Gear

Do stiff solid boots give a little in size once they have been broken in. I have bought some scarpa SL which look excellent quality. I got sized up by the chap in the shop who spent some time with me. I can wiggle my toes although the toe box top feel stiff and when i push my foot to the very front of the boot i can fit a finger down the back. From this description would you say they are about the right fit. As someone still new to this game im a bit unsure if boots like these feel a little uncomfortable cause they need breaking in or because there a bit tight

Any ideas before i go walking beyond the carpet and into the outdoors where i cant take em back

The length sounds vaguely right but I can't comment about the width/tightness....

SLs are only semi-stiff and if you have Scarpa feet they will feel wonderful almost straight from the box - sadly some people never seem to get along with them.

i hope they get better as i am having exactly the same issue. i know from past experience of leather boots that they do need to be worn for a while before improvement and i hope that the scarpas are no exception. at £140 for em i ll be wearing comfort or no comfort!

so once broken in do you think they will be a little more forgiving size wise. They feel a very snug boot at the mo. snug on the top and sides of my foot like they are really being held in place. Do you think thats to tight? i know feet swell on walks when they get hot so i aint sure. last pair i bought where definately to big for me so i want to get it right this time.

I never realised buying boots was so hard

If you ask me, boots that feel tight when you put them on they are too tight.

For walking, I'd always want a bit of extra room in the boots. If the boots are roughly the right fit, you can take up slack with lacing/extra sock/footbed and bale out as your feet swell up.

If they're too snug to start off with you've no option left.

I've just bought a new pair of SLs and they feel almost as clumpy as my Freneys, but still very comfortable. The soles should flex a bit with use.

Agree with Marcus -well-made strong boots shouldn't slacken off that much but they will start to flex more in the sole and the upper but only where they are designed to. They are meant to feel very supportive but not tight.

If you have never worn stiffish boots before they will feel strange - like you're wearing clogs but you get used to that. You'll not get used to boots that are too small, though....can you go back to the shop and ask them to re-check? Did you buy them at the end of the day with swollen feet?

"Did you buy them at the end of the day with swollen feet?" and did you have the socks you intend to wear them with on?

Was going to say exactly the same - your feet will swell during a long walk. If they are too tight now, they may well be painfully so after a long hike.
If the next size up is too roomy, it may even mean that boot isn't the best for you.

I had awful problems with my SLs to begin with--all down to heel lift causing blisters. The solution: a new sock system and a pad of foam under each heal. Sorted. :-)

The boots still rub a tiny bit at the start of walks, but as Cara said, your feet begin to swell after half an hour or so. So my boots now fit me perfectly.

Hope you manage to sort yours out!

As JJ says, SLs aren't really 'stiff' boots so will give a bit. But if they already feel a bit tight then I would suggest they may be a bit small. If you intend using them a lot in snow and ice then also bear in mind that tight boots = cold feet.

Generally people would tend to buy fully stiffened boots on the large size. Obvioulsy SLs aren't fully stiffened but you get the gist.

I take a 43 - 44 shoes size but my winter boots are 46s - admittedly Zamerlans which seem a bit on the small size but I did try on SLs when I bought my summer boots (also 46s) and they seeemd similarly sized to the Zamberlans.

V man

My SLs are well worn-in - they're the 1980's version with the Skwalk Attak sole unit, but I guess that although the design has changed a bit, today's version is similar.
They eventually decided to change to the shape of my feet after about 2 years, and I reckon that it helped a bit when I got them absolutely soaked when fording a river at the start of a long day. Most of the shape-change has been internal - the cambrelle lining has moulded to the shape of my feet, and the footbed has become permanently compressed with use.
As Marcus says, ring the changes throughout the day by adjusting socks and lacing. Remember that your socks will compress during the day, this is quicker than foot expansion, so if you don't adjust the boots/lacing/socks during use they will feel tighter, then looser, then tighter again.

I moved to England at the beginning of 2005 from South Africa and have just bought my first pair of winter walking boots for travelling around in Poland this Christmas. I bought a pair of Lady Ranger Scarpa boots - they are comfortable when I put them on but my feet get pins and needles after a while walking uphill - any ideas? Is that common?

thanks for all the replies, i tried them using the right socks however didnt think about the foot swelling issue i have to say.

That could possibly be either the natural bend of the forefoot not being in line with the place where your foot flexes causing pressure on the nerves or that your feet swell and the boot is getting too tight. A visit to a store with a qualified boot-fitter might be helpful - hopefully the place you bought them.

BTW, were the Rangers sold as 'winter boots'? They are described as "Designed for rambling and country trail/footpath walking" - the Scarpa Winter boots are SLs and Mantas. Though I suppose if you stick to low trails...

V man - that's the first rule of trying boots - at the end of a shopping trip not at the start - you feet will lengthen in size and spread sideways after a few hours' walking.

They were fitted for me by a guy in Blacks - will go back and ask him to check. No, they weren't sold as winter boots - I was referring more to them being waterproof really - won't be going anywhere extreme, just touring...

Hi V man, I've just seen this thread - it sounds to me, from what's been said that the boots arent right for you - if they are not too comfortable in yuor living room, I doubt they will get more comfortable. Or perhaps you have to persevere to get the fit of these right. If they rub that's an issue that won't go away, that's not going to be solvable (imho), but if you're just getting used to a stiffer sole, that's something that will take getting used to.

Have you had problems getting footwear (of any kind) in the past? Finding the right boot fitting is down to luck. Something that is really annoying is that walking/climbing boot manufacturers seem to change the last that the boots are designed around. I've found that this means that you get used to a certain style of fit, just for it to change!

Best of luck!

Julie - was the bloke in Blacks a qualified boot fitter or an enthusiatic amateur? The quality of advice in there varies from shop to shop and assistant to assistant.

One additional factor you could consider is altering the lacing pattern to help relieve pressure on tight spots.