Believe it or not, some people really need extra large hiking shoes! The regular sized shoes are in no way possible for them to wear as they have large, splayed feet that don't fit into your standard measurement. The reasons could be various, but it's either that the person who needs the shoes is going to an extremely remote location where appropriate footwear means something custom designed exactly for that environment which will almost have a single use; or it could be that the person is simply blessed with feet so large, that not a single shoe in the commonly frequented shoe stores will ever fit them. Incidentally, it could also be a combination of both.
Extra wide hiking shoes could be used in very extreme situations, but they will save your life. For example, you could be dangling a climbing buddy over a cliff slowly lowering them down and you need the extra surface area, resistance and traction of extremely wide hiking shoes to make sure you stay up there with that rope taught and safe. You could also be walking across a very thin lake of ice and it's the extra wide hiking shoes that will prevent you from crashing through to the icy water below because of their splayed shape. You could also be a rescue worker involved in finding missing people in an avalanche, flood or landslide and extra wide hiking shoes are what will help you cling precariously onto treacherous surfaces in order to make sure as many survive as possible. The scenarios really are endless.
You would imagine that these shoes would be significantly costly and you would be right. A good pair of extra wide hiking shoes can cost you several hundred dollars. Some of the best are almost a thousand! But the quality is reflected by the price as well as the specialty of this product. This is the kind of footwear that isn't just ordinary footwear but it's considered life or death equipment for the work and hobbies of some people.
The kind of people who need extra wide hiking shoes are many and varied. One group could be scientists, exploring a very remote part of the world such as the Antarctic. Recently, a lake was found there under the ice and the scientists working at the drill to get through would probably need extra wide hiking shoes to make sure they are firm and safe on the ice. Another group of people who would need these kind of shoes are special branches of the military. Soldiers trained to fight in extreme and treacherous terrain, such as in the pouring rain on a muddy mountainside, would probably do well with a pair of extra wide hiking shoes. Special units of these fighters would be issued with these shoes as part of their regular equipment. A third group could be safety and rescue workers. Firemen, paramedics, coast guard and many other groups of rescue workers may need to do extraordinary things in their day to day activities to merit the use of such specialized footwear.
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