Sizing up in expectation of foot expansion

[sam1000000]

Hi!
I just purchased a pair of low cut oboz sawtooth boots. I purchased a size 8 but think I'm more of a 7.5. Now, I could return them to REIs used gear people. However I've heard that when you thru hike your feet tend to expand (I believe from swelling?). Would having a half size larger shoe at the being be a good thing then? Or should I fork up the shipping fees and send them packing *ba dum tiss 🥁*

[colorado_rob]

When I started long distance hiking in earnest, my feet increased one full size, from 10 to 11, over a couple years. I think this is pretty common. If your 8's are only a bit sloppy now, you can put additional foot beds in to take up a bit of slop for now.

[Nanatuk]

I went form 10 to now wearing 11 or 11 1/2. Part of that was just giving my toes room that I had been denying them for a long time.

[Slo-go'en]

So long as your foot is snug in the boot and doesn't slide around, having a little extra toe room is a good thing. One foot might need it more then the other, as feet are not always exactly the same size. Mine are off by nearly a full inch, which makes picking a shoe size a bit of a compromise.

That style shoe is only good for about 300 miles which probably isn't enough to make a noticeable difference in your feet. After pounding your feet everyday for a 1000 miles, that's when you start to notice it.

[peakbagger]

Yes your feet will widen out, they typically dont get longer. If you get away wit standard width, you will go out to wide. Some companies make inserts in different thicknesses so one trick is go with a wider shoe and use a thick insert to start with and then switch to thin insert as your feet widen out.

[sam1000000]

Oh I didn't know that about the shoe :( I had been recommended the higher ones in REI because I have really high arches that need a lot of support. Is there a better option that lasts longer (I know no shoe will last the entire trail, but ideally I wouldn't have to go through 7 pairs!) ... don't think I mentioned the trail in my OG post, but I'd like to do the AT

[sam1000000]

Hmm that makes sense about feet widening. I'll have to check the inserts out!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Assuming your fit is with the socks you will start the hike with, your feet may very well swell a 1/2 size early on. But better to have shoes a bit long than short due to toenails getting impacted on the downhills. You may also change your mind as to what you want performance wise in the way of trail footwear as your hike progresses as well. Experience is the ultimate teacher. Several years ago I tried a similar pair of Oboz trail shoes in NH. After the second short hike they got relegated to everyday shoes and lawn and garden duty. The uppers and fit were okay, but unless Oboz has changed the sole composition/compound, they had poor grip on the rocks in the Whites in NH compared to two others I wore - Salomon X-Ultras and LLBean Trail Models. This was several years ago, so maybe others here can counter my negative opinion if they have some more recent experience with Oboz on rocks and slabs and such. Maybe they have improved.

[camper10469]

havin a bitnof extra room is always better than too tight. the extra size will give your toe nails a break too.

wear your nice cushioned hiking socks n make sure your foot isnt swimming in the shoe. you can adjust the lacing accordinly as you go. you can also add in a thin insole.