Tibet Sizing

[Luked]

how true to size are the Tibet GTX to a normal Nike type shoe.
Go Hunt says to order 1/2 size smaller
have you all found this to be right.
i want to get a pair but the 9.5 that i wear in a nike shoe they are out of but they have size 9 in stock.

 

[gelton]

hmm, I always used the same size and they seemed to fit true to me, in fact after several years of getting wet and drying out they felt like they had shrunk a bit before I replaced them.

Wouldnt hurt to try em out and return them if they dont work out.

 

[Brian Fahs]

I wear them every day for work or play.
I have been running tibets for 7 years now.
I wear a 12 in all shoes and these fit me perfect with a medium weight sock.

 

[Lionhound1975]

I had 2 pairs of Tibets and my second pair I went up a half size because the first pair seemed to shrink a little after a few years. Maybe it was getting them wet and drying out a lot. At first I thought my feet grew a little but my other footwear didn't seem too small.

 

[matthewmt]

I wear 11 in salomon and in the Tibet as well.

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[CodyB]

I had two pairs of the Tibets in 11, for reference also wear 11 in Crispi and Hanwag.

 

[twdjr]

My experience with Lowa has always been size up not down. I have 4 different pairs and sized up in all for best fit.

 

[Elk2008]

I have same size of Tibet as my regular shoes and they fit good.

 

[Pasayten]

I'm a lineman so pretty much lived in these boots. I wear an 8.5 and the length has never been an issue. They are great, really tough boots, but my foot is just a little wide for them. Took me a few pairs and about 8 years of hiking/hunting/line work to realize that. Like I said though, I am a lineman so I pretty much wore them everyday. Good boot, I would have stayed with them but I tried on some crispi wild rocks in a wide and really liked the room. Also for me it seems like my feet swell after or during a long hike in some where, so they always seemed to get tighter through out the day.

 

[Luked]

Well I ordered a pair of the Tibets this morning from Black Ovis which is about the only place I found that had my size in stock.
hopefully they will work well for me and I will know pretty soon as I have been doing as much hiking as i can here locally. Most of the hikes are small right now but am working my way up in distance.
With the stiffer type boots like the Lowas are there any ways to help the break in period other than just putting miles on them? I have read of people putting a leather conditioner on the leather boots that help them break in better. The family and I will be going to CO this July for a family visit to some of the wifes family that lives in Denver and doing a hike will be on my high priority list while she takes the kids shopping with her aunt. would love for these to be broken in by that time.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Hey @Luked I don't want to hijack your thread but I also just ordered some Tibets and rather than start a new thread I figured I'd add on to yours, maybe the info will help us both.

First, my experience with other stiff boots such as Scarpas has been that only miles will truly break them in. You could wear them around town or doing yard work or whatever and that would be better than nothing to start with before you actually hike in them.

Secondly, I want to put a leather conditioner on these when they get here but I just read a review on blackovis that said Nubuck doesn't take conditioners as well as Full grain leather. Anyone care to share experiences with conditioners such as nikwax or sno-seal with the Tibets?

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

I don’t have experience with the Tibet’s but do with the Camino’s and the guidance was to order a half size smaller.

I ordered my regular size and they felt good for a month until they really started to break in and at that point the leather on the top of the foot started putting crazy painful pressure on my foot. I called Lowa hoping they would help me out and they said they were a month old and since they were used they couldn’t help me. Fortunately my son who has a narrower foot than me was able to use them and they fit him great.

I am now wearing Meindl Denali’s and the guidance was the same as the Lowas. I have a measured 12EE. I am wearing a 13EE in the Meindl’s and living them.


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[Pasayten]

I nikwax all of my boots. That doesn't necessarily mean I should, but I always do. Haven't noticed any negative affects though if that's helpful. The break in process has never really bothered me though. I do however switch out the insoles, my preference being superfeet insoles. With my wider foot I went with the gray lower profile superfeet in the Tibets. The added room in the Crispi's allows me to use a thicker cushier style of superfeet. I get that its hard to pay $450 on a pair of boots to then spend another $50 on insoles, but I think it's worth it.

 

[Runningwater]

I ordered true to size (10W for me) and both my Lowas (Ranger and Tibet) fit perfect with green superfeet - for what that's worth. I'm picky with boots as I've got a high arch and wide forefoot but not wide towards the back. Lowa's in wide with the green superfeet are perfect for me. Do want to try on some Crispi's sometime as the Nevadas look interesting to me.

Fwiw, my tibets, albeit a little stiff, were very comfortable right out of the box. My experience is that if boots don't feel pretty "right" out the box, no amount of "breaking in" is going to fix it. Good luck!

 

[Explorer]

I think you really need to try them on before you buy. Don't listen to the size up or down stuff. Everyone is different. I feel I am a pretty average 10.5. I have had the Tibets for a few years now. When I first bought them I was disappointed how rommy they felt but after the leather broke in I was able to get them tighter. The other thing you will read in lots of reviews is that the insoles are thin and provide no cushion. I would completely agree! For a boot that cost what they do, the insoles suck and are hard on my feet. I replaced them with good insoles and it is a completely different feel. I feel as if they were designed to have the insoles replaced. With the original insoles, mine were too roomy. After new insoles, they fit true to size.
I bought some Meindl boots a half size smaller and they fit ok with the original insole but are tight at times. I wish I would have bought 10.5s there too.

 

[Explorer]

I would stick with the conditioners and waterproofing that Lowa recommends. They have been doing this a long time and their products are designed to keep the boots working. I use their products acording to their directions on my Tibets and they stayed waterproof AND breathable for years. Pulling off both is a hard thing for a boot to do. Some products will keep them waterproof but kill breathablity. Lowa's boot care products don't cost more than anything else, just use what they recommend.

 

[gelton]

Hey @Luked I don't want to hijack your thread but I also just ordered some Tibets and rather than start a new thread I figured I'd add on to yours, maybe the info will help us both.

First, my experience with other stiff boots such as Scarpas has been that only miles will truly break them in. You could wear them around town or doing yard work or whatever and that would be better than nothing to start with before you actually hike in them.

Secondly, I want to put a leather conditioner on these when they get here but I just read a review on blackovis that said Nubuck doesn't take conditioners as well as Full grain leather. Anyone care to share experiences with conditioners such as nikwax or sno-seal with the Tibets?

This is one of the reasons I switched to Meindl Comfort Fit Extreme, they are nubuck but waxed nubuck and can take a more effective waterproofing conditioner. It is beyond me why these boot manufacturers do not offer a full-grained leather...nubuck is cheaper to produce but they still don't mind charging top dollar.

With that being said, none of the manufacturers recommend an oil-based product like obenhaufs.

I have tried Nikwax, Montana Pitch Blend, Obenhaufs and Zamberlan Hydrobloc...Obenhaufs worked well but is known to delaminate rands and possibly soles...Nikwax sucked, Montana Pitch Blend was good but the "leather" didn't want to suck it up...Hydrobloc you could tell the leather liked it and performs about as good as Obenhaufs.

 

[Luked]

got my Tibets today. will have to mess around with the lacing as i put them on and wore them around the house a bit and wasnt long after that my feet were tingling like i had them too tight but it didnt feel like they were tight. not sure what is up with that.

 

[matthewmt]

I got a tube of lowa active cream, it soaked right in and barely darkened the leather. Was hoping to soften them a bit but still need some miles in them as well.
Anymore companies are so specific with what you use to treat their product that you can basically void any warranty by using other brands products.

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[Explorer]

When I first got mine I found myself trying to tighten the foot box over the top of my foot because it felt loose. The leather was so stiff I couldn't get it tight enough. However in the process I overtightened the ankle. I think I had your problem too. I almost sent them back. Once they were broken in, I was able to tighten the foot area better while keeping the above ankle area not so tight. The new insoles helped too.
Maybe apply some Lowa Active Creme as you break them in and they will get a little more supple.