Winter Boot Insulation Issue

Over the past couple of weeks I have been having huge problems with my boots. I've been getting nasty blisters and hot spots and I'm starting to develop bumps on the balls of my big toe and side of little toe. I've never got blisters in all my years of hiking, always wear the same heavy wool socks (summer and winter), lace snugly, etc. but this is my first "heavy" year of winter hiking. I was at the EMS in Warwick where I got the shoes looking into a liner sock and the guy who was there told me to bring the shoes in because the insulation has probably compacted.

Is that a common problem with a winter boot because of the insulation or do I just have an inferior/poorly made boot? I only have maybe 100 miles tops on them and they were bought just this past fall. I would have thought the materials used for insulation wouldn't degrade that fast but I've never owned a true winter hiking boot before.

Not sure of your boot type, so the answer is "depends". All material if walked on all day will compact to some degree, I assume, but the difference would be in what the insulation is, and where it is. Pac-boots (i.e. Sorels) for example, the felt liners will compact quite a bit if on them a lot. And, the felt will wear out.

I like a hard, leather boot that I always were exactly the same combination of socks/liners/VBLs in them, so when they break in, it's always in the same manner. I do this with my soccer boots as well. The harder boots also are less-likely to wear out.

What kind of boots? I've not had an issue with my Koflachs now over 14 years old. You've had a busy year but that sounds too soon. I've always worn a liner on all but the shortest day-hikes like in CT State Parks in the summer. In winter, I'm always wearing liners for moisture wicking.

I agree boot type is the first question. Plastic boots are not made in wide sizes and if you have wide feet there is no real option to make them wider. Even with Scarpa's which claim to be wide, I used to have to duct tape my feet and put up with a significant reduction in daily mileage. Thus I don't use them anymore. I have had luck with various Dunham and NewBalance models, in combination with VBL socks (or the far lower cost bread bags) and have even found a wide Columbia boot that was somewhat usable. Unfortunately many shops, tend to use the "go up a size to get some width" approach. This introduces all sorts of other issues as the overall boot volume is too high causing the foot to move back and forth in the boot causing blisters. I have modified my Columbia boot with a strip of foam inside the tongue and a high volume insert which works passably but for the last two years I have used the New Balance 1099s and have been very happy with them. Do note some reviews on AMazon are bad due to a fit issue. They come in extra wide and fit my feet well. Unless used with VBLs, they are strictly a day hiking boot as they do get damp inside which is going to happen with whatever boot you use. Unfortunately New Balance tends to abandon the winter boot market ever few years so buy them when you can get them (I think they are currently only available as leftovers). My Grivel strap on crampons work well and they are perfect for microspikes. They are definitely not rigid and useless for technical but perfect for winter 4ks and the price is right. I hope they come out with new model next year.

It is not a rigid boot or technical boot. It's just a day hiking "conventional" winter boot that if I remember right had 100g of Thinsulate as the insulation and is a waterproof model (not leather but some sort of winter rubber stuff). I got the boots at EMS early in Fall and their selection was pretty limited. They are a Vasque brand, don't recall which model and I don't see on their site anymore. I have wide "duck" shaped feet and left/right size variation of my feet is significant so I always have problems with shoes of all kinds. I usually either have an uncomfortably tight left foot and a perfect right foot or a perfect left foot and a loose and sloppy right foot. I wore the boots in the store quite awhile (with type of sock I normally wear) and the fit seemed pretty good relative to the others I tried on. And for my first several hikes they really were pretty comfortable. It is just recently the problems began.

Regarding the VBL's - is that Vapor Barrier Liner?? I've never used a liner sock before so I bought thin inexpensive liner socks for my last hike and used some Bag Balm on my heels and it was an improvement blister wise but my feet were killing me on the descent. Now that I'm paying attention the boots do seem bigger. Am I better off with a vapor barrier liner sock versus plain old cheap liner socks that just wick moisture away?

And getting back to the compacted insulation issue - is that normal? I know all shoes have a break in but I wouldn't think they'd pack down that much that fast. Are you supposed to buy your winter boots tight in anticipation of this compaction and then regulate fit with socks or inserts? I seem to recall reading in many posts that multiple pairs of socks is almost always a bad idea. I always used a single pair. Nothing worse than painful feet when your hiking.

VBL are vaport barrier liners, but I don't see them making a difference in this case, but again, it depends on the boots. The theory behind the VBLs is that warm water is good water. If your feet aren't breathing, your sweat gets trapped by the boot and it stays warm (I'm sure there is a more scientific explanation). If you are wearing a pac boot, for example, it will act the same. BUT, the sweat will leave your foot, and get soaked up in the liner. They still won't breath, and if they aren't real leather, they most likely aren't breathing. Are the liners soaked after use? If so, that is occuring, and it COULD have an impact on your fit issues.

Although, if the liner has compacted, another sock layer may help to fill up some of that extra volume that is now there. Similar to when a leather boot stretches, and they don't fit as they did originally. There won't be much you could do if they have compacted, and they are not replaceable. I'd try a few different socks combinations to fill up the volume, but not too tight.

Any pattern of them getting worse with snowshoes, spikes, crampons?

Seems like when I started the steady snow shoe use is when the problems started. That may just coincide with the mileage accumulating though. I did Madison Friday in micro spikes but before that I did three fairly lengthy (at least for me) snowshoe hikes of 10-13 miles each, roughly a week apart. North and South Twin was the longest and what really did a number on my feet. Is there something about snowshoes that is harder on the feet?

As far as the liners go they were not that wet. FYI.