Custom fitted boots....but on a budget!

Tony_H wrote:Yes, the actual shell size corresponds with my measurements. He did talk about replacement linings, but for what I would pay, it didnt really make sense, so new boots would be the better option IMO if it came to that.

In the case of Zipfits, were you aware that they can be transferred between different shells, and can cost as little as £130.

I know, Christmas is coming and "as little as £130", but it's a bit less than £300 IYKWIM )

I am not sure that I am the right person to answer this Tony, I am not qualified to make technical statements about boots. I mentioned bandit as a more knowledgeable person, she denied it, et voila, then comes up with the goods.

I approach boots, like most things in life, from first principles. between you and bandit, you have established you have the right shell. You may be thinking that the has compacted, thus allowing too much freedom around the foot.

You are thoughtful enough to identify and pinpoint where the "looseness" is.

So, where it is loose, ~ might that not be where the inner liner is compacted? Hence, those locations are where padding might help.

So, if you can identify those areas, then you could attempt to pack out to the original thickness, on the outside of the inner liner.

For this, I have, in the past used a product from Boots, called "Second skin". I am sure there are other good products.

Something else ~ if your liner has compacted in some areas, then it has almost certainly compacted under the whole of your foot area ~ where your weight + dynamic forces bear down.

Therefore it does make sense to start with some base padding, be this an insole, or other type of orthodox attachment.

Re the insole, you might consider one with a raised arch. The benefit is that as the overboot clips are tightened, your foot is bottoming against the insole arch, thus preventing the foot from being pressed lower than it's natural arch shape. Many people involved in dynamic sports need orthotic supports.

Going back to the ad hoc padding, what have you got to lose? You could end up with a result.

What about this~ when you go away on one of your wild orgies, sorry, business trips, put you ski boots in the car, along with the aforesaid padding. Get your insoles in first, and then experiment with liner padding.

My test is this ~ with your foot in the boot, clipped up, boot held down, you should be able to lift your heel slightly, but no more than 6mm. The other thing is, that the boot ought to be no more difficult to get on than it was originally, all that you are trying to do, is to bring it back to the original condition.

I am not sure that buying replacement inners would work, given that your original inners have failed.

And, if all fails, buy some of bandit's Zipfits.

Oh, and when you get on the gondola, release the overboot clips, every time, re-fasten just before you reach the top. Course if you wear rear entry boots, this is a matter of clip, clip. If you have anything else, it is a case of clip, clip, clip, clip...... :wink:

How about that Trencher? I got through the whole logic process without once mentioning carpet tiles, oops.

Thanks Dave. Skidaddle always unclips his boots on the lifts. I always found that at some stage early in the day I got the boots feeling perfect, and didnt want to unclip or adjust, and that was fine until the last 2 trips!

Anyway, I am going to give these insoles a go. I am not sure the foam padding is going to be comfortable enough for me to ski in the boots.

Thanks for the advice, sorry for hijacking the thread.

Bandit - sound advice, but I reckon I can get a pair of good boots from last years range for around £200 or even less if I am lucky, so for the extra cost compared to the Zipfits, I come out with shiny new boots. I will keep my eyes skinned, but advice is greatly appreciated.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I had insoles custom moulded for my feet (they are very flat and I had problems with ankle rubbing and PAIN) They supported and raised the instep which cured all this and I am sure if I had taken the boots in with me they could have been adjusted to make them fit properly...cost me £40 3 years ago so not a very cheap option but in my case definitely worth it

daved wrote:As I mentioned in an earlier post I had insoles custom moulded for my feet (they are very flat and I had problems with ankle rubbing and PAIN) They supported and raised the instep which cured all this and I am sure if I had taken the boots in with me they could have been adjusted to make them fit properly...cost me £40 3 years ago so not a very cheap option but in my case definitely worth it

daved, I have been using custom moulded footbeds for many years. They seem to be pretty important in terms of control and support for the foot in the boot. AFAIK the two biggest UK boot retailers S&R and EB, pretty well insist that new boot purchasers get a moulded footbed. I have tried weighted/unweighted and vacuum manufacturing methods. Currently using Superfeet Full Kork made unweighted using a vacuum system.

wow, busy weekend in Birmingham...busier here in the office

back to the OP get your feet measured and then try the shell on the foot often times you will need to go to the size below what you measure, ski boot designers used to all use monopoint sizing so a boot for a size 27.5 foot would be 29cm internally leaving 1.5cm for the lienr and toe room...now they are all over the place measuring from 28.5 to 31cm internally for the size 27.5 this is why the only way to tell the correct size is to carry out a shell check

as for buying boots online well i am dead against it [some might say that's because i sell and fit boots but i have seen too many people who bought the colour they liked in the size they thought was correct only to find out that they were chucking money away

the only things that determine what bootsyou should get are the shape of your feet and your skier level, if it means not going to the pub next saturday night so you can afford to have the best for your feet buy a six pack and watch a movie

CEM I can see where you are coming from and I think I was probably lucky in my purchase but that does not help Tony-h to get his boots to fit any suggestions from a pro?

just had to re read his post, sounds very much like the boot is too big, unfortunately living in the mountains and working in a ski shop does not make you a boot fitter although some people think it does. the Austrians do tend to have their boots a little big...after all they like to dance in them till late ) )

if it is just too much volume [ie height and width] then putting some padding in may help or the better option would be to use something like the zip fit liner, if the boot is too long then it is a waste of time and money trying that as it will not be worth transfering it to a new boot when the shell wears out [the zip fit can out last 2 sets of shells]

best way to tell is to do a shell check, remove the liner and put your foot in the empty shell, with your toes lightly touching the front there should be between 10 and 25mm behind your heel, 25mm is pretty big and cushy but may still feel tight when you put the boot on new. the major problem is the boot manufacturers make the liners a little short for the shell to stop creases this make the boot feel too short in the correct size and consequently people buy the next size up...all feels well for a few weeks then the downward spiral of adjustment and packing out begins.

a boot in the correct size needs to be fitted properly or it will feel short