How do I avoid heelslip in walking Joggers when 0,5 size bigger before feet expand

" Roger Caffin (and others) suggest wearing joggers (trainers/running shoes) which are a bit larger than your normal size for hiking: "

heck, he more or less Demands it !
even if you wear boots, for the love of lord in heaven, DO NOT let him know !
i wear boots, and i'd never let on about it.

"But how do you stop yourself from getting heel blisters before your feet have warmed up and expanded?"
if the shoes actually fit your feet, slip should not be an issue. try on lots of them, you can feel slip on the first walk across the store.
stiffer insoles tend to make for more slip.
thicker insole padding at the heel tends to make for more slip.

Leuko-p tape has been mentioned here 1000's of times. used with tincture of benzoin it will stay on for several days if layed properly over a heel.

my shoes went from a 9-1/2 in 1989 (way too tight), to 10's (still too tight), an then for years i suffered with 10-1/2's, ok, but snug for sissy trail use and gave blisters, to 11's (ahhhh …), to now as much as a 12+ in a running shoe (Altra brand), and a full 11W in a Meindle boot (know to run huge)
for whatever reason, hard use lets feet "grow", or as i look at it, expand to the size they should have been in the first place.

cheers,
v.

Personally, my feet have been good in the same size since I was in college (40 years ago). I have never had this problem or expanding feet, but believe others when they say they have. But, since not everyone has expanding feet, do you know for sure that you will?

One way to deal with it might be (and I have not tried this as it is not an issue for me) to fit your footwear with thicker socks and thicker insoles. Then, if your feel expand/grow, you can switch to thinner insoles and socks as needed… each of those can make about 1/2 size difference.

Or, if doing a long thru hike, perhaps you could include larger shoes in you caches along the way.

Or, some combination of the above.

good luck.

Billy

One tip is to try on the shoes at the end of the day when your feet are naturally swollen.

And regardless of what Roger says, the shoes should not slip and should not need any tape at the heel to prevent this. It means the shoes don't fit.

Put on the shoes, and when you stand up you should have about the width of your thumb between the end of your big toe and the end of the shoe.

You can trying a “lock” or ” runners loop” lace.

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/locklacing.htm

There’s also plenty of YouTube videos that explain how it works. I did this with a pair of Inov-8’s with some success.

Adrien

+1 on the lacing. If you lace your shoes right, you can lock your heel in great even if the toes are swimming on free space (the way I prefer). Now granted if you do a lot of technical scrambling you may want a tighter shoe so that you can stand on smaller rock edges, but that scenario aside, find a shoe brand that fits your ankle/heel but has the room in the toes. Also not all shoes fit the same, so you may have to try new brands/models to see what works.

> Roger Caffin (and others) suggest wearing joggers (trainers/running shoes) which are
> a bit larger than your normal size for hiking:
> But how do you stop yourself from getting heel blisters before your feet have warmed
> up and expanded?
Suggest, yes; demand? NO. Never. Stupid idea. How can I?

I find that selecting the right size and width is important, but I also select for shoe Last (shape). Now, with many well-known boutique brands you get a choice of width=D and Last=fixed/unspecified. A pity if your foot has a different shape. Only a (few) big brands actually bother to offer a choice of widths and Lasts.

Most joggers allow a range of lacing options: they have a big row of holes up to the ankle. I find that using all the holes available will usually lock my heel down quite well. Tight lacing is never needed, and can be painful. With a few shoes I have undone the top lace/hole at lunchtime once my feet have fattened up for the day, but just having the laces 'not-tight' is usually enough.

I wear very thin nylon socks as a base layer (Gobi Wigwams work well), and thick wool blend socks over those. Darn Tough Vermont Boot socks are classic, but heavy Thorlos are also good.

> And regardless of what Roger says, the shoes should not slip and should not need
> any tape at the heel to prevent this. It means the shoes don't fit.
I call 'foul' here. I have never said the shoes should slip, and I have never suggested you should need tape at the heels. Both are bad.

The combination of width, Last, Lacing and Socks mean that I have not had a blister in … 20+ years? However, YMMV.

Cheers

+2 on the lacing technique; works wonders for me.

Thanks.

Alan,
What is your situation here? Are you going on a very long trek where you are afraid your feet might swell, or is this just preemptive concern?

My advice is almost always to just wear whatever running shoes you already have that fit you and are comfortable (they don't have to be special). Just wear these until they are too small (if that happens) and move on from there.

This has the dual benefit guaranteeing you comfortable shoes and costing you nothing in the process.

If your feet grow in size, then cross that bridge when you come to it and consider larger shoes at that point. After all, it's not like your feet are going to grow two sizes overnight. You will see it coming well beforehand and should have enough time to deal with the situation before it becomes a serious issue.