Alfa sizing

[randoskier]

@Tom

I was just watching an older vid of Tom's review of the Alfa Greenland. When he spoke of sizing he was talking about Alfa's instructions to measure your foot length in CM and then add 1.5 cm to it- then use the Alfa chart to determine Euro size (42, 43, etc,). Tom's foot measured 26.6 cm without the additional 1.5cm addition. He added the 1.5 cm and the Alfa chart pointed to size 43.

Lately I have seen others telling people sizing Alfa to add 1.5cm to their foot measurement and their old sizing chart is still floating around the interwebs too.

BUT some time after Tom's video review Alfa changed their sizing chart- so with the current chart Tom's 26.6 CM foot would point straight at the size 43. No addition of 1.5 necessary. If in between CM size on their chart- round up.

Tom also mentioned that he had heard that Alfa sizes their boots with their Norwegian customers in mind and that they reportedly wear thick wool socks but he could not confirm that. I can confirm it, most people there wear a thin merino wool liner sock with a thick wool sock, often very thick. I wear the thickest Thorlo sock I can find, or the Norwegian wool socks that I find in the hunting/fishing shops there- pure wool, very thick, and inexpensive ( a miracle that anything in Norway is inexpensive, it is generally more expensive there than Switzerland). So I think the Alfa normal sizing is slightly sized up to allow for the extra sock thickness.

So don't add for Alfa, just measure and straight to chart.

Lundhags on the other hand says to add 2cm to your foot measurement then consult their chart (why they don't just adjust their chart is beyond my grasp).

This is the latest Alfa sizing chart:

To easily measure the length of the foot, place a piece of paper against the wall. Then place the foot (barefoot or with a thin sock) on the paper with the heel against the wall. It is important to stand upright when measuring. Put a line in front of the longest toe and measure with a ruler. Measure both feet; it is not uncommon for one foot to be larger than the other. Round up to the nearest integer to find your size.

These methods act as supervisors [they mean indicators]. We recommend that you always try on the shoes to find the perfect boot and fit as no two feet are alike.

[Stephen]

@randoskier, this is a great clarification and synthesis of the ALFA sizing info that’s out there.

It really does come down to the last sentence in ALFA’s instructions:
“We recommend that you always try on the shoes to find the perfect boot and fit as no two feet are alike.”

I’m closest to their 28,6 = size 46, but I wear a 47.
It’s my round forefoot.

When I tried on the size 47 Lundhags I just got, I pulled the liners out and tried those on first and was surprised by how much extra length there was in the toes, maybe 3/4”.
But they feel great and no sense of being oversized.

Just another data point…