Quick answer
The best waterproof trainers for wide feet are the roomy-lasted models rather than the narrow, foot-hugging ones, and Merrell is the brand to start with. The Merrell Moab 3 GORE-TEX runs generously through the forefoot and comes in a dedicated wide fitting, which almost nothing else in the category offers, while the Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof and the Merrell Accentor Sport 3 GORE-TEX carry the same roomy Merrell last. Look for a rounded, high-volume toebox rather than just a longer shoe, and steer clear of the narrow European-style lasts, Salomon in particular runs narrow and locks the foot down. If your feet are only slightly broad, sizing up half a size can buy a little width; if they are genuinely wide, seek a true wide fitting instead, because sizing up only adds length and lets the heel slip.
If you have wide feet, most trail trainers are built for someone else. The category leans heavily on narrow, foot-hugging lasts, because a snug wrap suits fast movement and slim feet, and a broad forefoot gets squeezed into a shoe that was never cut for it. Add a waterproof membrane to that narrow shoe and the problem gets worse, not better, for reasons this guide gets into below.
The good news is that a handful of the trainers we rate are cut roomy on purpose, and one of them comes in a genuine wide fitting. This guide is the wide-foot slice of our waterproof trainers section: what wide actually means, which brands to trust and which to avoid, how to check a shoe fits before you commit, and the specific pairs worth starting with. If you are still weighing up whether a membrane is worth it at all, are GORE-TEX trainers worth it makes the case first.
Why fit matters more in a waterproof trainer
Fit matters in any shoe. In a waterproof trainer it matters more, because of how a membrane changes the shoe around your foot.
A non-waterproof trainer has a mesh upper that stretches and gives. Push a broad foot into a slightly narrow mesh shoe and the mesh accommodates you, at least a little, and the shoe breathes off the pressure. A waterproof trainer cannot do that. The membrane is a sealed bootie laminated inside the upper, and that construction is stiffer and far less forgiving than bare mesh. A membrane shoe that is too narrow stays too narrow. It presses on the sides of the forefoot, and there is no give to take the edge off.
That pressure does three things to a wide foot, and none of them are minor.
It rubs. Constant sideways pressure on the little-toe joint and the ball of the foot is exactly where hot spots and blisters start, and a full day on the coast path turns a mild pinch into raw skin.
It runs cold. A shoe squeezed tight against your foot has less air around it, and less room for the membrane to move sweat vapour away, so a narrow waterproof trainer can feel colder and clammier than a roomier one, even in the same conditions.
It cramps the toes. A membrane shoe that is tight across the forefoot stops your toes from splaying, which is how the foot naturally spreads and stabilises as you walk. Lose that, and you lose comfort and a bit of balance on uneven ground.
So getting the width right is not a nicety for broad-footed walkers. It is the difference between a shoe you forget about and a shoe that ends the walk early.
What "wide" actually means
"Wide feet" is not one thing, and the fix depends on which kind you have. Two measurements matter, and they are different.
The first is forefoot width, how broad your foot is across the ball and the toes. This is what most people mean by wide feet, and it is where narrow trainers do the damage. What you need here is a shoe with a genuinely broad, rounded toebox, cut wide across the front so the toes can sit and splay without pressing on the sides.
The second is volume, how much overall bulk your foot has from top to bottom, including a high instep or a high-volume midfoot. A high-volume foot can feel crushed under the laces or jammed for height even in a shoe that is wide enough across the front. This needs a shoe with more room through the whole chamber, not just a broad toebox.
The distinction matters because the solutions differ. A broad forefoot is best answered by a wide-toebox last or a dedicated wide fitting. A high-volume foot is often better served by a roomy shoe you can loosen off through the lacing, or simply a brand cut deep as well as wide. Knowing which you have, or whether you have both, saves you buying the wrong roomy shoe.
One more distinction is worth drawing. A shoe that is roomy is not the same as a shoe offered in a wide fitting. A roomy last gives everyone a bit more space in the standard shoe. A true wide fitting is a separate width, usually a full step wider across the forefoot, sold alongside the standard width. Broad feet often need the second, not just the first, and only a few makers offer it.
Which brands run wide, which run narrow
Fit is where waterproof trainers divide most sharply, and it splits largely along brand lines. Get the brand tendency right and you have already ruled out most of the shoes that would hurt.
Merrell runs roomy, and offers wide fittings. This is the brand to start with for broad feet. Merrell cuts its lasts generously through the forefoot, with a rounded, high-volume toebox, and its standard width is as broad as some brands' wide versions. Better still, several Merrell models are sold in a dedicated wide fitting on top of that, which is rare in this category. If a narrow trail shoe pinches your toes, a Merrell is the obvious fix.
Salomon runs narrow. Salomon uses a snug, performance-focused European last that wraps the foot tightly and locks it down, which slim feet love and broad feet do not. The Speedcross is the narrowest of the range. Salomon does offer wide-fit versions of some models, but as a general rule the brand is the wrong first choice for wide feet, and the standard fit is not the one to reach for if your forefoot is broad.
The European mountain brands tend to run narrower too. Brands with an Alpine or Continental heritage, Lowa, Meindl, Scarpa, Mammut and the like, generally cut to a narrower European standard than the roomy American brands. They make excellent shoes, and some offer wider variants, but a broad foot usually has to seek out a wide version or accept a snugger fit than a Merrell gives as standard.
The practical shortcut: if you have wide feet and you are buying a waterproof trainer, start with Merrell, treat Salomon and the European brands as the ones to try on carefully or skip, and only step outside that if a specific model is confirmed to come in your width.
How to check the fit
Brand tendency narrows the field. The fitting room settles it. Whatever the reputation, check the shoe on your own foot before you trust it, and check these things in this order.
Width across the ball first. Stand up, put your weight on the shoe, and feel across the widest part of your foot. There should be no pressure on the sides and no bulge of foot spilling over the sole edge. If the side of your little toe is pressed hard against the upper standing still, it will only get worse walking, and a membrane shoe will not stretch to save you.
Toe room next. Leave about a thumb-width of space ahead of your longest toe. This stops your toes bruising against the front on descents, and it leaves room for the foot to swell over a long day, which every foot does.
Then the heel. Lace the shoe up properly and lift your heel as if stepping off. It should hold with no real slip. A heel that lifts is the classic sign of a shoe sized up for width, where the extra length has left the heel loose. That is the trap to avoid, and it is exactly why sizing up is a poor substitute for a real wide fitting.
Check volume if that is your issue. If you have a high instep, do the laces up and see whether the shoe presses down hard across the top of the foot or whether you run out of lacing before it feels secure. A high-volume foot needs a shoe with depth, not just width.
Try them late in the day, in your walking socks. Feet swell as the day goes on, and a shoe that fits first thing can pinch by teatime. Wear the merino hiking socks you actually walk in, not thin cotton ones, so the fit you feel is the fit you will get on the trail.
The waterproof trainers we rate for wider feet
Across the field we rate on the waterproof trainers hub and rank in the best waterproof trainers UK 2026 guide, these are the pairs cut to suit broad feet. All three are Merrell, which is not an accident: it is the brand that takes wide feet seriously in this category.
For most wide-footed walkers, the Merrell Moab 3 GORE-TEX is the one to start with. It is our best-value waterproof trainer, and it earns that partly on fit: the last is cut generously through the forefoot, the toebox is broad and rounded, and it comes in a genuine wide fitting on top of the already roomy standard shoe. That combination is close to unique in the category. Add a real GORE-TEX membrane, a grippy Vibram TC5+ outsole and comfort straight out of the box, and it is the easy first recommendation for broad feet on UK coast path, downland and muddy bridleway.
If you want a lighter, faster shoe for running or quick day walks rather than a cushioned hiker, the Merrell Nova 4 Waterproof carries the same roomy Merrell last, with a touch of midfoot room and a rounded toebox, and it is also offered in a wide fitting. It uses Merrell's own waterproof membrane rather than GORE-TEX and rides on a light, cushioned midsole, so it suits wide-footed hikers who move quickly and find a chunky hiker excessive.
On a tighter budget, the Merrell Accentor Sport 3 GORE-TEX is the value entry, with a real GORE-TEX membrane at around £95. Its fit is standard Merrell, true to size with a medium-width, slightly roomy toebox, so it is friendlier to a broad forefoot than a narrow Salomon while stopping short of the Moab's dedicated wide fitting. For a mildly wide foot that wants dry feet cheaply, it does the job; for a genuinely wide foot, step up to the Moab 3 and its wide version.
What all three share is the roomy Merrell shape that makes the difference for broad feet. If you have been put off waterproof trainers because every pair you tried pinched, these are the ones to try first.
Size up, or seek a wide fitting?
This is the question most wide-footed buyers get wrong, so it is worth being clear.
Sizing up makes a shoe longer, and only slightly wider, because a shoe gets a little broader as it gets longer. For a mildly wide foot, going up half a size can buy just enough extra width to take the pressure off, and if a shoe you love does not come in a wide fitting, it is a reasonable stopgap.
But it comes at a cost, and the cost is heel fit. A shoe sized up for width is too long, so your foot sits too far back, the flex point of the shoe no longer lines up with the ball of your foot, and the heel slips as you walk. Heel slip means blisters and lost control on descents, which is trading one problem for another.
So the rule is simple. If your feet are only a little broad, sizing up half a size is a fair fix, as long as the heel still holds. If your feet are genuinely wide, do not size up, seek a true wide fitting instead, which adds width across the forefoot without adding length. That is why the Merrell Moab 3 GORE-TEX, with its dedicated wide version, is the strongest answer for broad feet: it solves the width without breaking the length.
If the shoe you want is a narrow one with no wide option, the honest advice is to want a different shoe. A narrow membrane trainer forced onto a wide foot will not come good, and there are roomier pairs that will.