Comments

Expert Council Q&A for 12-16-22- Epi-3219 — 3 Comments

  1. Good episode Jack. When it comes to footwear fitting and the use of the term “breaking-in”, I DO NOT say “you are Stew-pid and must hate your body”. Because I understand that many people, and many shoe expert’s do not know how to fit a shoe properly due to lack of knowledge and demonstration of how a foot operates with shoe fit and the dynamic effects on the foot and everything else up the kinetic chain.

    Shoe fitting knowledge most probably came from their parents, or a shoe fitting expert “shoe horning” feet into the available inventory in the back storage room as some salespeople will do. I DO NOT say “you are an idiot for listening that advice.”

    What I do is demonstrate to the human, how shoe fit in length and width works practically, without a measuring device and if necessary, a Brannock device or Ritz stick, while in a “weight-bearing” state, wearing the stocking thickness most likely used with the intended footwear. Use of the term “breaking-in” when it comes to footwear is broken. Fact, infinity, fact, fact. Merry Christmas.

    • What we did for new boots in the military. Total wet soak, walk in them about an hour (any longer the foot will suffer from being too wet). Take off and let fully dry, repeat as you could because this was not sanctioned by the Army.

      We found boots we did this with were fully broken in about 6-8 hours vs. a few weeks of daily use.

      This worked well with standard combat boots of the 80s-90s and really really well with jungle boots of the time.

      I don’t do this as a civilian as time is on my side vs. against it. I just wear new boots until they are uncomfortable then switch for that day to something else.

      Overall I think you mean well but your comment is pretty much word salad. Makes no sense at all really. Fact, fact, fact.

      You likely do know what you are talking about, you just don’t covey it well.

      I have had properly fitted shoes (boots) FWIW, they were custom made for my feet. Fantastic but in the 1st world very expensive. One thing I miss about central America.

      • Thanks Ben for the boot suggestions! I picked up a pair of Hoffman’s on your recommendation. As a side bonus, because I paid with my Fold card, I was able to spin and received 100k sats on my boot purchase!

        As to the above comments on boots, many years ago I went to a “specialty” shoe store. The guy makes orthotics and such, so is half shoe salesman and half podiatrist. He showed me how to lace up shoes properly so that it puts less pressure on the top of your foot.

        A picture is easier, but to simplify, put the laces in the bottom holes as you normally would, then alternate between going straight up the side to the next hole and crossing over to the other side of the shoe.

        Instead of looking at the finished product as a bunch of “x’s”, you wind up with about half as many “x’s” and more space between them. This obviously depends on the style of shoe, and where it actually contacts the top of your foot. But by doing this, my boots have fit, and worn much better since I started lacing them using this method. It may not have much to do with the “break in period”, but does make them more comfortable, even in the very beginning when they are brand new.