[b_to_the_c]

i agree with pretty much everything here, especially the parts about your boot size being SMALLER than your street shoe size. a few people in one of the equipment reviews threads thought i was kind of crazy when i told them that my salomon boots are 2.5 sizes smaller than my street shoe size. i think someone in there suggested buying boots that are one size LARGER than your street shoe size. that philosophy couldn't be more wrong. while i might not drop down 2.5 sizes in other brands of boots, my salomons have packed out a ton. the heat molding and 30+ dollar footbed has made a huge difference, and my riding has improved a lot now that i'm not wearing a huge size 13 boot. the one question i do have is whether or not how many days a season you ride has a correlation with how much smaller your boot size should be in comparison with your street shoe size.

and by the way, my santa cruz wide board (26.5 cm waist) is still the shiznit even with the smaller boot(10.5). though, with that size i might be right on the cusp of needing or not needing a wide board.

[Bones]

Like everyone else, I have weird feet.

My left foot always fits well, but my right foot not so much. Doesn't matter whether it's board boots, ski boots, hiking boots, etc. It's not the length that's a problem, it's looseness around the front of the ankle, top of the instep. Right at the 90 degree angle where the shin meets the foot.

I've got a heel shim in there and a 3/4 length insole to take up some of the room, but the boot will feel looser and looser as the day goes on. It almost feels like the stop on the internal liner lacing slides loose.

I've actually been thinking about putting a velcro strap anchored under the heel, but has anyone got a better idea?

[oneoldman]

One more thing that hasn't been mentioned yet: if you're a control freak, but don't use toe-caps/Flow systems if you get a really soft boot then your pinky will probably get pinced by the straps pressure on the boot. I'm pretty happy with my Head Boa boots so I replaced the bindings (Burton Freestyle>>> Missions) to solve this issue. My friend rides pretty hard boots, and he never has the pinching issue even when he overtightens his bindings.

[blasphemy]

i had salomon dialouge boots and when i wore them with burotn custom binding there was like 1 cm empty space from each side of the binding . i dont mean verticaly like toe drag or heel drag..then i exchanged my boots with a bigger foot print one . salomon symbio and still have that empty space but its less now. is that okay ? or the boot shouldnt leave any empty cm ?

[BadMojo]

My shoe size and boot size are the same . But maybe thats just cuz my shoes are too small .

[snowboarder23]

thanks for the..post
this will help a lot..
especially for me..

[Melicious]

I had some custom foot beds made about 4 years ago for riding (the local ski/board shop molded them). I move them from boot to boot. They have made riding much more comfortable and minimized arch aches. They are cheap (20 - 30) last a long time and are well worth the money. Especially if you are having feet issues and/or ride a lot

[Mushi]

How long would you say it takes to "break in new boots"

[oneplankawanka]

Originally Posted by Mushi

How long would you say it takes to "break in new boots"

Depends, how many days a week do you ride?? and a whole slew of other variables...its gonna vary depending upon the shredder in those boots too.. Generally I would say a week of 5-6 hour days...that still may not do it...there are just so many variables its almost impossible to say.... See if you can heat mold your liners to help the process along...

[the skeptik]

Originally Posted by b_to_the_c

i agree with pretty much everything here, especially the parts about your boot size being SMALLER than your street shoe size. a few people in one of the equipment reviews threads thought i was kind of crazy when i told them that my salomon boots are 2.5 sizes smaller than my street shoe size. i think someone in there suggested buying boots that are one size LARGER than your street shoe size. that philosophy couldn't be more wrong. while i might not drop down 2.5 sizes in other brands of boots, my salomons have packed out a ton. the heat molding and 30+ dollar footbed has made a huge difference, and my riding has improved a lot now that i'm not wearing a huge size 13 boot. the one question i do have is whether or not how many days a season you ride has a correlation with how much smaller your boot size should be in comparison with your street shoe size.

and by the way, my santa cruz wide board (26.5 cm waist) is still the shiznit even with the smaller boot(10.5). though, with that size i might be right on the cusp of needing or not needing a wide board.

I tried on a pair of 32s yesterday and 12s fit nice and snug. My shoe size is 11.5. There is no way I could fit into a 11.5 or smaller boot. I'm not sayin, I'm just saynin. of course I'm a newb so what do I know.
I also tried on a pair of Vans and those were spot on to my sneaker size. Probably the best fitting boot I tried on thus far but going back tomorrow to hastle the guy some more.