Big Feet and Big Size availability

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 FreeloaderJoe 17 Jun 2019

Every time I look at buying a new pair of outdoor boots/shoes I'm surprised at how few big sizes are stocked or even manufactured. It's not rare that I go into a shop, and there will be another bigfoot in the store, also desperately trying to figure out if they are able to squeeze their feet into the biggest available size.

Boots in a size 12 (typically labeled a EU 47...I've found lately that EU sizes seem to offer a far better guide for sizing) are pretty thin on the ground, and anything above that is normally limited to 1 or 2 models if you are in a decent store (NONE in a crap store). This seems peculiar - I wear a size 11 in an English made school shoe, which isn't really that enormous and people always seem to at least one size bigger In walking/mountaineering boots, which puts me in the 12/12.5 (EU48) range, perhaps more if the boots are made in Italy. Considering that the average shoe size is a 10 in the UK, I'm surely not that far out of range!

I'd be very curious to hear from anyone who works in an outdoors shop or even from someone working at a distributor on the spread of sizes that they sell. It's not like the sales are always full of size 47/48 boots. 

Am I imagining it, or do people with slightly bigger feet than average (or those who don't want their toes crushed) really not very well catered for? 

 richprideaux 17 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

They are out there, but most retailers won't carry the stock for the less common sizes. I am EU47/48 for most manufacturers and can usually find what I want, but often have to request them/order them in. It's the same with anything for chest sizes bigger than 48" or longer legs with allowance for big/muscular thighs.

I do quite well with end-of-season clearance though, especially in places like Rock Bottom where you can find plenty of 47/48/49/50 boots if you don't mind battered boxes and being a year or two behind the trend.

 

OP FreeloaderJoe 17 Jun 2019
In reply to richprideaux:

The issue is not being able to try stuff on and then ordering it in, always at 100% RRP!

3
 Mr. Lee 19 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

With you on this point. I'm size 47 and usually 48 when it comes to mountain boots. The stock levels drop off a cliff when going from 47 to 48. 

removed user 24 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I'm a size 47-48 and it's a gigantic pain in the arse. I agree with everything you said and it extends to running shoes too. I've actually never managed to find a pair of boots in a shop. I order online, preferably from shops that pay return shipping. And I have to take whatever they've got in my size, I can't choose the brand and colour I want like other people do. 

Please someone open a sports shoe shop for slightly bigger than average sized feet. 

GoneFishing111 24 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

Im a 47 street shoe, i don't even bother looking in shops these days, i buy multiple pairs all at once from alpine trek and keep the pair that fits best and return the rest.

I can't be doing with tramping around shops knowing that there is a 95% chance they won't have something that fits let alone the model i want to try in my size.

 Reach>Talent 24 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I am a size 48 in shoes (also wide with a high arch) so understand your pain, however the annoyance of trying to find boots that fit is eclipsed by the annoyance of finding anything else that fits as I am 201cm tall with a 210cm wingspan.

My current B2 boots are 12 years old (discontinued) and I haven't got a clue as to what I would replace them with although rock shoes are reasonably easy to find although that could be because i downsized a fair bit. Online sales are definitely your friend for anything over size 47.

OP FreeloaderJoe 26 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I'm really glad I'm not alone. I don't even think our feet are that big. The way sizes have been measured has gradually reduced over the years (...the opposite to clothing). I'm not really sure why. I also don't think that manufactures seem to take the fact that you want a thumb size space at the front of a boot into account when measuring up their sizes!

It's also strange how (..to me atleast) it's only the euro sizing that you can rely on. A 48 tends to be right for me across mountain boots and brands... where as some people describe that as a 12, 12.5 or 13.  

I always remember a size 10 being a 44...so an 11 would be a 45 and a 12 would be a 46... I've no idea how we have all ended up in the range of 47/48.

 nufkin 26 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

>  I always remember a size 10 being a 44...so an 11 would be a 45 and a 12 would be a 46

But Euro size increments aren't the same as UK ones, so staggering occurs. Really it'd just be better for everyone if we used the metric Mondopoint system, but that probably won't happen any time soon.

(see here for more than you ever thought there was to know about shoe sizes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_size )

 MG 26 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I am size 50. I now have a lifetime supply of mountaineering and ski touring boots! 

OP FreeloaderJoe 26 Jun 2019
In reply to nufkin:

The mondopoint system has me at around a 46.5!

 Mr. Lee 27 Jun 2019
In reply to FreeloaderJoe:

I hoped to try on a pair of La Sportiva G2 SMs or Scarpa 6000s in size 48 but unfortunately the whole of Norway (where I live) is sold out of this size, including with the distributor. I've been advised it is 3-6 months to get a pair of G2s from La Sportiva in Italy. I can order a pair from Germany but it will cost me in the region of 25% of the price in duty just to try the damned things on. Maybe a bit of frostbite to the toes will actually help to bring me down a size. 


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