Re: Meindl Boots
The unfortunate thing about boots is you can try them on in the store all you want but until you are 5 miles into a hike you'll never know how well they really fit. Many will feel like they fit really well in the store, even if you wear them around for 10-15 minutes and use their "incline" ramp, but once they are out on the trail it's a whole new world. I've had many boots that felt great in the store, walking around town to gently break them in, but the first 2 mile climb you come to with a pack on and it's blisters and pain.
The Meindl's are great boots but they, as most serious hiking boots, have different lasts (or build sizes) depending on the model. Honestly, most of the high end lowa, vasque, asolo, garmont, kennetek, boots are great boots, but fit is key. They can be the most durable, light, stylish, waterproof boot ever but if you get blisters in them they are worthless.
For example I can wear the meindl alaskan hunters/hikers as my primary hiking boot, the alaskan hikers are in fact the best serious hiking boot I've found in trying probably 30 different boots all over $200. However, none of the "perfekt" line fit me at all, comfy but way too much heel slip. I have particularly hard feet to fit, wide fore foot and narrow heel. It took me at least 10 different snowboard/ski boots to find one that fit well. The same is true of the Schnee boots, I can wear the hunter in a size 10 all day long with a pack, 15 miles a day. However, I tried a pair of the extreme's same size, and blisters 15 minutes into the first climb.
In fact these days when I finally do find a pair that fit really well, for example the meindl alaskan hikers, I buy in 2-3 pair at least and put a couple in a closet, I do the same with ski and snowboard boots.
Another product I've used in boots before if they fit well but just give you heel blisters is from ENGO. They are a oval patch that's a sticker similar to teflon you can put in the heed of the boot and by reducing the friction it all but eliminates heel blisters. The downside is they don't work well in all boots if they have a very tight heel cup, and once you use them you have to keep using them as they leave sticky residue on the boot liner. Obviously it's better to have a boot that fits right, but I've made boots that would have been thrown in the closet as junk serviceable.
There are also several custom hiking boot places that will build a boot to your foot using tracings and impressions. It's expensive, but a lot cheaper than trying 3-4 expensive boots trying to find one that fits.
