How You Know Your Boots Are Too Big (And 3 Tips to Fix ‘Em)

Boots that are too big can cause more problems than you think. Blisters and discomfort, sure, but they also up the risk of ankle injuries and chronic foot pain.

So, what can you do to fix boots that are too big, and how do you know if they are too big or if they just have a roomy fit? Below, we’ll offer some solutions — some of which cost like ten bucks.

How To Make Big Boots Fit Better: 3 Simple Steps

If you’re stuck with boots you can’t return (you were told to wear test them indoors!) don’t despair. If they’re around one or maybe two sizes too big, I’ve had success with these remedies.

You can also stack these remedies — meaning you can try them all at once!

1. Add a tongue pad

The good folks at Grant Stone put me onto this tip.

Especially when it comes to laceless boots like Chelseas (or loafers), whether or not they fit you has a lot more to do with your instep (the top of your foot near where it meets the ankle) than with your heel or your width.

So focusing on reducing the extra space at the instep goes a long way to improving the fit of a too-big boot and eliminating heel slip.

The answer is Pedag’s Supra Tongue Pads. It’s a bit of suede that you stick inside the boot under the instep. It’s amazingly effective and very cheap.

I happen to have an abnormally low instep and a lot of Chelseas that are sized properly just don’t (can’t) fit my foot. Or they couldn’t until I started buying these.

2. Add an Insole

There are really just two reliable ways to fix a too-big boot: those tongue pads are the cheapest, but the next option is to add an insole to your boots.

Adding an insole works for more or less the same reason: it takes up extra space inside the boot.

Best Leather Insoles

Dale’s Leatherworks is a small outfit in Maryland run by an obsessive YouTuber and leatherworker. Not only does he have the best price I’ve found for quality vegetable tanned leather insoles, but Dale also has the most precise sizing.

His insoles are cut to the half size and are available in three different thicknesses for different levels of sizing disparity. Dale recommends a thin one to eat up half a size and a medium one for a whole size.

“Even though they sell very well, I rarely recommend the thick insoles because if you’re in the situation where you need one, your boots are massively oversized,” he told us.

Best Ergonomic Insoles for Boots

If you want something a little more ergonomic or high tech, Superfeet’s Hike Cushion Insoles (formerly called Adapt Hike Max) actually won an award from Men’s Health (my one-time employer!) for their performance. With flexible, cushioned support, they adapt to your foot’s natural motion to prevent sore feet. 

Want something in between these two insoles? Try their Copper Memory Foam, which is more adapted to walking than for harder work.

[Related: The 12 Best Insoles for Work Boots]

3. Wear thicker socks

We’re getting more low tech here, but if your boot is off by just half a size or so, getting nice, thick socks have fixed the issue for me more than once. (This was the case with my Alden Indys.) You’ll have more success filling space in your boot with wool socks or synthetics than cotton.

Shoe Fillers: A Bad Solution for Boots That Are Too Big

Pieces of foam that look like this.

The idea is to jam them up against the toebox or heel of your boots to fill the extra space. But your arch will be in the wrong place, your toes will mash up against them as you walk, they do nothing for the more important instep problem mentioned above, and they don’t last a long time.

How Should Boots Fit?

Don’t be embarrassed if you aren’t quite sure if your boots are the wrong size or not. Here are a few tips for figuring it out.

1. Learn your actual shoe size

First, go to a shoe store and pretend you’re going to buy shoes so you can get your actual foot size measured on a Brannock device.

Almost every guy I talk to has never done this and thinks his sneaker size is his shoe size. (And they always quote the biggest size they’ve ever worn, of course.) Every shoe brand has a different way of measuring their size, but the Brannock is universal.

Most boots require you to size down a half size from your Brannock size. (I’m a size 12 in most sneakers, 11.5 on a Brannock, and all my boots are 11.) So be sure to read the sizing instructions on the company’s website closely.

2. Measure your feet

Some shoemakers like to joke that even a brick has a Brannock size — but that doesn’t mean it fits a shoe. The point is that your feet are three-dimensional, and a simple Brannock size doesn’t tell the whole story.

By actually measuring your feet and sharing those details with the brand, you can uncover important fit factors, like if your feet are the same size or if they are different sizes, if you have a low instep, or if you have narrow ankles.

Of course, this is only useful if you’re working with a brand that is happy to talk their customers through the finer points of sizing. This is another reason why it’s usually better if you can shop at a shoe store and get the advice of a salesman.

3. Check the flex point

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of boot fit: the boot should bend where your foot naturally bends: at the ball of the foot, which is the widest part — not the midfoot.

If your boots break in the wrong spot, your foot can slide around as you walk, your toes can get pinched, and you’re likely to get blisters.

Walk around in the boots before buying. Make sure the widest part of the boot lines up with the widest part of your foot.

4. Check the fit in the heel

Ideally, the heel of your boot will fit snugly, without slipping up and down as you walk.

That said, a small amount of heel slippage can be normal, especially in well-made leather boots. Over time, the issue often fixes itself: the heat and friction from your foot will soften the leather and help it mold to your heel.

It’s best to aim for a fit with minimal or no slippage from the start, but if you can’t find a size with zero heel slip, wearing the size with the least heel slip can be the way to go.

5. Consider the width

Conventional wisdom states that shoes will stretch in the width, but not in the length. If your toes hit the end of a too-small shoe or boot, there’s no solution. If they’re snug in the width, they’ll stretch out by a millimeter or two.

Don’t buy boots that are painfully narrow, but if everything else fits right but it’s a little snug at the ball of your foot? You might not need to abandon ship; a leather boot will loosen up a little in the width.

6. Don’t worry too much about room in the toe

Growing up, you always bought shoes that had a thumb’s width between the end of your toes and the end of the shoe, right?

But actually, so long as you’re not hitting the end of the boot, how much space you’ve got there is largely irrelevant. The most important thing is that your toes don’t feel pinched or smushed together.

Wrapping Up

Don’t compromise your comfort or your health by wearing shoes that are too big or too small.

Whether you are shopping for new boots or trying to determine if your current pair is the right size, these tips can help you find comfortable footwear that meets your needs.