Best walking shoes for wide feet: 2E and 4E options

Three of our four walking shoes come in true 2E and 4E (the Brooks Ghost 18, New Balance 1080 v15 and ASICS Gel-Contend 9) and the Hoka Clifton 10 is sold in Wide and Extra Wide, so availability is not the hard part. Toe-box shape is. RunRepeat's gel-mold measurements put the Ghost 18 at a tapered 70.6 mm across the big toe, while the Contend 9 (74.1 mm), 1080 v15 (73.2 mm) and Clifton 10 (73.1 mm) sit at or above the 73.2 mm lab average. That is why the Ghost 18, the shoe with the most widths, is also the one to order a width up.

Our quick picks

Best Overall

Brooks Ghost 18

Kit Score 8.8/10 · $149.95 Price checked Oct 16, 11:54 PM CDT

Men's version comes in four widths, narrow (1B) through extra wide (4E), so it fits a wide range of foot shapes

Best for: Daily fitness walkers who want a proven, durable, width-inclusive shoe that transitions from neighborhood walks to the gym without fuss.

Why we picked it ↓

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Best Premium

New Balance 1080 v15

Kit Score 8.4/10 · $169.95 Price checked Oct 16, 11:54 PM CDT

Softer, more resilient Infinion foam under a 40 mm heel stack

Best for: Walkers logging serious daily mileage on pavement who want maximum cushioning and joint protection.

Why we picked it ↓

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Editor's Choice

Hoka Clifton 10

Kit Score 8.4/10 · Check current price

Tallest stack (42mm heel) in the roundup delivers the most joint-protective ride, especially on concrete and hard tile

Best for: Walkers who prioritize maximum underfoot protection and a smooth rolling stride on pavement, particularly those on their feet all day at work or managing joint sensitivity.

Why we picked it ↓

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Best Value

ASICS Gel-Contend 9

Kit Score 7.9/10 · $67.45 Price checked Oct 16, 11:54 PM CDT

At $60–$80 it is the lowest-cost route to ASICS rearfoot GEL cushioning and an OrthoLite sockliner

Best for: Budget-conscious walkers doing moderate daily distances (under 5 miles) who want a breathable, no-fuss shoe that fits comfortably from the first wear.

Why we picked it ↓

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Wide width versus wide toe box (they are not the same thing)

A width letter and a toe-box shape answer two different questions, and wide-footed walkers get burned when they treat them as one.

The width letter (D, 2E, 4E for men; B, D, 2E for women) is the brand's volume grade. Brooks explains how it builds them: narrow, medium and wide versions of a shoe sit on the same footbed and differ in how much upper material, and therefore volume, the shoe has. Only extra-wide gets a wider footbed as well as more upper (Brooks). New Balance publishes the actual numbers: for a men's size 10, the ball-of-foot width runs 10.2 cm in narrow B, 10.6 cm in standard D, 10.9 cm in wide 2E and 11.3 cm in extra-wide 4E, so each step is roughly 3 to 4 mm (New Balance).

Toe-box shape is the taper of the last at the big toe. RunRepeat measures it by filling each shoe with gel, pulling a mold and running calipers across the big-toe zone. On that test the Ghost 18 measures 70.6 mm, the Clifton 10 73.1 mm, the 1080 v15 73.2 mm and the Gel-Contend 9 74.1 mm, against a lab average of 73.2 mm. A shoe can come in 4E and still taper (the Ghost), or come in fewer widths and run roomy in standard (the Contend).

Which one matters for you:

• Wide across the ball, or a high-volume foot: the width letter is your lever. Go 2E or 4E.
• Bunion, splayed toes, or a wide forefoot on a normal heel: toe-box shape matters more. Pick the roomier last first, then add width if you still need it.
• Both: start with the roomy-toe-box picks (Contend 9, 1080 v15, Clifton 10) in Wide.

Our picks for wide feet at a glance

• Brooks Ghost 18 (best overall in 2E or 4E): one of two picks here (with the 1080 v15) sold in four widths for men and four for women. Order a width up from your usual because the standard toe box tapers.
• New Balance 1080 v15 (most forefoot foam in 4E): four widths in men's and women's, an average toe box, and the tallest forefoot stack of the 4E picks at 30.6 mm.
• Hoka Clifton 10 (max cushion with a rocker): the v10 widened the toe box by more than 4 mm. Fleet Feet lists Regular, Wide and Extra Wide for men and Regular, Wide and X Wide for women.
• ASICS Gel-Contend 9 (budget extra wide): the roomiest standard-width toe box here and a separate men's extra-wide model. Women get standard and wide.

Width availability: narrow, standard, 2E and 4E for every pick

Brand pages change colorway by colorway, so this table lists the widths each brand or its main retailer sells, not what is in stock today in your color. Toe-box and widest-point figures are RunRepeat lab measurements of the men's standard width.

Two things stand out. The Ghost 18 and 1080 v15 are the only picks with a narrow option, which tells you both brands build on a genuine four-width system rather than adding a wide version as an afterthought. And the Clifton 10, long the pick wide-footed walkers skipped, now has the widest interior of the four at 97.2 mm.

Best overall for wide feet: Brooks Ghost 18 (1B, D, 2E, 4E)

The Ghost 18 earns the top slot for the same reason it tops our best walking shoes guide: Brooks lists walking among its intended uses, it carries the APMA Seal of Acceptance, and only the 1080 v15 matches its four widths in both men's and women's. On brooksrunning.com the men's shoe comes in Narrow (1B), Medium (1D), Wide (2E) and Extra Wide (4E); the women's in Narrow (2A), Medium (1B), Wide (1D) and Extra Wide (2E) (Brooks men's, Brooks women's). Among the 567 women's ratings, walking is the most common listed use.

The catch is the last. RunRepeat's mold measured 96.0 mm at the widest point, right at the lab average, but just 70.6 mm across the big toe, which the lab describes as the somewhat tapered toe box the Ghost has long featured and that Brooks stayed faithful to again. So in standard width the Ghost 18 is the least forgiving shoe on this page for a wide forefoot. The fix is the width lineup: go to 2E for more upper volume, or 4E if you also need a wider footbed under the ball of the foot. One women's owner on the Brooks site describes moving from a 7 wide in older Ghosts to a 6.5 extra wide in the 18, which is a useful warning that the 18 fits differently from the 16 and 17.

Brooks notes that specialty widths are mostly made in neutral colors, so expect black, grey and white in 4E rather than the full palette. Read our full Brooks Ghost 18 review.

Most cushion in 4E: New Balance 1080 v15

The 1080 v15 is the pick for walkers who put in serious daily pavement miles and need a true 4E. New Balance sells the men's shoe in Narrow (B), Standard (D), Wide (2E) and X-Wide (4E) and the women's in Narrow (2A), Standard (B), Wide (D) and X-Wide (2E), on an Infinion foam midsole with a 6 mm drop and the APMA Seal of Acceptance (New Balance men's, New Balance women's). RunRepeat's lab measured the heel stack at 37.0 mm and the forefoot at 30.6 mm, the tallest forefoot stack of the three 4E picks, 30.6 mm against 25.1 mm on the Ghost 18 and 23.4 mm on the Contend 9, and found the toe box an exactly-average 73.2 mm wide and 27.1 mm tall under a soft, stretchy knit upper (RunRepeat).

Two fit notes. First, the v15 is a different shoe from the v14 we reviewed, where the toe box measured the narrowest in our roundup; RunRepeat's v15 numbers are average, not narrow, so that caveat no longer applies in standard width. Second, the midsole platform is compact at 108.9 mm across the forefoot, well under the 115.1 mm lab average, so it is a narrower base than most shoes RunRepeat has measured. That is the sole under your foot, not the room inside the shoe. The upper runs high volume, so if you have a wide but flat foot, try 2E before 4E.

New Balance's size chart is the most useful tool on this page for anyone measuring at home: it lists the ball-of-foot width in centimeters for every size and width, and the brand offers a printable measuring sheet. Read our New Balance 1080 review for the v14 background.

Max cushion with a rocker: Hoka Clifton 10 in Wide or Extra Wide

If you want a rockered sole that rolls you from heel to toe without bending the shoe, the Clifton 10 is the pick, and for the first time it belongs on a wide-feet list. RunRepeat's mold showed the widest interior point jumping from 92.2 mm in the Clifton 9 to 97.2 mm in the 10, and the big-toe zone from 68.9 mm to 73.1 mm, which the lab says removes the overly pointy taper and finally fixes the complaint that kept wide-footed buyers away (RunRepeat). The lab heel stack is 44.4 mm, the tallest here, on compression-molded EVA with an 8 mm drop.

Hoka's own site blocked our checks, so widths come from Fleet Feet, which sells the men's shoe in Regular (D) and Wide (2E) with Extra Wide in select colorways, and the women's in Regular (B), Wide (D) and X Wide (2E) (Fleet Feet men's, Fleet Feet women's).

Why size the width up: the toe box grew, but Fleet Feet's summary of 179 verified men's reviews still flags a snug midfoot for some owners, and our women's walking shoes guide notes the same thing through the arch. If you are on the fence between Regular and Wide in a Clifton, the Wide is the safer order, because the extra upper volume lands exactly where the shoe is tightest. Fit otherwise runs true to size across 727 RunRepeat votes. Availability note: Fleet Feet now flags a newer Clifton 11, and on October 16 the Amazon listing we link for the Clifton 10 could not be read through Amazon's product API, so confirm your width and size are in stock before ordering. Read our full Hoka Clifton 10 review.

Budget 4E: ASICS Gel-Contend 9

The Gel-Contend 9 is the surprise of the table. RunRepeat measured its forefoot at 96.9 mm, which the lab calls slightly wider than most running shoes, and its toe box at 74.1 mm, the roomiest of the four picks in standard width (RunRepeat). ASICS sells the men's shoe as a standard-width model and as a separate Gel-Contend 9 Extra Wide listing, and RunRepeat lists men's widths as normal, wide and extra wide; women's come in standard and wide (ASICS men's, ASICS men's Extra Wide). Among the 349 reviews on the Extra Wide listing, at least one owner describes coming over from a New Balance 4E and finding the fit.

What you give up is cushion depth and upper life. The lab heel stack is 31.2 mm with a 23.4 mm forefoot, firmer Amplifoam+ underneath, and the mesh toe box scored 1 out of 5 for durability, so expect the upper to wear before the sole. For two to three miles a day it is an honest shoe; for five-plus, step up to the 1080 v15. One stock note: ASICS has moved its own site to the Gel-Contend 10 (men's standard and extra wide, women's standard and wide), so Contend 9 stock now lives with retailers. The Amazon listing was in stock when we checked on October 16, 2026.

How the picks compare

How to measure your width at home

A shoe store does this with a Brannock device, the metal plate with two sliders, and it takes two numbers: length and ball-of-foot width. You can get both with a sheet of paper, a pen and a ruler.

Women's widths: what is available and where to read more

Women's width letters are offset from men's. A women's wide is D and a women's extra-wide is 2E, the same letter as a men's wide. Brooks gives the conversion: a women's 10 wide (D) corresponds to a men's 8.5 wide (2E), so subtract 1.5 sizes when moving from women's to men's (Brooks). That also means a woman who needs more room than a women's 2E offers can shop the men's 4E versions of the Ghost 18, 1080 v15 or Contend 9 by subtracting 1.5 from her size.

The women's 1080 v15 is the one to look at first if you need 2E with maximum cushion; New Balance lists it at 7.3 oz with the same four widths, and you can check the women's 1080 v15 on Amazon. For the full women's lineup, including the women's Ghost 18, Clifton 10 and Contend 9, read the best walking shoes for women.

Where these numbers come from

We have not worn these shoes ourselves. Width lineups are the brands' and Fleet Feet's listings on the check date; toe-box and stack figures are RunRepeat lab measurements of the men's standard width; fit notes summarize owner reviews on the brand sites.

Frequently asked questions

Still deciding between walking shoes and something more rugged? The free outdoor shoe finder sorts you across five footwear categories in five questions, and walking shoes vs running shoes explains why these four daily trainers work for walking. For more gear built around active everyday life, browse the fitness hub or read about how we research and rate every pick on this site.