Some Advice on a Good Fit

And now I spend most of my work hours traveling around the country teaching folks in shops about the Oboz brand, and most importantly, how to fit their customers—not just in Oboz—but in whatever brand they need/want/is appropriate for them and the activities they do. We believe in supporting our dealers and educating their staff to help their customers get into the footwear that best matches their foot and their activity. We are confident that a large part of the population will find a match in Oboz, but we also recognize not every customer will fit properly in our shoes.

In my experience, I have noticed that a large majority of people buying shoes for active endeavors such as running and hiking have no idea what the correct size is for themselves, nor do they know what to look for in their footwear. Often, they are going on what brands they see in ads, or on friends’ feet, or by recommendation from a blogger with experience in the activity they are pursuing.

A word of advice here: Just because someone told you “Brand X, Y or Z” is a good shoe, doesn’t mean it’s a good shoe for you. Find your fit and a shoe that matches what you’re planning to do.

Brands have (or should have) basic DNA that makes their "fit" their own. Some are wide and high volume. Others are narrow and low volume. Some do combinations of all the above. There are brands that make a variety of shapes, widths, and volumes in their line. It’s up to you to do your research and ask questions of the people working the shops where you purchase your footwear.

The Oboz DNA: Oboz’s DNA is a narrower heel, a sculpted midfoot and a wider forefoot. You will find that shape to all our shoe lasts*. Of course, there will be slight variations in volume and fit from style to style, but you can count on that V shape of our shoe last. 

*A last is a form made from various materials like wood, iron and plastics that is shaped like a human foot.

That all said, it is now time to turn attention to your own foot.

What does your foot look like? What is the shape of your arch? Do you have long toes? Short ones? Do you have low or high volume feet? Do you have a bunion or other foot malady? Any footwear salesperson worth their salt will be checking all of that out as they ask to measure your feet on a Brannock device (the old school tool to measure length, width, and arch length of your foot).

Second word of advice: If the salesperson doesn’t pull out a Brannock device, ask for it. If they don’t know what it is, or don’t have one in the store. Shop elsewhere. You may have been a size 9 when you were fifteen and "stopped growing." But things change over time. You may have had a baby. You may have had an injury, or gained a few pounds, or lost some. Your hair may be a little grayer. And, keep in mind that gravity always wins and those arches of yours are probably not what they used to be. If you haven’t been properly measured in the last year, you should be before purchasing new shoes for any outdoor activity. Being measured by an expert allows them to properly match your foot to a shoe that will fit it. They can see what is going on with your foot and, if they are good at their job, they will know how the brands on their wall are shaped. This will allow them to help guide you to a proper fit. 

Arch length is probably the most important thing to measure, and the measurement most likely to change over time. Arch length is the distance from the heel to the metatarsal head (the joint at your big toe). It is measured with the sliding knob on the Brannock device.

Third word of advice: Don’t just go by your foot length. Make sure your salesperson uses the slide knob on the Brannock. The reason you want to know this measurement is because that is where your foot actually flexes. Most running and hiking shoes are built with an engineered flex point in the shoe. Ideally, you want your own flex point to line up with that of the shoe.

Let’s say you have a size 9 foot (measured heel to toe), but your arch length is an 11 because you have short toes, or a flattened arch. You will fit in the size 9, but your foot is flexing (or wants to flex) further up in the shoe. You are causing the foot to improperly flex. You might be getting a little bit of heel lift and are wearing out the pocket in the back of the shoe. (No brand uses terrible material back there. If there is wear, it is due to improper fit, not shoddy workmanship.) This is an indication that your shoe is too small. Try sizing up a little bit. You’ll find the heel slip will cease and the foot is more comfortable because it is not working so hard to flex the shoe.

Generally, I split the difference between length and arch length. In the case above, I would start by looking at size 10 and work from there. Most people are only a half size different in arch length. In that case, if you are a 9 length with a 9.5 arch length, I would just go with the 9.5. People that say they always have to ‘size up’ are usually addressing the arch length discrepancy without realizing that’s what they are doing.  

It’s perfectly ok to have a thumb’s width between the end of your longest toe and the wall of the toe box. There should be no contact whatsoever in the front end of the shoe. Imagine hiking downhill for 6 hours. If your toes are banging the front of the shoe, you will likely lose a toenail. You want to make sure there is room for your toes. You want your midfoot held snuggly in place without it being too tight around the middle and you want your heel to be secure in the back of the shoe with no lifting or side to side sliding. When trying on the shoes, be sure to use whatever rock ramp the store has to test various ways your feet will experience the shoes. If there is no rock ramp, hopefully there will be a set of stairs to go up and down. If not, try hopping up and down off of the fitting bench, or at least do these tests at home before taking the shoes on a trail. 

People with wide feet often tend to ask for shoes longer than their foot length to give room for their wide feet and toes. This is no good as they wind up placing their flex point over a part of the shoe that isn’t meant to bend. This causes the foot to bend in the wrong place and can do damage to the arch.

Fourth word of advice: If you have a wide foot and the shoe style you are looking at does not come in a wide width, then move on to a style that does come in wide. Do not get a longer shoe for your wide foot. Again, go by the paragraph above to determine if your shoes fit properly.

 The last bit of advice I have for you is to match your activity and shoe so that you are comfortable and supported throughout the time of your activity. Ask questions and do your reading about the tech in the shoes you are considering. Will they give you the support you need? The comfort? What is your ability level? Don’t be afraid to tell the shop employee what you are doing. Are you going on a long hike/run? Carrying weight? What is the terrain like? All of these qualifying questions can help you and the well-versed outdoor specialty employee land upon the footwear that best fits you. Good and proper fitting footwear is the key to success. If your feet are hurting at the end of the day, or worse, while out and about, you won’t have a good time. So do your research, have a proper fitting at a shop that knows what they are doing, and purchase the shoes that are right for you!