Just as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of the trail runner is in the wearing of it. Even though mass production requires the fiction that feet come in highly standard shapes and sizes, the only way to know if a shoe fits your feet is to wear it.

The best strategy I know is that, when you find a shoe company whose products work well for you, stick with it - at least until the company is swallowed by another company which may make unwanted changes to the designs and to the lasts. Some of the shoes other people love and recommend highly are no good for me. It doesn't mean they are bad shoes, just bad shoes for me and my feet.

Whenever I discover a shoe that really works well for me, I try to buy one or two extra pairs before the model changes. I still have one pair of Cascadia 7's I use. I also own a couple of pairs of Cascadia 11's which ought to last me a while, before I must go fishing for good shoes again. It's always a bit of a crap shoot, but I have at least two companies that I've been relatively happy with, so I do have a starting place each time I go fishing. Good luck.