Are the hiking boots I bought too small?

grizzly_beer

I bought a pair of these Salomon hiking boots
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KWK3LM2/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I normally take a size 7 shoe/runner so I ordered size 7 boots.
Im wondering if they fit ok, I'm worried that they a bit small and maybe I should go up to 7 1/2.

Essentially they feel like they fit perfectly, my feet slide into them np and they are snug.. except they feel a bit tight on the sides of my feet up at where my toes start, especially my right foot. I have quite wide feet.

Im trying to decide whether to go up half a size or keep them in the hope that they will stretch out a bit in that area, apparently salomons will wear in a bit.

I tried the following tests....

GENERAL SIZING
Take insole out of boot
place on floor
put foor on insole
should be one finger of insole above toes

FIT- ANKLES
go up small ramp or stairs on balls of feet
Focus on ankle fit
is boot encased around ankle - should be yes
is your heel coming out of boot - if so too big

FIT - TOES
Walk down a ramp
"stamp" down it
also stand on ramp toes pointing down
Toes should move forward a bit but not be squished against toebox

Remember to lace boots correctly, tightly
if you have orthopedic insets wear with boots
Try your boots with your hiking socks for a more correct realisitic fit

The tests seemed fine.
Here are the results of putting my foot on the insole. You can see I have some room at the front but my foot is bigger than the insole at the sides.







I'd like to have them tight as thats good for hiking / climbing etc.
But I dont want to have spent €150 on a pair that are too small and might mess up my feet. If they do stretch a bit then I think they'd be perfect.
I've also heard that your feet swell when hiking? So thats another thing. I need advice.

Esel

Get the larger boots, or better still get a different brand with a wider fit.

Generally, because you will be wearing thicker socks (and often two pairs of socks), you should buy boots a size larger than your normal shoe size.

Boots don't stretch much, if at all. If they are a little bit too big, you have options like extra/bigger insoles, thicker socks etc. If they are a little too small, you are looking at pain.


Been there, etc.

grizzly_beer wrote: »

I'd like to have them tight as thats good for hiking / climbing etc.

Tight is good only when talking about rock-climbing shoes.

my3cents

Its hard to compare shoe size with boot sizes, its even possible a size 7 in one make is the same size as a 7 1/2 in another because the size the boot was made to originally might have been American, UK or European and then converted to UK sizes.

So the good news is you've had a chance to try these on and if they are comfortable with one pair of socks I'd definitely go for a size larger because I always wear two pairs of socks (one extra thick) with boots.

CardinalJ

Ive wide feet and had a similar pair of Solomons. Theyre quite a narrow fit and while i never really felt I was having big problems, I wore through them pretty fast at the sides and the goretex lining tore after mayhlbe a year.

For a pair of 160 boots it was too quick but mainly down to the fit.

Have a pair of Meindls now which are wider.

They stood up to your tests and they felt fine if a bit narrow...but you devised a new one base on the size of foot v insole?

I think the foot will always be wider than the insole. I presume if the insole is wider, someone is a mile off in sizing.

What you are essentially asking is "are my feet too wide for my boots". No one here can answer that. No one knows how much your feet will swell. Mine don't.

I think you may be overthinking the matter. Boots that are a tiny bit small won't mess up your feet, we are not talking Chinese binding, they may just be less comfortable. Maybe try them around the house for an evening, see if there is any obvious soreness...but short of doing 7 hours on a treadmill, it'll be difficult to replicate the conditions without actually hiking.

wolfeye

I had the same problem with a pair of Asolo Gtx boots I had.
Felt a bit tight at the outside of the toe box area.
I thought after breaking them in they might be a better fit but no.
Going 1/2 size bigger made a huge difference.

DonJose

You should always go up a size when ordering hiking boots as your feet will tend to swell the more you hike, and go for the wide fit. I hiked 5 months in the US and ended up using Altra running shoes as did most of the thru hikers, Altra's had a wide toe box which minimizes blisters.

trishasaffron

I know most people say to go up a size in hiking boots but I've found that leads to blisters. With a snug boot I never had blisters but a marginally larger boot (but same size) caused and still causes blisters despite insoles and 2 pairs of socks - it's the ability of the foot to move in the boot as opposed to the tightness of the boot -and yet a smaller size was definitely too tight. It is very very hard to decide on boots.

Alun

It's a bit more complicated than just going up a size. That advice is mainly to allow extra room for your toes, especially on descents, so that you don't end up banging your toes on the front of the boot. Unfortunately, that also means that the volume of the front part of the boot increases proportionally, so your foot moves around more. Also different boot manufacturers make their boots on different "lasts" or forms, so a size 9 in one make can be quite different not only in width, but volume and even shape from another.

What can usually help in the case of a boot that is effectively the right length, but too "roomy" are what are called ""volume reducers". These are like insoles, but are made from hard, incompressible rubber and despite only being a few mm thick, make a world of difference, believe me. Adding extra socks or other soft insoles just doesn't have the same effect. I suffer from having two feet that differ quite a lot in terms of volume, so I have to wear these in one foot only.

These are what I have ...

http://www.jackson-sports.com/en/Superfeet-Volume-Reducer-For-Boots/m-3739.aspx

Orion

trishasaffron wrote: »

I know most people say to go up a size in hiking boots but I've found that leads to blisters. With a snug boot I never had blisters but a marginally larger boot (but same size) caused and still causes blisters despite insoles and 2 pairs of socks - it's the ability of the foot to move in the boot as opposed to the tightness of the boot -and yet a smaller size was definitely too tight. It is very very hard to decide on boots.

You can get two skin socks which help prevent blisters. I've been lucky that I've never actually got boots that have hot spots but that is pure luck rather than design.

As for Salamon - I find them a very narrow fit. They are excellent boots but if they are too tight then they're useless. I've wide feet so tend to avoid Salamons for that reason.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Have you tried Berghaus? I find they fit quite well, I have a wide fit too. There is some stretch in boots, but nothing like shoes.

Solomon are a very narrow fit, unfortunatley, as I had a lovely pair of shoes picked out to try.