Hmm, now that you mention it I do seem to recall the heel cup being pretty stiff when I tried them on a year or two back.
I have really good luck with thicker darn tough socks- regardless of season. (darn tough hiker 1/4 crew specifically)
I size my trail shoes a full 1.5 sizes past what I measure. Half for the socks, half for swelling, and half for the toe box. So long as the middle of the shoe and the heel cup is good I can lace them well enough to fit. I wear them loose enough to slip off though unless it's very hilly. Point being- the combo of the thicker socks and extra room tends to keep my feet dryer overall because the socks are thick enough to absorb and wick away, but the shoe is generous enough in size to let them work their magic. Worth a shot.
And yar- you're preaching to the choir here on the toebox. Chuck tailors are zero drop, so are most sprinter shoes and a million other models, but that idea still seems foreign to most. Though many still call them 'clown shoes'... I think the wide foot box idea has gained enough traction to stick around for awhile now too.
Slippers with tread is exactly what I like to hear... I'll probably try the road shoes out to get going on the Topo train.
Bookmarks