[nextos]

I agree. The US Army already recognized this problem and developed the Munson last before WWI.

Some mid and high-end footwear brands produce boots with Munson or Munson-like lasts. It helps tremendously. I cannot go back to narrow toeboxes.

Oddly, lots of sports footwear suffers from the same issue and wide toeboxes are not as popular as they should be.

[dredmorbius]

TIL: "How The Munson Last Revolutionized Military Footwear" <https://www.stitchdown.com/info/munson-last-origins/>.

[cassianoleal]

Sports footwear is interesting.

Football (soccer) boots tend to be extremely narrow. Part of the reason is to keep the foot firm in it, but I suspect a lot of players would benefit from wider boxes.

Climbing boots are another interesting one. I can't wear most brands at all. I have settled on Scarpa as they tend to be wider. A lot of climbers have a tendency to downsize them massively though, and I honestly don't know how they do that. I have been purchasing them at least at my street size, and the next pair I get will be a whole number up. Not because they're just uncomfortable, but rather because they're nearly impossible to get in otherwise. I do wish I'd find wider toeboxes though, so I could get a pair that fits tight, but not torture tight.

[CobaltFire]

Skiing is another one like climbing. Its only recently where higher volumes and wider forefoots are available, and they still try to tell you to go a size down.