Shoe sizing really is a nightmare. These companies need to improve the standardization of their products. Not only does it vary within the same brand, it also varies within the same make and model (especially if variants of that model are made in different factories). There can sometimes be a full size difference in the same make/model shoe that are made in different factories.
What gets me, is that there are even DTC brands that do it. You would think that when your customers can't go to a store and physically try on your product that you would put in the effort to make sizing easier so you get less returns and more happy customers.
Thanks for all you do Weston & all the folks at Rose Anvil. Maybe a good way to get interest in boots and shoes during the summer would be to do some videos on hiking boots and shoes- you could start with super lightweight trail runners, move on to Merrells or Oboz, Lowas, Salomon’s, and finish with Limmer Boots (made in US or Germany heavy leather hiking boots).
Hey Weston. Youre part right on the handcrew levels. 1 is higher than 2. The reason I say type 1 is that I dont work for the forest service, and here in California, many departments dont do the hotshot name. So while im no hotshot, and my full respect to them, my crew is expected to perform at the same level
Thanks for picking my sizing question! It was interesting hearing your perspective and scary to think that even an expert like you as trouble with sizing. I've noticed that some companies already made it like the brannock when it comes to women's boots. Anyways, cheers guys!
Perhaps soon, with AR and LiDAR enabled phones, rather than picking a size, we will be able to upload a scan of our feet in a standard format to the retailer and their fit engine can recommend an optimal style/size. If a big retailer like Zappos got it rolling, it would be everywhere before long.
Running Shoes Series Input: As someone who enjoys running, I like the idea of cutting apart running shoes (both high-end and budget options). It would be cool to watch a video of you talking about the material technology and why it might be good for runners but if the Rose Anvil main audience are not avid runners then the video numbers might not do so good from a business perspective.
Minimalist shoes will change your life as a runner. I destroyed my feet and knees in thick soled running shoes. Went to barefoot shoes and in 6 months my feet are healed and I run totally different.
Regarding sizing, I am from England and have a reasonable collection of shoes and boots, mainly made in Northampton. I take a 10f and all my English boots and shoe's are the same size to within two mm. The boots are bigger than shoes obviously but rolled from heel to toe all boots match so do shoe's. Brands include, Loak, Cheaney, John white, Grenson, Alfred Sargent, church. The only exception is a couple of pair with a pointed toe box which need to be a little longer, still 10f though. I have just brought some iron rangers and have gone down half a size, they are however slightly narrow. So it would seem it has allready been done here in England, perhaps American companies need a couple of hundred years more to catch up. Just pulling your leg, love watching both your channels All the best mate John.
I wear Hoka because I'm on my feet all day. I do service in the medical industry and I've noticed that many nurses are now wearing them and other shoes like them like OC.
I almost asked for a suggestion for all leather police/tactical boot, then decided instead of word vomit I’d actually check your videos if you have one. I then found the Nicks tactical. Currently using a pair of Rocky Paraboots I’ve used everyday for 10 years. I don’t know if there is an in between for $150-$600 lol. Kind of a big gap.
I think you should 100% do a vid on Carol Christian Poell boots & Guidi. Leaning more towards Guidi tho, they got a cult following in the fashion community & I think more than just boot guys, fashion people would very much watch the video
It does change from brand to brand. Lived in Europe my whole life and still every brand differs. I've had anything from 41-43. Usually 42 is a safe-ish bet but it's hard to rely on.
@@A_A828 yeah absolutely , it does VERY much change , especialy in the toe box height and width i'm a 39 there are shoes i need 42-43 to even fit, while others are floaty at 39 and i need smaller now start getting the security hard toes in play .....
I'd settle for companies posting a downloadable sizing guide. Print it out, step on it, and that's your size. Like what comes with some of those "trim to fit" insoles. I also wish there was a good way to know about the overall volume. I hate when the two quarter panels are basically touching to get a snug fit.
I am a ski instructor with oddly shaped feet so I spend a lot of time working with the boot fitter. I wish I could do that with shoes/boots. It's so nice to sit down and have somebody look at my foot and pick out a boot that fits. Part of that I realize is that we're not interested in the look of the ski boot, like we are with a shoe. But I'm here for comfort and performance, so let's get a good performance fit on my daily wear.
You go to Spokane and have them size you. Or you go through franks boots. He’s prolly the best at getting all your measurements and making you a boot without going to their shop
Love to see you and @TheIronSnail team up. And even do a mini documentary series. Flyout to PNW and do a series on each PNW boot company. Yalls combined energy would be hilarious.. 41:30 And would be a fantastic time to do it in the first quarter...
As a photographer, I like a holster style harness because it allows me to carry two cameras at the same time. I had a cheaply built one that failed. I would love to get a leather harness that is attractive, especially for formal events like galas and weddings. 📸📸
There is a couple of problems with sizing footwear. First is that feet aren't standard & a Brannock device doesn't measure every difference. A perfect example is that a Brannock device doesn't measure if you have a narrow heel. Or a high arch vs a flat feet. Second, every shoe or boot has a different last. And how every different foot fits that last is going to vary. So how do you standardize all of those combinations? I think a Brannock device gets you close, but if your foot isn't completely ordinary you might need some fitting advice to get a good fit for that particular last.
people should call the store before pulling the trigger. online shopping is daunting that’s why a human connection filled with experience and information about their product is most required
We live in the age of technological marvels. Surely with a little bit of effort some savvy developer could create a phone app that -- using a few photos of your feet taken from proscribed angles and including a printed sizing reference -- could accurately estimate the necessary measurements. Someone needs to disrupt the Brannock stranglehold, but I doubt Big Shoe will allow it.
As someone with a wide foot, this is an understatement. Assuming shoes are even true to size (hah!) If they don't do a wide fit (inconsistent as well) i have to jump up a size, and after a certain point you don't even get half sizes
That hybrid kiltie looks great; not really a fan of the logger style that came with my JK Boots and it doesn't completely protect the tongue (the backs of the hooks aren't flush/countersunk and they're abrading the tongue). That collab also looks sick!
I can never buy shoes or jeans because of the sizing inconsistencies, I'd be able to shop and inpulse shop so much more easily if sizing labels were standardised.
Shoe sizing got screwed up ever since much of the footwear started coming from overseas, I never had such a sizing problem when I was young. Same with clothing. I just don't see how anyone can purchase footwear on line. The post office must be making a ton of money just on all the footwear that has to be sent back.
Mr. Brannock should have gotten a Nobel prize. The problem isn’t really what you call your size if every manufacturer can use the Brannock and likewise every buyer knows their real Brannock too. I recently visited Spokane and each time I was measured the given associate completely ignored my “arch length”. One even looked at me sideways when I brought “arch length” up and he did their sizing videos on RU-vid. Arch length, i.e. heel to ball is the most critical measurement. I spent decades in shoes too small until I ordered a pair of Wesco’s from a guy who knew how to use the Brannock device and how Wesco sizing translates. Your foot bends in a particular place because you have bones. Boots bend in a particular spot, because they are designed to. If your boot doesn’t want to bend where your foot bends you got problems. You have to consider this anatomical fact and work too find a boot that bends where your foot bends. Sock strategies and inserts can solve volume and assist with width fit but there is nothing you can do if your heel to ball is off more than say 1/2 size +- and the result will be difficult break in at best and damaging your feet at worst. That’s my two sense, anyway.
Some brands do brannock accurate sizing. Viberg and Sagara come to mind.. And yes those are 2 brands you should feature. A 310 would be a good example and interesting to people. The construction will be the same as a 2030 with a few extra features. Then a Sagara boondocker or Cordmaster would suffice, I know Bagus too and he’s a good guy. He may even provide you one. I think what that guy was talking about was brands like that and more fancy Edward Greene stuff.. meh. People who have an interest in those obscure brands aren’t watching RU-vid like that. Viberg, Sagara, Truman like someone said in the comments, Oak Street is long overdue. JULIAN BOOTS is a brand overbooked constantly.. curious about their design along with everyone else. You would be the only source of info on them lol. Their designs are a lot like the RRL boots (also cool). OMG i almost forgot, those WW2 REPLICA BOOTS!!! From “At the Front” or “SMwholesale”. They look so cool, 270 welt and leather everything.. but you can’t get any REAL construction information. I as well as other boot enthusiasts have discussed it, it seems like they get overlooked. Though in reality it may be competition for say a Thursday🤷🏻♂️ it’s a WW2 roughout service boot, 270 gyw, leather midsoles/insoles.. makes you wonder Wes.. Boondocker Sleeper🤔
After watching your channel I have several pairs of PNW boots. I had watched a lot of your videos before hearing you talk about hunting. It provided me more respect for you,in that you use your boots for hunting only gave me more evidence that you use the products in the real world. Keep up the good work we really appreciate your content.
Pants (think Levis) have vanity sizing, especially around the waist. they do this so that if you are a true size, for example, 38-inch waist, they market Levis as a 36 or 35 so you get flushed with endorphins in the fitting room so that you can feel that you can finally squeeze into a smaller size. You then believe that "fantasy size" is what you are....until, that day when you have to shop a formal/ tailored pant and the tailor suggests a 38 or 40?! REALITY CHECK!
can you please just say collaboration, for some of us older people. for me acronyms are a slap in the face, the ones that know what they mean i guess feel good about it. but for all the rest of us who don't , well let's just say we don't. as a older guy who had followed your channel since the beginning i would like to keep following. i am a part time leathercrafter who like learning and you do a good job with spreading the word.
Run your pro 2A stuff under a different LLC. To protect your primary brand. But keep the 2 completely separate, and use media options that are already pro 2A.(not legal advice 😂)
I've been wearing Palladiums for decades and have nearly as many boots from them as years I've been wearing them simply because I like all the colors and designs they come up with. For standing around all day at work they are my go-to.
will you do a hunting boot series? WOuld literally love to see you cut through some zamberlans or crispis, under armour and danner make some. Would be good to see the best ones.
Runner’s perspective and all the major brands, Nike, Saucony, Puma, Brooks, On, Adidas, Asics etc. Compare all the builds and ‘critical foams’. Lots of these companies are doing pretty interesting things like hydrogen infused foams
I'd love a comparison between any of the Nick's 360 boots and the JK OT boots, not for waterproofness, because that's really clear, but for flexibility and underfoot feel, something you're really good at describing, and that most reviewers don't really do.
WWII JAPANESE BOOT FUNK YESSS! LIGHTNING! LIGHTNING! LIGHTNING! Please, can you do them office-worthy-shiny but still badass enough for crashing & sliding on a mountainbike?
You hit the nail on the head. The reason why sizes are wildly different is because there is no government set standardization. Mass production of boots, shoes, hats, jewelry, etc is less than a century old. Before that, there were no shoe stores, there were no clothing stores, or hat stores. You had cobblers who made custom shoes for every client. Everybody wore shoes that were custom built to their foot. People went to the tailor who made all of their clothes. Everybody wore clothes they tailor-made to their body. Same with hats. You went to the hatter, and he made a hat specifically for your head shape. These jobs still exist today, but the majority of them went away during the industrial revolution when stuff started to be mass produced, and particularly during the great depression, when people had no money to buy clothes or shoes, and that's where the idea of hand me downs, as we know it today, really started to become commonplace. Before it came to mean clothing, it originally meant nepo-baby, where a son would take over his father's company.
I like running shoes too. I think the idea of comparing differences in tech for road vs trail running like rock plate vs no plate and tread depth and pattern. Another aspect is the foam sole vs the more traditional thinner sole shoes. Consider covering differences in lacing tech and sole composition. I find that Solomon’s are super solid but many other shoes get destroyed in one or two 10k vert days in CO
Shoe length is usually not a problem since I always get a half size bigger than my true size but the width sizes are all over the place. My left foot is a size wider than the other so most m,d sizes are too small so I usually get 2e. But some m sizes I can fit in.
Two points - firstly social media companies are probably cautious about anything involving firearms because of their international reach. In countries like mine, the UK, there are strict firearms laws and restrictions on any form of advertising or other promotion. Secondly, with regard to footwear sizing, I know of at least four different systems - American, British, European and Japanese (doubtless there are others). The Brannock Device doesn’t seem to be an international standard since there is no agreed international standard. It’s the same for clothing sizes. It does help when shoemakers provide guidance on their sizing. I don’t know how far US shoemakers go in doing this but on this side of the Pond I’ve noticed that Crockett and Jones and Trickers give detailed advice on sizing. Crockett even go so far as telling customers how to trace their foot and take a measurement and they’re happy for customers to send them measurements for additional advice. The other difficulty, of course, is that last shapes sometimes mean that a shoe of a certain size will fit some but not others.
So the US has standardized sizing for footwear, clothing, etc. The problem is that companies don't follow the standard. For women, it is more socially acceptable to call a size 10 a size 5 so as not to hurt the female customer's feelings. Also, in terms of feet, everyones foot is different. width, instep, arch length, etc. The lasts are not standardized. It is easier for footwear companies to try to fit 80% of feet with 1 or 2 lasts than 100% of their customers. Bespoke, or semi custom footwear is the only way to go if you want something more exact.
I literally bought a pair of RW Iron Rangers because of your channel. When you recut them just to check if their quality had dropped and they didn't... I pulled the trigger...thank you. I just broke them in and now considering other colors!!!!
18:20 sizing: in the world of online shopping you need a way to try on the shoes. I don’t buy online unless I’ve tried them on in shop. But I’d love to buy an expensive pair of boots. I won’t unless I can try them on in store.
ditch the big luxury brands like balenciaga,etc. please do guidis, ccp, ma+ i agree with the person who asked the question. you’ll be very impressed by the quality and the heritage with brands from the avant garde side of fashion like guidi, ccp, carpe diem.
Would be awesome if you could cut apart some fancier / more expensive boot brands and discuss construction differences, finishing differences, and what details/features are the things that make the fancy brands worth it. Be it last shape or looks or finishing or other fine details that most of us don’t understand. Maybe brands like Edward Green, St. Crispin, etc.
It would be nice to hear a state of the Shoenion every once in a while; If at the very least, to understand why videos you post get taken down (unfairly). Looking forward to everything coming up.
I think the issue with shoe sizes is they are trying for the razor blade business model (at best) ....being that if you find the right shoe size with their company you will be lazy enough to just keep buying from them and at the worst case they are buying from any 3rd world factory that will make the product well enough to survive whatever warranty they offer and cannot be bothered to stick to a standard.
Great q&a! I'd love to see some vs boots videos. I've been stuck trying to decide on the JK300 or White's Millwood for light duty work boots around the house and in the garage. Thanks!
I got the millwoods. Didn’t much like them. The 300s look better in my opinion. I did just buy the whites c350-cs that Weston did a review on and their perfect. I would go with the jk300 or step up to a top tier boot
Touching on the knife topic, exceed designs makes a titanium flipper with a box cutter blade. Super lightweight and fidgety, I believe 2.5oz, and the quality is excellent
Retail workers/ nurses etc wear Hokas a lot of ASICS but it’s be great to see some info geared toward “best of retail” “#1 nurses shoe” “best food service shoe” or boot lol
Hi, love what ya'll do. I'd love if you covered running shoes and I hope you break into the running review segment because there are so many new shoes coming out and iterations and foam and foam and foam. I bought a pair of New Balance Rebel V3s because they had wide sizing and they're good for the kind of running I do. I think approaching running shoes kind of requires a runner's criticism because otherwise all the shoes seem kind of the same and minute differences might be missed. I understand that minute differences might mean less than runners think they do but I also think viewership is dependent on these minute differences, like the headphone review world. Good luck and have fun :^)
I want to see running shoes from a runners perspective. You could compare 2 tempo shoes against each other or two distance shoes against each other. We’re in a running shoe revolution right now with super foams, carbon plating, and race day specific shoes.
When is the RoseAnvil builds video coming? I am slowly starting to teach myself Cobbling/Bootmaking and am eager to see your journey into this foray. Love your videos, I have to say that you have been a big influence on my interest in boots and the craft in general..
Love your channel. Don’t worry about the folks who expect replies to DMs. They have no idea how much time it would take to reply to every comment or DM. You’d never have time to run a business or make videos!
I think shoe sizing is complex because feet (and anatomy) are complex. Like @joelhansen7373 said, the Brannock is only on flat ground. It measures a flat width and length, with some suggestions of arch. But feet have different arch heights, toe lengths, heel shapes, etc. Bone lengths can vary, I've seen some people with short feet but long toes and vice-versa.
My idea about screwed up, nothing the same in shoe / boot sizing is they do not give a crap. So much of the industry really does not care. They make what they make, chuck it at us, then say take it or leave it. I and everyone else needs footwear, so we will muddle through and after many years of messing around, find a company, a size they make that sort of fits, then they drop the model and all bets are off. I mainly wear boots. If I cannot try them on, it is pointless. I have to be able to try them on. Only my foot knows. I did that with cowboy boots a while back at Cavender's in San Antonio. I was there for over an hour. Finally got a pair I could feel OK with. Turns out it was a 9E, not D, not EE, which are always the most widely offered. So aggravating.
Hey Weston, will you be doing more pull on boot content (engineers and cowboy boots), and can you cut one of the Ariat Bench Made boots and review them?
14:38 You gotta team up with Ron Rider and together do a Once a year PNW Boots & Leather Trade show. And get everyone in a meeting to standardize together. And work on other ways to solve problems... If anyone is going to do it. Its you and Mr Rider.
I worked manual labor jobs through high school & college and always dreamed of a pair of Redwings. Best I ever could afford was some Carolina logging boots, though. After college and after military I finally could afford some Redwing work boots....when I became a white-collar engineer. My kids are in HS and working labor & trade jobs, and the first thing I do is buy them high quality Redwing work boots. I also buy my wife quality footgear. (If she doesn't wear it, not my issue.)
Nobody can afford nice footwear when their young unless they got parents with money buying it for them. I’m 33 blue collar worker and I just now was able to buy myself some whites and jk work boots. I wore crap until this year lol. Props to you and your family. I like the redwings 877 the most out of all the redwings
Brannock needs to be updated to metric - it may measure the right stuff, but its units are nonsense. In general, you'll find shoe sizes fall in line with metric units, with a size 9 usually being around 26cm long, a 10 27cm, an 11 28cm, a size 8 25cm, and so on. Half sizes are roughly 5mm increments. Id love to see metric length take over for shoe size. No mens 9 or womens 10.5 or European 42, but just a 26 for people with feet from 25 or 25.5 to 26cm long depending on if the company offers half sizing
Would definitely like to see a running shoe series, I would love to see you cut apart the Diadora ATOMO V7000, Diadora advertises it and a few of its brethren as the only athletic shoes made in Italy. Its cool from a labour ethics standpoint because most athletic shoes are made in Vietnam/China etc but I'm curious if that "made in Italy" tag confers any actual difference in construction quality.
From outside the US, there's a weird amount of people who talk about guns- purely as a hom defence and anti-human. I do not condone guns with an express intent to be used against people. But guns are important tools with purposes. If content teaches responsible use as tools not weapons, it should not be restricted
