I finally bought a pair of Allbirds Wool Runners that everyone else have been raving about for years. They are not inexpensive at about $115, but my pair of Nike Roche 2 have finally worn down, so the time was right to finally try the Allbirds. If they last as long as the Roche did (about five years of wear), then the over hundred dollar entry fee isn’t so onerous.
As standard, I purchased a pair in size 9. Shipping is of course free, and I received the shoes in about three days. On first impression, the Wool Runners wear a bit tight: my big toe is jammed right on the cap, and my heel is right up again the back. I figured the Allbirds may need some breaking in, and what better way to do so than a 10 hour trip to and from Fresno, California. In 90 degree heat.
Turns out the answer is no: the Allbirds do not break-in with wear. The pair remain as tight as it were out of the box yesterday when I wore it to work. I definitely need to exchange them for a larger size. Thankfully, Allbirds provide a 30-day return policy, no questions asked. Even if you’ve taken your pair of Allbirds on a hike to the ends of the earth, the company will still give you a full refund. No wonder the price for a pair is so relatively high: we’re all paying for the generous return policy!
Well, I very much like to keep a pair of Allbirds that fit, so back goes the size 9 and incoming is a size 10. I would have chosen a size 9.5, but like Converse with its Chuck Taylor shoes, Allbirds doesn’t do half sizes. I sure hope the size 10 Wool Runners won’t be too large, the opposite problem from the size 9.
Obviously, all of this may be idiosyncratic to my situation. I anecdotally know people with Allbirds that fit them fine in their usual shoe size. Nevertheless, the shoes are made of thick wool, so perhaps sizing up to begin with wouldn’t be a bad strategy. Either way, exchanges are free - they pay shipping - for 30 days.
I’ll let you know how the size 10 fits once it arrives.
Middle California.