Shoe sizing

[Muse]

There are many sites that aid in determine what size shoes you should be wearing. I've been hitting a bunch and I see that there is significant variance. Measure the length and width of your foot and one site might have you wearing a different size than another.

I've been buying mens New Balance 11 4E for years and figured I was fine. They are pretty consistent in their sizing, I don't remember thinking any "don't fit." But I haven't had my feet measured in I figure a couple decades, maybe more. So, I measured my own feet this time, seems length is ~10 7/8, width ~4 3/8. I see me recommended between a 10 1/2 and 11 size and either a 4E or 5-6E, using two different sites' charts.

Why am I seeing differences in recommendations?

I just ordered a bunch of Skechers in 11 4E. I was wondering, now figure they'll not be too bad a fit, but maybe different sizing would be better. Was going to visit a few shoe shops and see what they say but don't know if it's worth the effort.

 

[Captante]

Allow me to revisit my previously made point about (nearly) always insisting that I try on shoes I buy?



I've found SERIOUS differences in size/width between two pairs of the SAME size from the SAME brand several times, nevermind between two different brands.

If you buy MOST shoes online without trying them on first the chances of a return IME are greater than 50/50.

 

[BoomerD]

In (most) New Balance shoes, I wear a 12 4E. In some shoes, 12 3E fits GREAT, while still others, my toes hit the end of the shoes in a 12. My White's Smoke Jumper boots are 10.5 FF. They probably should be 11, because SOMETIMES, my toenails (if they're just a skosh long) will touch the toe of the boots.

EVERY manufacturer is different.

 

[Captante]

In (most) New Balance shoes, I wear a 12 4E. In some shoes, 12 3E fits GREAT, while still others, my toes hit the end of the shoes in a 12. My White's Smoke Jumper boots are 10.5 FF. They probably should be 11, because SOMETIMES, my toenails (if they're just a skosh long) will touch the toe of the boots.

EVERY manufacturer is different.

New Balance is one of the handful of athletic-shoe brands I would trust buying without having on my feet for 10 minutes first.... MAYBE the only major sneaker company I trust to that level in terms of width at least.

I usually buy 1/2 size up anyway so length isn't a problem ... I hate my toes hitting!

 

[nakedfrog]

Yes, I would recommend going and getting sized in-store.

 

[BoomerD]

Yes, I would recommend going and getting sized in-store.

Even that's not a guarantee that the measured size will fit you right

 

[balloonshark]

While were on the subject, would New Balance and Sketchers fit the same as Nike and Reebok? I've bought the latter two in 8 1/2 at B width for dozens of years but I would really like to try a pair of Sketchers. I think I had NB in the past but can't remember how they fit and I'm not sure if I liked them for my feet. I know a lot of people love them though.

(Yes. I'm a manlet)

 

[Muse]

Allow me to revisit my previously made point about (nearly) always insisting that I try on shoes I buy?



I've found SERIOUS differences in size/width between two pairs of the SAME size from the SAME brand several times, nevermind between two different brands.

If you buy MOST shoes online without trying them on first the chances of a return IME are greater than 50/50.

Well, I've called Skechers a few times the last few days about this and that. They tell me I can return them for full refund (if "unworn"). The one pair I have from them seems to fit OK.

Can you tell right away if a shoe doesn't fit you?

 

[Muse]

New Balance is one of the handful of athletic-shoe brands I would trust buying without having on my feet for 10 minutes first.... MAYBE the only major sneaker company I trust to that level in terms of width at least.

I usually buy 1/2 size up anyway so length isn't a problem ... I hate my toes hitting!

When measured (decades ago now, I think) I was a 10 1/2, but I have been in the habit for many years of buying 11 (4E) for that very reason. I figure I could wear a 10 1/2 4E, maybe, depending...

 

[Captante]

Well, I've called Skechers a few times the last few days about this and that. They tell me I can return them for full refund (if "unworn"). The one pair I have from them seems to fit OK.

Can you tell right away if a shoe doesn't fit you?

No... that's why I go to the store and walk around IN the store for at least 10-15 minutes or so before buying.

Then when I get home I wear the new shoes in the house on carpet for several hours too before I go outside. This HAS resulted in a few returns but I have about a 90% success-rate.

As for Skechers support/CS, they took good care of me the one time I had a problem with a defective pair as I previously mentioned.

 

[Muse]

No... that's why I go to the store and walk around IN the store for at least 10-15 minutes or so before buying.

Then when I get home I wear the new shoes in the house on carpet for several hours too before I go outside. This HAS resulted in a few returns but I have about a 90% success-rate.

I used to do that stuff. When I discovered that New Balance 11 4E invariably fit me, I just bought them period. Before all that I used to hit the B&M stores. One time I needed work boots for a job. Steel toe was really what was required, but every pair I tried on were killing me in the store. I found some work shoes that did fit but they were not steel toe. I had no choice. I not only bought them, I bought 3 pair and now, some 30+ years later I still have those 3 pair. They fit me great. One is so beat up it's funny. It's so beat the leather looks like suede, all polish has worn off. The other two pair I polished: cordovan and black. I rarely wear them now, but they ARE pretty good for the garden because they don't pick up all the mud I get in my New Balance shoes.

 

[BoomerD]

No... that's why I go to the store and walk around IN the store for at least 10-15 minutes or so before buying.

Then when I get home I wear the new shoes in the house on carpet for several hours too before I go outside. This HAS resulted in a few returns but I have about a 90% success-rate.

As for Skechers support/CS, they took good care of me the one time I had a problem with a defective pair as I previously mentioned.

Exactly. Once you wear a pair of shoes outside, they're yours, no matter whether they fit right or not. ALWAYS wear them in the house, preferably on carpet for a while. Then, if they're not right, you can return them.

 

[BoomerD]

I used to do that stuff. When I discovered that New Balance 11 4E invariably fit me, I just bought them period. Before all that I used to hit the B&M stores. One time I needed work boots for a job. Steel toe was really what was required, but every pair I tried on were killing me in the store. I found some work shoes that did fit but they were not steel toe. I had no choice. I not only bought them, I bought 3 pair and now, some 30+ years later I still have those 3 pair. They fit me great. One is so beat up it's funny. It's so beat the leather looks like suede, all polish has worn off. The other two pair I polished cordovan and black. I rarely wear them now, but they ARE pretty good for the garden because they don't pick up all the mud I get in my New Balance shoes.

once upon a time...long ago and in a galaxy far, far away...I was on a "steel toes required" job...I took my favorite pair of beat-up boots into a boot repair shop...had them put steel caps OVER the toes of my boots.

 

[Captante]

Thing is when I go to the store to buy athletic shoes I also USUALLY find deals, most commonly on ASICS in "wide" sizes but sometimes other brands too. (ASICS shoes tend to hold up very well too)

Nike and NB both have a lot of wide stuff that fits me well but they're very seldom on sale or included in coupons.

 

[PowerEngineer]

And I thought I had wide feet. 😳

In my admittedly limited personal experience, going up a size is roughly equivalent to an increase in width. A 15M fits me about as well as a 14W.

 

[Muse]

Thing is when I go to the store to buy athletic shoes I also USUALLY find deals, most commonly on ASICS in "wide" sizes but sometimes other brands too. (ASICS shoes tend to hold up very well too)

Nike and NB both have a lot of wide stuff that fits me well but they're very seldom on sale or included in coupons.

I never click with Nike anymore. I bought some NB at sporting goods stores, but then discovered that Kohl's B&M had good (far better) deals in them. Plus, Kohl's had regular very enticing sales, advertised in the local newspaper. I had an account with them, too. Altogether, it kept me in NB pretty economically. Stopped shopping Kohl's a few years ago. I have picked up NB online several times, including Ebay, at pretty competitive pricing.

 

[Muse]

And I thought I had wide feet. 😳

In my admittedly limited personal experience, going up a size is roughly equivalent to an increase in width. A 15M fits me about as well as a 14W.

Yes, one would think this. Also, a bit big is better than a bit small.

 

[nakedfrog]

Well, I've called Skechers a few times the last few days about this and that. They tell me I can return them for full refund (if "unworn"). The one pair I have from them seems to fit OK.

Can you tell right away if a shoe doesn't fit you?

If it's too small, that can be evident fairly quickly, but if it's only just barely too small, that may take more time. Too big may be a little harder, it took me quite a while to realize my feet had shrunk and my existing boots were too big, but of course that was also a gradual process.

 

[MrSquished]

I gotta give some love to barefoot shoes. Not for hiking, but for just around town. I love the zero drop stack and letting your foot sit as natural, your toes can wiggle and aren't pushed together. It's so much more sensible and natural. It gets rid of a lot of the worry about a shoe feeling too tight in the forefoot. Different brands make different barefoot style shoes with different amounts of stack heights, so you should be able to find one that suits the amount of padding you want between you and the ground.

 

[Captante]

While were on the subject, would New Balance and Sketchers fit the same as Nike and Reebok? I've bought the latter two in 8 1/2 at B width for dozens of years but I would really like to try a pair of Sketchers. I think I had NB in the past but can't remember how they fit and I'm not sure if I liked them for my feet. I know a lot of people love them though.

(Yes. I'm a manlet)

No.... shoe-sizes are not so much "rules" as they are "guidelines".

(sorta like "parlay" LOL)

Size doesn't even hold true consistently among shoes/sneakers of the same brand/model IME.

 

[Captante]

If it's too small, that can be evident fairly quickly, but if it's only just barely too small, that may take more time. Too big may be a little harder, it took me quite a while to realize my feet had shrunk and my existing boots were too big, but of course that was also a gradual process.

One thing that can't ever be taken into account even over several hours is what will happen when shoes "break-in" to your foot... and all materials do this over weeks/months of wear.

Some shoes stretch perfectly and fit like a glove (the better made ones) while others become loose and uncomfortable as they wear.

I gotta give some love to barefoot shoes. Not for hiking, but for just around town. I love the zero drop stack and letting your foot sit as natural, your toes can wiggle and aren't pushed together. It's so much more sensible and natural. It gets rid of a lot of the worry about a shoe feeling too tight in the forefoot. Different brands make different barefoot style shoes with different amounts of stack heights, so you should be able to find one that suits the amount of padding you want between you and the ground.

The issue for me is that I've yet to find a "barefoot" shoe that also provided sufficient protection to my insole on rough terrain.

There are "trail-running" shoes that mimic the foot-position of "barefoot" but instead of a thin sole to feel in-touch with the ground-surface they have a relatively thick hard-rubber tread which sorta defeats the entire purpose.

 

[MrSquished]

The issue for me is that I've yet to find a "barefoot" shoe that also provided sufficient protection to my insole on rough terrain.

There are "trail-running" shoes that mimic the foot-position of "barefoot" but instead of a thin sole to feel in-touch with the ground-surface they have a relatively thick hard-rubber tread which sorta defeats the entire purpose.

Yes I don't see myself buying low stack hiking barefoot shoes, you feel way too much of the terrain, for that I will take my Salomon GTX's every time. But for just general daily use, if you don't live in the woods or on a ranch, they are really good. The Lem's Primal 2 is my favorite dog walking sneaker ever and general sneaker to go out with when casual enough. The Vivobarefoot Addis is a great leather shoe for dressing it up a bit. I have a pair of Xero Shoes in hemp that is kind of like a crossover between a sneak and casual shoe, also wonderful.

 

[Captante]

Problem is that IME the "rough terrain" can be literally ANYWHERE and when you're expecting it (like when hiking) isn't so much the issue.

I've had too many foot injuries in my life to walk around in the cold, hard and SHARP world wearing thin-soled shoes! (including a small nail that went right through the one pair of "barefoot" Adidas sneakers I had for awhile hence my previous comment... super-comfortable but no/poor foot protection)

 

[MrSquished]

Problem is that IME the "rough terrain" can be literally ANYWHERE and when you're expecting it (like when hiking) isn't so much the issue.

I've had too many foot injuries in my life to walk around in the cold, hard and SHARP world wearing thin-soled shoes! (including a small nail that went right through the one pair of "barefoot" Adidas sneakers I had for awhile hence my previous comment... super-comfortable but no/poor foot protection)

I'm not sure what kind of sidewalks they keep in CT, but in NNJ and NYC it's been just fine.

 

[Captante]

I'm not sure what kind of sidewalks they keep in CT, but in NNJ and NYC it's been just fine.

I stepped on that nail IN Manhattan! (and then had to drive home to CT pressing a clutch with that foot!)

And I wouldn't "brag" about how clean "North Joisey" is lolol.... I'm intimately familiar with the entire state. SOME of it is really nice but large areas are unspeakably polluted and filthy.

EDIT: To prove my point:

New Jersey currently has 105 Superfund sites and 2 more proposed.

New York State (which is much larger!) has 87.

Connecticut has 18.