Men's 978 V1 Walking Shoe

I've always done well with New Balance in most styles and I have a tough foot - 9 4E. I needed a new mid-weight hiking shoe for an upcoming trip to Newfoundland, and unlike most hiking shoes/boots, these come in widths. All my New Balance shoes fit perfectly at 9 4E. But then I read the reviews and quite a few regular New Balance buyers said this shoe runs small and narrow and quite a few warned "buy a bigger size." I was swayed and went up a half size.I've worn these for several days of my 5 mile walks on suburban and city terrain for break-in and they'll be fine, especially with a thicker hiking sock. But to be honest, if I buy them again I'll drop back to a size 9. I remove the standard insert and instead use a "Good Feet" arch support and pad, yet the size is still more than adequate. I have no issue with the toe box, or width, in fact they seem a tad wide (maybe that's the 9 ½) and I don't need the extra half size. Everybody's foot shape is different, so I believe those who had problems, but I'm not one of them. The size seems very true to my expectations.As to durability, time will tell but frankly, based on how they are built and a lot of past experience with New Balance, I expect good wear.

I bought this model about five years ago. I tried breaking them in steadily with short walks and they seemed OK. However, a ten-mile walk soon proved my initial assessment to be an illusion. As others have noted the shoe is way too small and the toe box is narrow putting pressure on the toes. After the ten miler my toes hurt for a considerable time. I never used them again until the other day when I spotted them in the garage and decided to give then another try. My experience was the same, even after a much shorter walk. It's time to throw them away.I agree completely with other reviewers who have noted that the shoe is neither true to length nor width.

I've been wearing size 9 4E New Balance shoes for the last 15 years. Always a good, comfortable fit -- until now. Toe box was very cramped and shoe width felt more like a 2E. Ankle cuff was very painful - could not even use top lace hook. Wore them around the house for about 2 hours and was ready to send them back. Very disappointed in this particular shoe.

I have 4E wide feet which makes it hard for me to find shoes. New Balance is one brand I know I can buy a 10.5 4E and have it fit perfectly from day 1. What I like about these boots is the ankle support. I've had weak ankles my entire life so these boots are extra awesome. They not only feel great but provide great support. I highly recommend these.

Bought these shoes to replace a previous pair - that pair was purchased over 8 years ago, made it thru over 200 miles on the AT, had a hard life - figured it was time to get some new ones. Bought these 3 months ago. As you can see, the heel is already falling off these - and they've not even been on a hike yet! I've used these mainly out in the yard, while mowing, weed-eating, etc - a fairly easy life compared to the last pair - SOOOOOO disappointed! Time for a change - do NOT recommend these at all!!

I was reluctant to order this shoe based on other reviews that indicated the shoe runs too small, but since it is REALLY difficult to find shoes like this for narrow feet I gave it a try. Yup, too small. Actually width is fine, or could even be a little narrower, but the shoe is shorter than what it should be. I may try to use it even though my toes touch since the next size up from a 12 is a 13. I know the width would then be too wide. Really frustrating since the quality of the shoe is very good (thus the 3 stars). Please, New Balance, redesign this shoe to make it longer, while keeping the width the same.

I have wanted to buy this pair of boots for over a year. It is an awesome mid-boot. But, the price was out of my reach. But then the price dropped almost in half so I bought it.But they are going back. Sadly. But the reason is simple, it is a mislabeled size. I am 58 years old and have worn a 10.5 Wide (or 2E as some call it.) since I was about 13 years old. I not only know what that size feels like (namely IT FITS) but I have been specifically buying New Balance hikers/walking shoes etc for over 10 years because they perform very well AND the are one of the few makers offering WIDE sizes.In fact in March I just bought a pair of New Balance Men's M1300v1 Walking Shoe, Chocolate, 10.5 2E US. They fit great. It is not my foot growing, etc, or these would not have fit. SO, I didn't really need the new boots, I just love them and the price drop was significant.For reference, I went through this about 2 years ago when I bought New Balance Men's PM4040v4 Molded Baseball Shoe, Navy/White, 10.5 2E US. Guess what? Major tight!!! I returned them and got a size 11 2E and guess what? Slightly better but still too tight. I needed the shoes so I put them thru a stretching routine and if I wear socks thin as panty hose they are now tolerable 2 years later after wearing 1x week during softball season.Moral to the story? Be warned. New Balance has major labeling problems and this time at least, they dropped the price because it is an easier way to get a few bucks (still $90 on sale!) instead of re-labeling.

This is a really great quality hiking shoe. It's waterproof and durable but the sizes run very small. My size is almost always 11 in a medium width (D). I read that this model runs small so I bought a size 11.5 D. It was way too tight. I returned it and bought a size 12 in a 2E width. It's better but I can't wear very thick socks with these. Medium-weight socks allow enough room for a little bit of toe movement, or I can take out the removable insert to wear extra thick socks and they fit fine. I recommend these hiking boots (more of a mid-cut boot) but I would recommend buying one whole size larger and consider one size wider as well.

Bought my New Balance MW978GT boots in Amazon's Warehouse deals section. They were marked as "Used" but when I received them they were as good as new. Not a mark on them. Great deal and a saving of about £30!The boots are very comfortable and ideal for the three warmer seasons. I need a wide fitting shoe/boot so the 2E width fitting is just about right. Not many other walking-shoe manufactures seem to offer this wider-fitting facility, and the only other one I've found is Scarpa. I have a pair of superb Scarpa winter walking boots (Ranger II) and these are more comfortable than the New Balance MW978GT shoes, but cost me three times as much. So I guess you get what you pay for.One thing to be aware of though - I normally take size 9 shoes. I needed a size 10.5 New Balance shoe before they felt comfortable.

Generally I like New Balance shoes, in my experience they are constructed much better than the average walking shoe manufacturer. I have had these boots for 18 months and generally they are well made and strong. But there is a real problem with them, namely the soles. The soles really do not give any grip when the ground is muddy or wet i.e. in typical UK conditions. There is hardly any differential between the heel and the front sole and if you begin to slide whilst wearing them then they will not grip. These boots are really made as strong fashion shoes for walking around towns or on well made gravel paths. The lack of a heel or heel lugs means they are not suitable for UK hill walking.

The shoe is fine, but a little small on the toe. If you buy this item, you probably want to follow the advice and get a 1/2 size bigger than you would normally get. Being waterproof, your feet get quite sweaty in the show which is a pity. For quality, I'd give this a 3.5-4 stars.My real gripe with this shoe is that I was duped into buying a shoe that was "made in the UK" (ie. not made in the Far East). The shoe has arrived with a big fat label saying "Made in Vietnam". If you're trying to make an ethical choice of not shipping jobs over to countries with terrible human rights records or where goods are shipped half-way round the world with all the waste of resources that entails...then look elsewhere.

It feels like a good quality shoe, but I ordered a 14 4E and it more like a 12 D. Because of the quality it isn't too painful, but the size is a serious problem.

I have just completed a 97 mile walk (West Highland Way) in these excellent boots. Some of the weather was as wet as it gets and I had one sunny day. The boots performed better than any other boot I have used in the past and left me with no blisters and reasonably dry feet. Many of my companions had expensive "fancy" boots that were just not up to the job and they finished with wet and blistered feet. The boots are a great combination of comfort and stability. I cant recommend them enough... Just one thing you will have to go up one UK size to get a good fit.