After more than a year looking at and fretting over which shoes to get (during which time I regrettably purchased Merrell Trail Gloves), I chose the Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail. They are the only shoe that looked to have the combination of things I was looking for. Got them in the mail today. I say "them" as I ordered two sizes with the intention of sending back one size (free shipping both ways from Zappos!!).

Here's the dilemma: The 42 (9) feels better on my foot than the 43 (10)... but there's only about 1/4" between my longest toe and the end on the 42. The 43 (10) feels right on the length but not quite as good otherwise...perhaps just a touch sloppy for lack of better description.

The seemingly easy solution would be to keep trying different shoes on until I find the right fit....not an unusual challenge for me as I have an abnormally long second toe on the one foot. As I mentioned before though, at this time, these are the only shoes that fit my criteria....plus, I don't care to be ordering and returning a bunch of shoes...and my locale offers no options I'm interested in. I'm keeping one of these pair of Breathos.

Is 1/4" enough clearance between toe and shoe for going downhill? I'm thinking not but....

Seeking all wisdom/experience.

Edited by rustyb on 05/15/2012 17:28:53 MDT.

"Is 1/4" enough clearance between toe and shoe for going downhill? I'm thinking not but....

Seeking all wisdom/experience."

Rusty,

I have a similar problem in that I also have longer second toes, on both feet in my case. My right foot is also a half size larger. I am not familiar with the shoes you mention, but I have always ended up sizing to the larger foot and living with a little sloppiness in the smaller foot side; I cannot afford to buy a pair of shoes sized for each foot and discard one of them in each size, and sizing down is simply not workable. 1/4 inch of clearance, IME, is not enough. Your feet will swell in the course of a day's hiking, and you will pay the price, especially on downhill sections. I learned this the hard way long ago.

Can't most of this problem be solved with socks? One friend of mine has to wear one thick sock on one foot and one thin sock on the other foot. He says that he can make up for a half size of boots that way.

--B.G.--

I think a lot of people overspend on shoes. Trail runners are a mass market item. I can find lots to try at big chains stores that have big selection. Out here that's like Sports Chalet, Sportsmart, and so on. This isn't to say every pair I try on is perfect, but I can generally find a midline ($40-60) asics or nike or (most recently) columbia that works for me. It might take a couple shopping days and a few trips around.

Thanks. I have tried on both pair again multiple times since posting. I may have more clearance between the shoe and toes than I originally posted. There *may* be 1/2".

I also tried the larger pair on with thicker socks. That helped a slight amount...but not enough to make the larger size the clear winner. The more I try these shoes on, the less I want to keep the longer pair. The shorter pair feel considerably better.

Crap! Why or why do I have to have such weird feet.......

Rule 1: Everyone's feet are different!
What suits one person will NOT suit another.

Rule 2: MEASURE your feet on a Brannock Device, and only buy shoes which are wide enough.

My rule 3, which does not suit everyone, is good thick socks. YMMV.

Banging the tips of your toes doesn't hurt much for the first half hour. The last half hour of the day may be another matter.

Cheers

Ok, I just tried on the Teva trail runners I wore last year and the year before....and guess what? To my surprise, my longest toe is practically to the end. Never had a problem going downhill or otherwise. So, for me, for some reason, maybe the length isn't the issue it is with others...or at least with those particular shoes. Hopefully I'll find the same with the smaller of the two Breathos.

Thanks for the input, all.

rusty B,

Same problem with Breathos for me. Big toe touches the front of the shoe only when I'm standing on my toes but the fit is much better than the larger ones otherwise.

I'm assuming you bought the smaller size, are you happy with them?

You think you've got problems?

My left foot is a Size 10.5 D-width with perfect arches and no pronation. My right foot is a Size 8 EE-width, flat-footed, with slight outward pronation. Boots are a crapshoot. I make up the difference in socks and tight laces. Did 25 miles in a day with one blister in a pair of Merrel Size 12's.

I wear a full size longer, and a 4E width for hiking. I have bunions. Going longer/wider has prevented me from getting blisters. In all honesty, I don't know why I didn't try it long before I finally did.

"I wear a full size longer, and a 4E width for hiking"

Me too.