<p>Given his large size, he needs a heavier-weight shoe, possibly with orthotics, and he’s probably not going to get this at the typical mall athletic wear store. Most mass-produced sneakers are very lightweight, which may be why he’s wearing out his shoes so quickly. My inclination is to go with a heavier leather shoe designed to absorb extreme and repeated impact - at 300 pounds, think of the load on that shoe! A delicate little NB or Nike is not going to cut it, especially given that this boy is walking several miles a day.</p>
<p>Many salesclerks prefer to hand over the shoebox and not bother to fit the shoe - most have inadequate training and little experience. I suggested Nordstrom, because the shoe department is well-known for its selection and excellent sales staff, otherwise try an old-fashioned shoe store where he can be fitted by a knowledgeable person. You may want to try a specialty orthopedic shop, if you have one in your area.</p>
<p>I find cross-trainers to be very comfortable to wear all the time, in fact I wear a pair of NB 608v2’s as my main shoe. I lift weights in these, do house and yardwork, I pretty much live in them.</p>
<p>They are designed to hold up to high load activities like weight-lifting, yet be adequate for walking or short-distance running. I find them to be pretty durable, I usually get 6 months or so out of a pair before I wear the tread off (I weigh about 240 pounds). No issues with wearing through the leather.</p>
<p>I wear an 11.5 4E. New Balance is pretty much the only maker that fits comfortably at that width.</p>
<p>The “stability” and “motion control” shoes I mentioned above are designed to be more robust and offer more support and a midsole less likely to break down when worn by a heavier person. Each company makes shoes that are appropriate for different physiques and different purposes. The key is to understand enough of the lingo to identify the approriate models.</p>
<p>I can almost guarantee that if a 300 pound man walked into a running store and asked for a Brooks, they would be shown an Adreneline or an Addiction to start with (“stability”, “motion control”, “over-pronator”). Likewise, they would be shown the comparable New Balance models. A 140 pound marathoner with high arches would be shown a different model (“cushioning”, “neutral”, “under-pronator”). The shoe for the heavier customer would have a much more solid, robust midsole to resist breaking down under load.</p>
<p>If your son is really that big, I would recommend a trail running shoe. It will still be breathable, but will have a more durable outsole. The extra little bit of weight in the shoe isn’t going to matter.</p>
<p>The SuperFeet insoles are not like Dr. Scholl’s or any other drugstore brand.<br>
They are more like orthotic insoles, very stiff through the arch and heels.<br>
Wearing them cured my plantar fasciitis. They cost $40-45 a pr. depending on where you buy them. They are sold at most running shoe stores and also at REI.</p>
<p>I get NB shoes through someone who makes orthotics. I have just the opposite problem, 4A width, and she adjusts them to fit me. I would have a specialist look at his foot and stride and see if they have a recommendation. Once you find a shoe that works (and assuming it’s a NB), I recommend keeping an eye on this site-- [New</a> Balance Outlet Shoe Store](<a href=“http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/]New”>http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/).</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad, SuperFeet come in regular shoe sizes. There is a SuperFeet website if your DW would like to read about them. The shoe stores that sell them are happy to let you try the insoles with your shoes.</p>
<p>I seem to be an outlier here, but I don’t consider a New Balance sneaker to be a good, heavy-duty all around shoe suitable for rigorous daily wear. You had me curious, so I checked my son’s shoes tonight - he has two pairs of the NB 993 - a “stability trainer” that lists for $139.00. After a couple of months, these shoes have crushed backs and the ankle area is stretched out and completely misshapen. He’s hard on shoes - slips them on without untying, but on the other hand, he’s a beanpole at 6’ and 130 lbs, so the stress is not excessive. He wears the NB when he needs an all-around sneaker, but not to school, so I estimate he wears them 10-15 hours a week or so. If he wore these shoes 15 hours every day, walking several miles on a college campus, they’d probably wear out in a month.</p>
<p>For school, I buy a heavy leather Ecco walker, which he has in black and brown leather - one pair is well over two years old and still looks great. He also has a pair of thick soled Cole Haan slip-ons that have really held up well. IMHO, I also prefer the look of a leather casual over a sneaker because it’s more versatile and can be dressed up or down.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to purchase one all-around sneaker, and one heavy-soled leather walking shoe.</p>
<p>We’ve been strictly New Balance shoppers since our son was 8. At that time, he complained about his shoes. We went to 16 shoe stores looking for something that fit and we finally went down to the New Balance Factory Outlet in Brighton, MA. They had the wide shoes that would take high arches that fit him perfectly. That’s when I started using New Balance and they were the first pair of athletic shoes that didn’t hurt when I put them on. I also have wide feet and high arches and some of the New Balance shoes don’t fit my foot. The other bonus is that we typically pay between $20 and $30 per pair. My son and I have the same size now 11 1/2 EEEE for tennis/crosstrainers and 10 1/2 EEEE for running shoes. Their shoes go up to EEEEEE in width and I’ve seen them as big as size 18.</p>
<p>Running shoes are fine for walking. I use running or tennis shoes that I don’t use for athletics to walk around in and they work fine. But this was after losing a fair amount of weight. The problem with running shoes and a college student is if he plays a game of pickup basketball or tennis or frisbee. Running shoes are terrible for lateral support and I’ve poked through the mesh playing various sports with running shoes. The all-leather basketball, tennis and cross-trainers will do a better job for casual pickup sports where lateral movement is required.</p>
<p>I use the New Balance Ultra-Arch Supports in my athletic shoes. These cost $45 and they have them at the New Balance Factory Outlet Stores. They typically will last for two to three pairs of shoes. The supports cost more than the shoes. I would guess that these are similar to Superfeet given similar pricing and functionality. I don’t wear the arch supports in my sneakers for just walking around anymore as they aren’t necessary.</p>
<p>I do like it when I look inside the sneaker and it says Made in the US. That’s a rarity today. I know that the factory outlet used to be attached to the building where they made the sneakers. The store moved several blocks away - I don’t know if New Balance still manufactures sneakers in Boston.</p>
<p>I like Saucony running shoes. I bought my first pair because they were on sale and they were the most comfortable sports shoes I ever wore. My sister prefers New Balance. I think your best bet would be to go to a reputable store and have your son fitted. One brand might feel better than another and you won’t know until he puts them on.</p>
<p>My son has flat feet and the physical therapist in out sport medicine clinic gave him Lynco inserts. His feet felt better and he walked/ran better.</p>
<p>The biomechanics of running vs. walking is completely different. Although plenty of people wear running shoes just to walk around in, if I were fitting a bigger guy, I’d rather put him in a walking shoe (and I definitely would go to a running store, like a New Balance store, instead of a big box athletic store).</p>
<p>I am overweight and overpronate when I run. I wear Brooks Addictions for running, but don’t like wearing them for just walking around or for doing other training stuff in the gym - they actually sort of hurt my feet, because I don’t need the correction for my normal walking motion.</p>
<p>I used to be a bigger guy and I used running shoes and tennis shoes with aftermarket cushion and was fine. Now I wasn’t 300 pounds heavy.</p>
<p>Walking shoes can be quite a bit stronger than running shoes though. Running shoes are typically wedge-shaped whereas walking shoes provide more balance support between the front and the back. Tennis shoes, basketball shoes and cross-trainers are usually, though not always, more balanced.</p>
<p>The Brooks Addiction running shoe and the Brooks Addiction Walker are exactly the same shoe, except the Walker is leather and has a different material for the traction part of the sole. Six in one half dozen in the other for walking. The running shoe is a bit lighter from the mesh contruction and you can feel a little breeze around your tootsies on a windy day, which could be plus or a minus depending on the temperature and whether there is rain with that breeze.</p>
<p>MOWC’s suggestion of trail shoe for a heavier guy merits some consideration. These are heavy-duty running shoes with more aggressive traction for dirt or wet pavement. They are even available in weather resistant (quasi waterproof) materials. I’ve always thought these would make good all-purpose college shoes for a non-runner.</p>
<p>The Addiction is a very stiff shoe with a rigid footbed and a VERY stiff midsole on the inside edge of the foot. This keeps the shoe from flexing, rolling, or breaking down. The cost is less cushioning. It’s an excellent shoe for a bigger guy, although I wouldn’t want to play basketball or tennis in it. It is designed to keep the foot from rolling inwards. This means that there is an increased chance of rolling the foot outwards and spraining an ankle – really common in b-ball and tennis.</p>
<p>For you New Balance lovers, Penney’s has a sale on a couple of models this week, and if you use your Penney’s card, you get an extra 15 percent off.</p>
<p>Got son a pair of NB 400, Size 13 4E, for only 40 bucks! Only 12 bucks more than the Dr. Scholl’s I get at Wal Mart. I also got him a 600 model for not much higher. The 607 referenced above is online only.</p>
<p>Son is excited about trying out New Balance and HE suggested we get him a proper fitting when he’s home.</p>
<p>He’s an engineering major, and really wants to try out the cool Dr. Scholl’s machines that he’s seen advertised, too.</p>
<p>Seems he and his roommies and friends have been discussing shoes, and he’s gotten a lot of suggestions. I had to laugh, because he’s actually been doing his own research while I’ve been doing some, too. I just kept mum and said, Wow, that’s a great idea!</p>
<p>Wow, they really can survive without us! LOL!</p>