Look at his feet, not at the maceration, but at the deformity, how his toes have literally been reshaped to the shape of a shoe not a foot. This is why I don't wear boots and prefer sandals or if I can find them, really generous toeboxes (usually I can't).
http://andrewskurka.com/2012/minimizing-the-effects-and-aftermath-of-wet-feet/

I wear boots eight to ten hours a day and my feet are doing quite well.
I am having a hard time with this post to be honest, which is why I have edited my reply four times already...

Edited by Kat_P on 04/12/2012 19:43:51 MDT.

I have really narrow feet, like A width narrow. I have been wearing off-the-rack D-width shoes my whole life. Every shoe I've every tried on has a toebox wide enough for my toes to splay naturally. I grew up in Arizona, where sandals and flip-flops are the official footwear, as evidenced by the gap between my big and second toes large enough to fit in a 6th toe.

My feet are still 'shaped like shoes'. It's genetics.

Also, I don't think that picture is a good representation of the perils of traditional shoes. He was in Alaska, not the place to be wearing huaraches. Those feet are inevitable when you're wearing ski boots.

Hiked 12 miles in the snow last Sunday in "waterproof" Asolo boots. My feet were soaked, but warm. Wouldn't have tried this in anything less insulating.

I think boots are designed to be the shape of feet, so I'm not with your premise. However, it is *difficult* to find boots that truly fit feet that aren't "normal". It is a little easier to find trail runners that fit, or perhaps they are more pliant.

I have had foot problems whenever I have hiked in boots over any real distance. I have switched to runners during this training season. Not a whole lot different, but certainly a lot easier walking. What I've found is that my biggest problems have been almost entirely on the downhill, with toes getting jammed. To that the boots added Achilles blisters on the uphill from the riser.

I'm still not real happy with toe jamming, but adjusting the laces has helped. That's easier to do in runners since the boots are so much stiffer.

Bottom line for me is whether I will be in snow for more than 100 yds (boots) or just among the jagged granite edges (runners). I do not like foot injuries from hard pointy things, nor do I like spending a lot of attention on exactly where I step. However, I often take those shoes right off when I get a chance to walk a forest duff trail, a sandy stretch of lakefront, or even smooth granite.

I think it's preference and what your feet feels comfortable in. Personally, I am loving my Targhee II shoes from Keen. So far, these are the only shoes I have worn that have allowed my feet to spread comfortably and is wide enough in the toe area that my feet don't feel cramped for space...jmo

+1 on people having different feet and different needs.
I have small and very narrow feet which means that they don't get crammed.

I have had great results with the Targhee II as well. I went a full size up and with the laces adjusted just right my feet never hit the front of the boot even on downhills. This is a first for me. It seems the softer uppers allow for a better fit around my feet than a stiffer all leather boot so they hold my foot firmly, but with comfort, keeping my foot in position within the shoe. With the wide toe box I have plenty of wiggle room too. These are the first shoes I have owned that were not too tight in width. Even when I would buy wide shoes it seemed the toe box was too narrow.

Each shoe maker seems to have their own ideas as to what shape their last should be. Sadly for the customer it takes a lot of trial and error to find one that fits your foot. We all seem to crave what the latest reviews say is the "perfect" shoe but in reality I would rather have a lesser favored shoe that fits me perfectly, than the perfect design that is shaped like someone elses foot.

Let's see those feet when the are warm and dry.

His feet are probably not shaped like that from wearing boots. Everyone's feet are different, there's no such thing as a "normal" foot. I have similarly shaped big toes and it's because my feet have almost no arch. It made my my big toes grow inward like that (and this has been confirmed by a podiatrist)