I had a posting a while back regarding hot spots I was getting on my toes. Pre-blisters I called them. They wouldn't actually result in blisters even after 3-4 days of hiking with a 35 lb pack. Anyhow, the boots I currently own are La Sportiva Venture Mid XCr. They fit like any of my other street shoes fit, with the toes quite close to the tip of the shoe. I'm wondering if I go with a new pair of boots, should I go with a 1/2 or full size larger? I'm thinking that more room in the toe box might help with the hot spots.

The boots I'm considering are Asolo FSN 95 GTX

I was told that if you put the boot on and kick something solid pretty hard, your toe should not touch the front of the boot - otherwise, they're too short.

For some people, the right pair of insoles can fine-tune a shoe's fit and result in fewer problems.

I've never been able to wear La Sports, they run narrow. At least the ones I've tried on.

I had to go a full size and half larger to get enough toe box. I had to get a men's shoe for the width across the ball of the foot, as all women's versions were too tight. If your heel doesn't pop up and your toes don't hit shoe when you're walking downhill, it's a good fit. The only way for you to know if the shoes work is to try them on and understand what they should feel/fit like - your feet are nothing like mine, and all brands of shoe are slightly different. Salomans and Keens seem to work okay for my long narrow heeled wide longtoed feet, and I added Superfeet greens (took out the provided insole) to reduce sore flat feet.