Fins

None of my fins have ever stretched. In fact, I think sitting in a hot car may have caused some of them to shrink a little bit. I own five pairs of fins. I'd go for looser rather than tighter. I have one pair that I got when we did fin testing for the magazine a couple of years ago. At first they seemed like a perfect fit but they turned out to be too tight and gave me blisters. I have another pair that I use for open water in the winter. They're a little too big, so I wear the neoprene socks with them and they fit just right. Unfortunately you won't really know whether a specific model will work for you until you've worn it a few times. I just looked at all of mine and here are the sizes I own, along with how they fit me. My shoe size is usually around a women's 7.5 to 8, which is supposedly equivalent to a men's 5.5 to 6. Sporti (Clubswim) www.swimoutlet.com/.../23088.htm Men's 3-5 These are the ones that seemed OK at first but now I think they're too small. I cut some of the rubber out around the big toe area but they still rub. Sprint Floating Fins www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp Small, Men's 5-7 These are also too small around the big toe. Again, I cut away some of the rubber from the toe area but they still rub. TYR Burner EBP www.swimoutlet.com/.../22453.htm Small 5-7 (Green) (Men's) These fit just about right. Maybe very slightly loose. But the foot pocket is softer rubber than a lot of other fins, which makes them really comfortable. FINIS Zoomers www.swimoutlet.com/.../1267.htm Size E: 7-1/2 to 8-1/2 Men's These also fit just about right. I used to always wear the size D in Zoomers but the last pair I bought was too tight. I went up to size E which may be very slightly loose but they work fine. Hydro Training Finz www.swimoutlet.com/.../1269.htm S (6-7) Men's These have the largest foot pocket of any of the fins that I own. I can wear them without the neoprene socks, but they're a little loose and in open water I'm afraid I might lose them. With the neoprene socks they're just right. Neoprene socks: I have the Speedo brand but there are other brands that I'm sure are just as good. www.swimoutlet.com/.../3630.htm

None of my fins have ever stretched. In fact, I think sitting in a hot car may have caused some of them to shrink a little bit. I own five pairs of fins. I'd go for looser rather than tighter. I have one pair that I got when we did fin testing for the magazine a couple of years ago. At first they seemed like a perfect fit but they turned out to be too tight and gave me blisters. I have another pair that I use for open water in the winter. They're a little too big, so I wear the neoprene socks with them and they fit just right. Unfortunately you won't really know whether a specific model will work for you until you've worn it a few times. I just looked at all of mine and here are the sizes I own, along with how they fit me. My shoe size is usually around a women's 7.5 to 8, which is supposedly equivalent to a men's 5.5 to 6. Sporti (Clubswim) www.swimoutlet.com/.../23088.htm Men's 3-5 These are the ones that seemed OK at first but now I think they're too small. I cut some of the rubber out around the big toe area but they still rub. Sprint Floating Fins www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp Small, Men's 5-7 These are also too small around the big toe. Again, I cut away some of the rubber from the toe area but they still rub. TYR Burner EBP www.swimoutlet.com/.../22453.htm Small 5-7 (Green) (Men's) These fit just about right. Maybe very slightly loose. But the foot pocket is softer rubber than a lot of other fins, which makes them really comfortable. FINIS Zoomers www.swimoutlet.com/.../1267.htm Size E: 7-1/2 to 8-1/2 Men's These also fit just about right. I used to always wear the size D in Zoomers but the last pair I bought was too tight. I went up to size E which may be very slightly loose but they work fine. Hydro Training Finz www.swimoutlet.com/.../1269.htm S (6-7) Men's These have the largest foot pocket of any of the fins that I own. I can wear them without the neoprene socks, but they're a little loose and in open water I'm afraid I might lose them. With the neoprene socks they're just right. Neoprene socks: I have the Speedo brand but there are other brands that I'm sure are just as good. www.swimoutlet.com/.../3630.htm