****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I have a wide foot, not extremely wide, but a 9-EE with a high instep. My problem with Chippewa boots isn't the boot itself or it's construction. My problem involves the lasts that Chippewa uses to construct their boots. When selecting the size of Chippewa boot I should buy I did the best that I could, I ordered a size 9 Extra-Wide. When received, out of the box, I couldn't even put these boots on without extreme effort. After forcing one of my feet into the boot I instantly realized what the problems were. It was extremely narrow (width across little toe) and also extremely tight around my instep. The length was fine but everything else about the width and instep was a complete disaster. How does this happen? It happens because some manufacturers with non-USA factories contract the manufacture of the lasts to those same foreign factories without specifying such details such as actual width or the actual circumferences of the last at the little toe or the instep. They just assume that the foreign manufacturer knows how to make shoes and they most certainly do for Asian feet, but not for the typical USA wide foot. This is just plain ignorance and laziness on the part of Chippewa. I will NEVER buy another Chippewa boot again because I know there is absolutely no possibility that they manufacture a shoe or boot that will fit my feet. What are "lasts" you might ask? Lasts are the (sometimes wooden) forms that are carved and shaped for every foot size and every width. Ignorant, cheap and uncaring cobblers will manufacture one last for a given size that is spit down the middle so they can simply spread the right and left sides apart to approximate feet of various widths. This doesn't work very well because a wide size 9-EE foot is most commonly the same last as a size 11-D but shorter. When you have a size 9-EE like I do you eventually learn that some manufactures understand these things but many don't. Chippewa, unfortunately, doesn't.
