF 210 V2 Sneaker 

Inov-8 Bare-XF 210 V2 Sneaker

This is another minimalist shoe that is made out of a combination of textile and synthetic materials. It sits on a rubber sole that provides you with good underfoot protection as well as traction. The shaft of the shoes measures low top from your arches.

And while remaining minimalist, one of the key aims of these shoes is to deliver a shoe geared towards speed training. This is to keep the product lightweight but incredibly functional.

In line with this aim, they have also made it highly breathable on the upper part of the shoe.

You also be happy to find that there is quite a bit of room for toss play. It also allows for underfoot and general foot sensation. They have made use of the meta flex technology to allow the forefoot liberal movement.

The lacing system that is being used in this case is designed to keep your foot secured in while you move.

With a 3MM out sore you are guaranteed to get a sufficient amount of grip as a result of the patented sticky rubber compound. It is a compound that is known to get maximum surface area coverage.

Part of the reason for using this material is to deliver a product that is fairly durable. There are 5 designs that you can choose yours from. The main variation in these designs is colour.

Pros

  • They are lightweight.
  • They are fairly flexible.
  • They come in a variety of colours.
  • The heel is quite stable.
  • They are zero drop shoes.
  • They are highly breathable.

Cons

  • The insoles are not always static.

CHECK REVIEWS AND PRICE

Xero Shoes Prio

Those of us that are familiar with this brand would have likely first came across it on Shark Tank. It was clear from not sure that the investors were interested in the product.

In this case, the deal didn’t go through even though there was a massive offer or $400,000 on the table. This particular issue is probably one of the most famous ones.

As you can probably tell from just looking at the product it is designed to be minimalist. There is also some effort being put into creating a shoe that is both lightweight and flexible.

As far as performance is concerned these shoes are designed to take on the road running, trail running, fitness, CrossFit, and even hiking.

They approached that they’ve taken in designing this year is one that has been described as a foot first design. This is to say that the health and wellbeing of your feet is the Top priority of the design.

As part of this, the toe boxes are made to be wider to allow your feet to spread and relax.

As with other shoes from this brand, this is zero drop shoe. This is to say that there is no elevation between your hindfoot and the forefoot.

To enhance this feature the soles are flexible enough to bend and permit your foot’s natural movement.

The soles of these shoes are known as the FeelTrue soles. They are synonymous with providing great traction as well as good underfoot protection.

The minimalist approach means that your feet will receive underfoot stimulation and feedback without negating protection. 

Pros

  • They are suitable for wide feet.
  • They are fairly breathable.
  • They are very comfortable.
  • They are very lovely looking.

Cons

  • Sizing is not always correct.
  • Durability could be better.

CHECK REVIEWS AND PRICE

Vivobarefoot Primus Lite

Vivobarefoot Primus Lite

The last selection on our list is hardly the least favourable one. From an aesthetic point of view, this is a shoe that is up there with the very best. The design is quite minimalist.

This is achieved by focusing more on functionality than on the visual side of things. The soles of these shoes are made out of rubber.

There is a clear emphasis in developing a shoe that provides you with great traction and overall stability when you’re on the move. According to the manufacturer, they aimed to deliver what would be the lightest movement shoe possible.

This is the same that they wanted to create a shoe that would be able to facilitate the natural movement of the foot without much interference from a structural point of view.

It is safe to say that their aim was delivered. One of the first things that you will notice is that the upper part of these is made out of a mesh material that allows for liberal movement of air in and out of the shoes.

As you can imagine, this is very important for breathability.

This part of the shoe is made out of recycled PET mesh. The lacing system allows you to adjust your shoe to just the right fit for you.

They are commonly for colours that you can find this you in. Three of these are on the duck colour side, with one that has a bit of white. The final one is grey and green. As with other shoes from this brand they are zero drop and barefoot.

This would say that your feet will be exposed to the natural sensation that they would have if you were not wearing any shoes. Except, in this case, they have a good amount of underfoot protection.

Pros

  • They are lightweight.
  • The soles are very flexible.
  • They are thin and puncture-resistant.
  • The design is easy on the eyes.
  • They are highly breathable.
  • There are several colour options.

Cons

  • The heel area is certainly the Achilles of this shoe.
  • Sizing can be tricky to get right.

CHECK REVIEWS AND PRICE

Buyer’s Guide

Can walking shoes be used for the gym? 

The shoes that you use in the gym, will need to have certain features such as good traction on the soles. Slippery shoes can be the cause of serious injuries. You need to also make sure that the shoes give you good stability.

Minimalist and barefoot shoes have these features as standard features. Walking shoes are designed to handle the weight that is distributed evenly and for longer periods. 

This is not a feature that you can find in gym shoes. The weight exerted on your feet when you are in the gym is twice or three times the amount of weight as compared to that exerted when you walk.

This means that the shoe will need to have a different capability in comparison to walking shoes. Walking shoes generally have more flexibility whereas gym and training shoes require more ankle support.

Are Karrimor walking shoes waterproof?

There is a bit of confusion when it comes to whether or not Karrimor walking shoes are waterproof.  Here are mixed reviews.

However, if you do not like how effective the waterproofing ability in the shoes is you can always do the waterproofing yourself.

Karrimor makes shoes for wet weather, however, some have found the waterproofing to be insufficient. This is where waterproofing techniques come into play. 

Why are walking shoes flat?

Walking barefoot is healthy for your feet. However, if you are not accustomed to this, it will take some time to readjust to walking in zero drop shoes.

Zero drop shoes keep your feet in a similar position as If you were walking barefoot, and this makes them quite comfortable.

It is also one of the reasons why walking shoes are usually flat. If you want to walk farther, then you also want to be as comfortable as possible. 

Conclusion

Keeping your feet happy is one of the sure ways of getting a comfortable and effective walk or running regimen. It is much easier to stay committed to being on your feet this way.

Minimalist shoes with wide toe boxes make life easier for people with wide feet and also for people who appreciate having their toes splay and be free to move as they would like to.

We certainly hope that of the top shoe brands we have reviewed, you find your perfect fit. Keep your feet happy and healthy with the right shoes. Happy shopping!

Hi there. This is Clare. Dave and I manage this site. We are outdoor enthusiasts. Most of the content is about products that we love using or have researched.
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