All my life, I have worn poor-fitting footwear. I have extra wide feet, and in those rare occasions when I can find extra wide shoes, they are still generally not wide enough in the toe box, but too wide in the heel, making for a less than perfect fit.

When it comes to hiking or backpacking boots, finding wide widths is even more discouraging. While I have found some boots that have a "good enough fit," I have yet to find any that fit perfectly, that is until I purchased a pair of custom-made backpacking boots from Esatto.

Over the past year, I have been looking for a company to make me a pair of custom-made backpacking boots, and these companies are few and far between. And when you do find one, they often take months, if not years, to get. Fortunately, Esatto's promised a turn-around of less than six weeks.

Here's what makes Esatto's backpacking boots world class:

• Most importantly, they can be made to fit virtually any foot, no matter what's it size. A perfect fit leads to walking comfort. This, alone, is justification to purchase these hiking boots.
  
   
• Because the boots are custom-made, there is little or no break-in period for the boots, as is often the issue with many off-the-shelf backpacking boots.
  
   
• As you can see from the above photo, they are cool looking. You can be almost sure that no other adventurer out on the trail will be wearing a pair.
  
   
• Because the boots are hand-made and are individually crafted just for you, each boot is individual and unique, almost like a work of art.
  
   
• The boot's uppers are made out of a full grain 2.8-3.0mm aniline leather, and a full grain 1.2-1.4mm leather lining, and a leather insole. Because the boot is made of leather, inside and out, over time, the boot becomes better molded to your foot than do boots without a leather lining.
  
   
• The boots are made with very few seams, which help to prevent water leakage. In fact, if the boots are properly treated with Nikwax Aqueous Wax (Waterproofing for Smooth Leather), they are waterproof. I followed Nikwax's recommendation and applied their wax three times before I wore the boots out in the rain. They never leaked.
  
   
• The boots uses a stitchdown construction, which help made the boot more stable and durable.
  
   
• The boot includes a SuperFeet footbed, or if you have your own custom footbed, that can be used instead.
  
   
• The outersole is a Vibram Kletterlift, which provides great traction and durability. If you wear the outersole out, the boot can be resoled.
  
   
• Because you want your custom-made boots to fit you well, Esatto sends you an easy to use measuring kit, that includes everything you need to measure your feet, including a measuring tape, several different color markers, and Podotracks, which are specially-made paper forms in which to measure your feet.

The custom-made Esatto backpacking boots are the best boots I have ever worn.

Using the Esatto Backpacking Boots in the Real World

I want to give you a feel for the overall experience of purchasing and wearing these boots. So let's start from the beginning, when you first contact Esatto.

Esatto will send you a foot measuring kit that includes everything you need to properly measure your feet. It will probably take about 15 minutes, and the assistance of a partner to help you draw your foot outlines while you are standing on the Podotrack form. You will also be measuring your foot's volume, among other measurements.

Once you send the foot measurement information back to Esatto, you may hear back by phone or e-mail if there are any problems with your measurements. In fact, this happened to me. Apparently, some of the measurements I made for volume wrong, and the people at Esatto were able to see my mistake (because they didn't make sense), and asked me to make several remeasurements. Once I did this and give them the new measurements, they made much more sense, and the order was placed for my boots.

Depending on the time of the year, it takes about 4-6 weeks for the boots to be made. Compared to some of the other custom-boot companies I talked with, this was by far the fastest delivery time. In case you are interested, they are made in Oregon, of all places.

Finally, the day came when a box from Esatto showed up at my door. I was excited about getting the boots, and opened the box immediately.

The first thing I noticed was that they looked better in person than they do in a photo. Second, I noticed how soft the leather uppers were. And third, I noticed the hand craftsmanship, which is something rare to see these days.

I was really worried about the fit of the boots. Even though Esatto will modify your boots to fit, if they don't fit well the first time, I wanted an outstanding out of the box experience with them.

And I got it. The boots fit perfectly. I had plenty of room in the toe box, for the first time in my life, and the heal also fit snug, just at is should. The first thing I did after putting them on was to take a walk in them.

My next worry was if the break in period would be long. This was because I had a 10 day alpine hike planned in three weeks, and I wanted to wear the boots. Fortunately, because of the great fit, and the soft uppers, the break in period was insignificant. In three weeks of light use, they were ready for my upcoming hike.

The boots don't come waterproofed, so you will want to get the appropriate Nikwax product to waterproof them, before you get them too dirty or wet.

The first big test of the boots was on about a 100 mile, ten-day hike in the Alps. This gave me lots of opportunities to try out the boots under many different conditions.

As a point of reference, I wore my new Esatto's with either Smartwool or Dahlgren hiking socks, and with a liner sock. I find that a thick sock is very useful for protecting your feet when alpine hiking.

In summary, here's how the boots handled this tough terrain:

• The boots were almost always comfortable. On occasion, the boot's tongue moved from it's center position, rubbing up against my inner ankle bone. But this was easily fixed with a small adjustment.
  
   
•  Even after hiking all day in the rain, fording streams, and stomping through mud, the boots never leaked.
  
   
• Ankle support was great. The boots keep my ankle from any injury, which is especially important for rocky trails.
  
   
• The grip of the Vibram soles was excellent. I never slipped because of a poor grip.
  
   
• While a 100 mile hike is not a long-term test, the boots held up well, showing little signs of wear. I imagine I will be hiking in them for many years to come.

I also got a lot of compliments on the boots from other hikers on the trail, which is something you don't get too often.

Recommendation

If your feet are too long, too short, too wide, too narrow, or too anything different other than what most footwear maker's idea of what a "normal" foot looks like, and you like to hike or backpack, you should seriously consider getting a pair of custom-made backpacking boots from Esatto. This is the only way you will ever be able to truly enjoy your outdoor adventures. Less than perfect fitting boots can be a constant thorn in one's side, hindering one's pleasurable experience of the outside.

Custom-made boots aren't inexpensive, as you can imagine. But if you think about it, how much have you spent over the years on boots that don't fit, that you end up giving away or selling for a few bucks at a yard sale? I have lost track of how many pairs of boots my father-in-law has inherited from me, because they didn't fit well enough.

By making an upfront investment in a good pair of quality, custom-made boots, not only will you probably end up saving money in the long run, you will get a chance to really experience boot comfort from the very start, not waiting years like I did.

Product Notes

The total cost of a custom-made backpacking boot from Esatto can include several parts. First, the custom-made last must be made ($249). A "last" is form upon which your boot is made. Fortunately, the last can be reused if you decide to order another pair of footwear from Esatto.

Next is the cost of the custom-made boot itself, which is $449.

And if you need a custom-made footbed, that costs extra, with the amount dependent on the amount of work required to make it. You can also provide your own custom-made footbed, if you so desire.

Currently, Esatto is only offering one model, but will offer more models in the future.