Hydration and late afternoon boot fit?

[CalG]

Excuse me if this topic has been discussed, but.......

When I wear my Head WC boots all day, I often find that the late afternoon fit is WAY LOOSE in the forefoot.

These boots and liners are ahh,... how to say, well experienced. That is, the liners are WAY packed out and in one spot the liner has a piece cut out to allow room. 'Fear of bone spurs etc. Bottom line, it took some time (months) but the boots fit like a glove. Or perhaps more accurately, a plaster cast.. Yes, the liners are that packed and thin. Though painful and difficult to get on in the mornings, the fit for the first 2/3ds of the day is perfect. Custom foot beds, fitted by a competent fitter. Ahh Greg ... don't recall the last name at the moment, ;-)

The loosening in the afternoons is puzzling.

Now I seldom use these boots in warm weather, when it seems my feet in other boots gets TIGHTER as the day gets along. The Head boots are more my choice for "hard and fast" mid winter use. My other boots have a bit of spring left in the liners, and are very close fitting as well.

Do I just need to drink more water?

 

[Near Nyquist]

No
You need more beer

 

[LiquidFeet]

Feet shrink through the day. There's a thread on this somewhere. It's due to compression and lack of hydration.

 

[James]

Foot shrinkage seems to be the amswer. I had one boot fitter tell me it was the padding in the liner, then something about body oils and the foam. (Even though we're wearing socks!) Nonsense. Those who've had thin liners know it happens.
Do we think proper hydration can solve this?

 

[cantunamunch]

Do we think proper hydration can solve this?

Enough beers at lunch with the boots off can totally solve this

 

[CalG]

Enough beers at lunch with the boots off can totally solve this

With sufficient beer intake, Even if the feet don't change, I won't care about the fit at all.

 

[graham418]

Beer alone wont do it. You need salty snacks as well.

More seriously, I always thought your feet are smallest in the morning when you arise, and swell during the day. For that reason you should get your ski boots fitted early in the morning, but street shoes you should buy later in the day , or they may end up being too tight.

 

[cantunamunch]

Beer alone wont do it. You need salty snacks as well.

More seriously, I always thought your feet are smallest in the morning when you arise, and swell during the day.

Except when they're under compression. My comment about taking the boots off during lunch was completely serious.

 

[Brad J]

I almost never unbuckle my boots during the day but I notice looser fit in afternoon especially if the temps are in the 30's or above .

 

[CalG]

I almost never unbuckle my boots during the day but I notice looser fit in afternoon especially if the temps are in the 30's or above .

Do you make an effort to stay "water-full" ;-)

 

[L&AirC]

Except when they're under compression. My comment about taking the boots off during lunch was completely serious.

This is something I've been noticing lately and I find myself constantly adjusting my race boots (Lange RS 130) in the afternoon since I stopped taking my boots off at lunch. I used to always take them off at lunch and put on my snow boots to warm them up but lately it's been warm enough and I've been busy enough to not do this. The adjustment isn't in the toe box but at the second buckle down.

Full disclosure is that when it comes to how things fit me (clothes too) and any differences from one side to the other, can get me fiddling with things for a while or get me to go change. My wife is convinced I'm on the spectrum. While possible, I do know that my OCD tendencies while negligible compared to people with OCD, were worse when I was a kid to the point if I scratched my left arm, I had to scratch my right arm in the same spot. Rarely happens now but it does now and again. I also spend a few minutes getting both boots to fleel/flex the same when I put them on.

I know from way too much experience on humps (long hikes carrying 40%-50% of your body weight) in the Marines, that taking your boots off during a hump "could" be the kiss of death or the best thing ever; if your feet are fine, don't touch anything, BUT if anything isn't right, the sooner you attend to it the better. One of the issues with taking off your boots is your feet seemed to swell and getting them back on and everything just right again, could be a challenge. I guess this makes sense as snug boots would be compressing them and all that pounding and load bearing would be having an affect.

I'll make it a point to take them off at lunch this weekend.

Ken

 

[LiquidFeet]

My feet shrink inside the boots during the day. I have to keep tightening the buckles to keep the fit consistently snug, if I'm into snug for the day.

I think the foot shrinkage is due to not drinking enough liquid combined with the compression from the liner pressing against my foot. I guess it could also be from feet getting cold and staying that way for hours.

I think it's odd that people think the liner "packs out" every day and elastically enlarges at night, just to repeat the process the next ski day.

 

[Andy Mink]

My leg changes. I can snug the top buckles and strap down at the beginning if the day and within a run or two I need to snug them up. The top buckle will be barely latched. At the end of the day I have what a call a "shin fat" lump at the top of the tongue. I can massage it back down my leg. I am guessing my foot goes through something similar.