Whether you plan to wear your Vibram Five Fingers for running, for hitting the gym or CrossFit training, for yoga or even just for everyday casual wear – getting the right size is paramount.
The Space: No More Half-Inch Wiggle
You will probably find that in your ‘conventional’ shoes, and by conventional I mean your smart work shoes, your daily casual footwear, or your standard Asics-type running shoe, you allow a bit of room. Typically known as a half-inch wiggle at the toes.
When wearing your FiveFingers, your feet should be able to flex naturally, with each toe being able to extend fully. It is completely fine for your toes to graze the end of the toe pockets.
If you find that when you wiggle your toes and they slip out of the toe pockets, you need to go down a size. Alternatively, if your toes are scrunched up when you extend them, you need to opt for a size larger.
Further, if your toes are already grazing the end of the shoes when you wear them in bare feet, yet you plan to wear Injinji toe socks under them – it is recommended that you go for a size bigger.
Ultimately, your pair should allow you to perform activities freely, comfortably and naturally – as though you were wearing no shoes at all!
True, you may find that some toes seem set back further than others. For example, I often find that my first two toes (the big toe and his neighbour) graze the end of my Vibrams, but the little toe has almost a full centimetre of room. This is completely fine. My toes can be fully extended, yet some toes graze the end while others have more room – but none of the toes are squashed nor do they fall out of the toe pockets.
So, to round it off, use these three points as a checklist to ensure your FiveFingers fit OK:
- My toes can extend fully
- My toes ARE NOT scrunched up inside the toe pockets
- My toes DO NOT fall out of the toe pockets when I wiggle them
