Fitting Vibram Five Fingers (my experience)

I thought that finding the right size KSO Five Fingers would be easy, but I have relatively long toes for my foot size and a high volume foot.  It took me a total of three times to get it right.  Most people don't seem to have much problem with this, but I was not able to try the shoes on in the store.  The only store to carry my size is in Northern Oregon.  The REI in Seattle that carries Five Fingers only goes down to size 41 (I'm a 40), which I quickly realized were too large only after taking them home. The 41's seemed to fit well in the store, but I found that the heel had too much space in it and the toes were too long. After that I did some research and found a sizing chart at the Vibram website I'm not sure if I misread the sizing chart provided by Vibram or incorrectly measured my foot, but the suggested size, 39 did not fit. They were too tight.  Again this may be because of my paddle-like feet and long toes (my middle toe is much longer than my big toe, which Vibram says may make it difficult to get a proper size). I finally settled on the 40 and they seem to fit better. The best fit I've found is one where your toes nearly hit the end of the toe pockets and the heel is snug before tightening.  I hope this helps others so they can get to wearing them as soon as possible. My best advice is to try them on in the store, but availability is limited to mostly online sites. Kayak shed is where I got mine, but be careful, because they charge a restocking fee to return them.

First Post

Went for a run this morning, about 3.5 miles in my five fingers.  The second since I finally got the correct size (went through two pairs and one resale on craigslist). The run went well, but my calves are still a bit sore from the first run in them two days ago (just 1.5 miles) to test them out.  My calves warmed up and feel better, but are a bit tight still. No other issues, just a nice easy run.

I found that running on roads is much more enjoyable in them (the five fingers) versus  just plain barefoot, and I am able to make a real run out of it. My feet were getting sore after about two miles of pavement running and winter running in the Seattle area can get cold with no shoes on.  Although it's hard to beat running in grass barefoot.