[pct-l] Foot Expansion

[Cat Nelson]

You absolutely right about women wearing mens footwear. Also sleeves are
longer, and pants are longer and don't bind, if you what I mean.
On Jan 31, 2013 12:42 PM, "CHUCK CHELIN" <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:

> Good afternoon, Mark,
>
> As a young man I was perfectly comfortable wearing 10.5 medium shoes/boots,
> with “medium” usually meaning a “D” width, and I wore heavy wool socks in
> the boots.  After having engaged in long-distance hiking for a number of
> years, I now wear 12.5 or 13 in a 4E (EEEE) width, else I begin to get foot
> pain from the crowding across the ball, blisters, and damage to the nails
> from downhill walking; all while wearing thin, light socks.
>
> Many female hikers buy men's sizes because they are inherently wider for a
> particular length.
>
> Your results may certainly be different, but start out loose and prepare
> for the distinct possibility that more changes will occur.  Currently my
> hiking sneakers have a total of about 1 inch extra length, and are as wide
> as I can buy.
>
> Even with larger sizes I keep then loosely laced and tied, often with a
> hard knot about half way up the lacing so the lower portion can be very
> loose all the time, while the top can be tightened if a long down-hill
> stretch is encountered.  I almost never untie my shoes:  If I can’t just
> slip into them, I believe they are too tight.  The slip-n-slide,
> flop-around feeling quickly goes unnoticed.
>
> My size has been stable for years now, but if I were a new hiker I wouldn’t
> buy 5-6 pairs ahead of time based upon what feels OK now, and I would not
> listen to what the average shoe/boot sales clerk says about fit.
>
> Traditional heavy leather hiking boots are particularly bad in this respect
> because bought ahead they will probably soon be too tight.  Regardless of
> the additional weight, who wants to try to break-in new stiff leather boots
> on the trail, and who wants to buy-ahead several pairs of $200 boots only
> to find they won’t fit after 4-500 miles?
>
> Many on-line shoe peddlers will respond quickly to ship your size – or your
> new, larger size – to addresses on the trail which I think is a much better
> option than buying-ahead.  Most sneakers require very little break-in,
> particularly if they are loose to begin with.
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> -Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/
>
> On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 2:12 PM, Mark Halverstadt <
> markhalverstadt at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
> > Afternoon PCT-L,
> > I have recently started to research hiking shoe options for my
> > thru-hike this spring and have come across reports of past hikers
> > having their feet expand during their hike. I am wondering if any past
> > thru-hikers could expand on this. Some reports I have read say that
> > their feet flatten out or they grow up to 1.5 in size! Does age or
> > gender matter at all (I am a 28 year old Male btw)? What is the rate
> > of expansion? Should I plan to buy, in advance, a 1 size higher in my
> > shoes for the latter part of the hike? Please let me know what you
> > have heard or your experience with this subject. Thanks!
> >
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