Breaking-in new shoes

Originally Posted by billiebob

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Nice idea with the wet sock. Sounds kinda nasty, but effective.

Hows it nasty?Its not wet from foot sweat, but wet from water you apply.

So, it appears that shoes should initially be snug, based on the fact that the cork of the insole will mold to your foot and the leather will stretch over time. Both of these things happening will provide more room in shoe, right? Is that the final answer?

always condition the little pigs before you go on maiden voyage.

I recall reading a post by the man with the cat avatar who said that when he picked up his bespoke shoes he was told to break them in by only wearing them a few hours at a time.

Yes, you need to break them in unless you wear some Adidas or Nike.
It took almost 2 months for a Church's Grafton. Now it is perfect.
I wear new shoes 2 to 3 hours a day in the beginning, rather on a dry surface, and preferably at home. I want to be sure my feet would not be tired if I spend 8 hours wearing them.

Originally Posted by mimile

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Yes, you need to break them in unless you wear some Adidas or Nike.
It took almost 2 months for a Church's Grafton. Now it is perfect.
I wear new shoes 2 to 3 hours a day in the beginning, rather on a dry surface, and preferably at home. I want to be sure my feet would not be tired if I spend 8 hours wearing them.


+1
Several intervals at home, which gives me the option of a return/exchange. Then short trips into the neighborhood. Finally, longer walks or full days at work. In all this probably takes 2 weeks minimum.

I've worn almost all my shoes for the entire day on the first day, the good ones have no problem at all. They are comfortable from day 1 until day 3001. They don't stretch noticeably. They don't change sizes.

The bad ones are uncomfortable and they stay that way. This is about 10% of my shoes.

Here's my theory on the break-in period: You should keep the first few wearings short (2-3 hours) no matter what. That's because it's not about your personal pain tolerance, but it's about your gait.

During break-in, the shoe is adapting to your foot shape and the way you apply pressure during a normal step (gait). While you might be tough enough to tolerate wearing the shoes all day long, you might be modifying your gait a little bit to compensate for the pain. That means you won't be breaking in the shoes with your normal gait, but with a different one. But over a short amount of time (2-3 hours), you probably won't feel much pain, so you'll walk more or less normally.

I think this applies (albeit less so) even if you feel no pain at the first wearing. That's because after a few hours of wearing the shoes, though there isn't pain, the shoes will still feel "different" from your other shoes (cause they haven't yet adapted to you)...and that will affect your gait also.

Feel free to propose any corollaries to my theory.

I don't know about you guys, but the shape of my heel is nowhere near the nicely rounded heel of a new shoe. Because of the manner in which my heel bone protrudes, my new shoes always require a break in period. After a few wearings, some soreness, and the odd blister, the shoe usually conforms nicely to the heel of my foot and I no longer experience any pain. Nonetheless, I think I will try the wet sock trick with my next pair to see if this speeds the the process.

Originally Posted by Grosbard

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Here's my theory on the break-in period: You should keep the first few wearings short (2-3 hours) no matter what. That's because it's not about your personal pain tolerance, but it's about your gait.

During break-in, the shoe is adapting to your foot shape and the way you apply pressure during a normal step (gait). While you might be tough enough to tolerate wearing the shoes all day long, you might be modifying your gait a little bit to compensate for the pain. That means you won't be breaking in the shoes with your normal gait, but with a different one. But over a short amount of time (2-3 hours), you probably won't feel much pain, so you'll walk more or less normally.

I think this applies (albeit less so) even if you feel no pain at the first wearing. That's because after a few hours of wearing the shoes, though there isn't pain, the shoes will still feel "different" from your other shoes (cause they haven't yet adapted to you)...and that will affect your gait also.

Feel free to propose any corollaries to my theory.
I agree. I buy shoes that feel comfortable from day one, I'm NOT in the stretch to fit camp. However, I still limit wear for the first couple of times to a few hours and light walking only, and only during dry weather.

When you guys say you wear it for 2-3 hours?Are you walking in them or for most part, just sitting down or laying down watching tv or on computer?

Originally Posted by smoothie

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When you guys say you wear it for 2-3 hours?Are you walking in them or for most part, just sitting down or laying down watching tv or on computer?

If you don't do any walking, they're not going to break in.

Originally Posted by grimslade

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If you don't do any walking, they're not going to break in.

Interesting Idea.

When breaking in new shoes, I will use Johnson and Johnson's adhesive tape on the back of my heel and big and little toes. That way, the friction fo the new shoes as it breaks rubs on the tape and not the skin.

To me, breaking in shoes is not about stretching. It's about softening. If a shoe feels too small initially, that's a bad sign. If it feels too stiff, it might just need some breaking in.

Even shoes that pose no discomfort at all at the first wearing still tend to get better with wear.