I did notice the sizing of the boots was really weird though. I was wearing a 7 in the male boots, and ended up getting an 8 in the F390, but my low quarters are a 9.5 in women's. I thought they just messed up with the female size scale -- isn't the difference between female and male sizes usually two numbers, not just one?
The standard difference between male and female shoe sizes is 1 1/2. So a women's size 9.5 would be equivilant to a male size 8.
So the size of the boots you purchased sounds right, if the F390s run true to size. The male Belleville boots, on the other hand, seem to run about 1 to 1 1/2 sizes
larger than most standard shoes/boots. For example, my son who would never be able to wear a size 9 in any other brand. He would be a 10 1/2. But the 9 Wide fits perfectly for him in the Belleville.
I agree with Scoutpilot that a key consideration is getting the right width. A shorter, wider boot will normally take care of the slippage/arch problems. Make sure the boot is not slipping on your heel -- because that will cause blisters no matter how many liners you use. Normally, heel slip is caused by a boot being too long. (Sometimes, women with a narrow AA heel will have slippage at the heel regardless.) Also, as Scoutpilot points out the boots and shoes will loosen up with wear and the slippage will only get worse if they are too long to start with.
If your boot or shoe is slipping, another cooresponding problem will be that the arch is likely also not lining up correctly with the arch of your foot. If the boot's too long, its arch support will not line up correctly with your foot arch and will cause your arch to start "aching" on marches as the hard boot arch presses into your foot in the wrong place. If that happens, your foot's soft tissue can become progressively more sore and chronicly painful. Again, that problem is quickly correctable by getting the right sized boot or shoe.
A good rule of thumb: you can tell if the shoe or boot fits correctly by the crease/break on the top of the boot or shoe as you walk . If the top of the boot creases gently and diagonally across the base to middle of your toes as you walk, it is a pretty close fit. If however, the top crease seems unusually deep and the toe of the boot appears to be bulbous or bending slighlty upward as you walk (giving it kind of a clown-shoe appearance) -- then the boot is
too long, and you will have the corresponding slippage at the heel.
Probably 70% of people buy much longer shoes and boots than they really need; rather than finding the correct width in their true size. For example, somone ends up buying a size 12 D because it "fits their foot," when in reality a 10.5 E or EE would fit them perfectly. They buy the 12 D because they can can't get their foot into the 10.5 D -- which is too narrow. But the the 12 will be a
terrible fit. It will likely slip on the heel and fit wrong in both their arch and toe area; with the crease accross the top of the toes pushing down on their big toe joint. That can lead to pressure on the big toe joint that will cause it to get sorer and sorer the more they use the boots/shoes. That can become a cronic issue and cause an increasing amount of pain. But the problem heals quickly once a smaller, correct sized boot is worn.
My son had a teammate on his football team this year that was going to quit playing football his senior year because his big toe joint hurt and was getting worse with each week of practice. The doctors tried cortizone shots and told him to consider surgery. I took a look at his cleats and found they were a size 13 D -- and breaking badly -- with the toes of his cleats bent way up in the air. When he walked, the bend/crease on top was pressing right into his big toe joint. We went to Sports Authority and measured his foot. His true size was actually a 10 EE. Once he got cleats in the correct size, the toe problem dissappeared within a week and he played the entire season with no foot problems.
A lot of shoes made in China are simply made too narrow for American male feet. Plus, different brands are cut and will fit differently. So "one size does not fit all people, in all brands." With a little work, you will find the right size and width -- and feel the difference immediately.
The mens Bellevilles just run at least one full size larger than normal for some reason. In my son's case, it was 1 1/2 sizes larger. But now that he has the right size -- he loves them -- with no slippage and no arch problems.
