Emergency boot fit isses

[guesswho]

Hey everyone,

I just got my first pair of hardboots in the mail last week and Im having some isses with how the boots are supposed to fit. So, heres the deal:

I measured my feet just as it says to do at the Bomber store and I got a 26 and a 26.3 for left and right respectively. So, I ordered a 26 boot from bomber.

When I got the boots it turns out they sent me a 25. When I tried them on, they were very tight, as to be expected. But when I do the finger test to see how the shells fit, I get two fingers behind each heel like its supposed to be.

I wore the boots with liners for a little while and strapped into my bindings, and while they were very VERY tight, it made me think. Will the liners expand enough after heat molding to give me a comfortable fit? Should I send them back and get the size I ordered? How tight are they supposed to be before you mold them?

I am taking a trip to vermont on Jan 6th and I really need to get the boot issue settled before then. PLEASE HELP!!!

-Adiel

[voysey]

i had a pair of soft boot that were so tight that i lost the feeling in my feet. i bought them in a snowboard store when i was in canada and the person measured my feet. I board mainly at killington. I went into the Out Of Bounds store to get a bigger pair and was going to sell the smaller one. I did not realise that the liner was susposed to be heat moulded. The person in the store sugested i mould the liner and bingo they now fit perfectly

[Mike T]

Getting the wrong size shipped was most likely a blessing in disguise - assumint the liners are Thermoflex. Have them molded and you should be a happy camper.

[RDY_2_Carve]

i had a pair of soft boot that were so tight that i lost the feeling in my feet. i bought them in a snowboard store when i was in canada and the person measured my feet. I board mainly at killington. I went into the Out Of Bounds store to get a bigger pair and was going to sell the smaller one. I did not realise that the liner was susposed to be heat moulded. The person in the store sugested i mould the liner and bingo they now fit perfectly

The only problem with this is once you mold the liner it's yours. If you have two fingers in the shell test then you are on the right track with getting proper fitting boots. A good bootfitter should be able to work things out for you (worst case). Home molding your liners is an option and works fine for many people here. You may also need a custom orthodic. Even the superfeet ones at REI are better than the stock footbeds. A good bootfitter will have custom molded footbeds avaliable as well and should have the tools/brains to stretch boots if needed or fill in gaps in spots that need attention.

Moldable liners will compress in areas that need it so it may give you the room you need.

I think getting the smaller boot that you recieved is a blessing in disguise. If you had MP26's you would certainly be sending them back as they'd probably be 2+ fingers in the shell test. The paper/trace method is very inaccurate IMHO.

[RDY_2_Carve]

Getting the wrong size shipped was most likely a blessing in disguise - assumint the liners are Thermoflex. Have them molded and you should be a happy camper.

You stole my line!!!

[guesswho]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies guys.

So it seems that most (if not all) are in agreement, Im better off with the size they sent me.

But Im wondering, is it possible for boots to be too tight even before being molded? Or does the mere fact that I fit into a 25 mean that Im too small for a 26?

-Adiel

[durace]

They should be tight before you mold them. I just got a new pair and am setting up now to use the method on bombers page to fit them. If the boot test passes then you should be all set.

Paul

[pokkis]

I'm just wondering that you measured them to be 26 and 26.3 but still on finger test with 25's you have space for 2 fingers

[pebu]

Don't let the numbers ruin a good thing. The fit itself does not lie (as long as you are doing it correctly).

[Mike T]

I'm just wondering that you measured them to be 26 and 26.3 but still on finger test with 25's you have space for 2 fingers

This is not unusual. If I measure my feet flat on the ground, they measure in the high 26's. Yet a size 26 boot is way too big for me. When I do the shell test in a pair of 25's I too get 2 fingers which tells me that I've found the right size.

Why the discrepancy? I measured my rather flat feet when they are flat on the ground. Those of us who have flat feet, need to account for that when measuring. If I measure while standing on my everyday orthotic footbeds I measure almost a full cm less. When I do the shell test I am not resting my weight on the foot so it doesn't flatten so it measures shorter than standing flat on the floor as well. The "on the footbed" measurement and the shell test more closely simulate what's happening while riding than does standing flat on the floor.

I suspect the same applies to the OP.

[pebu]

Oh yeah, I should note that I was measured at 27-27.5ish at the ski shop, but the 26 raichles that I got are great.

[Galen]

I measure in the mid 26's and 26 is way too big for me. Just got a pair of the T225's, same size as my LeMans. The T225's feel too tight with the un-molded liner, but when I slip my old 25mp liners in them, voila! So yeah, once you mold them, they should be fine,