How To Put On Your Peluvas

Peluvas are a new footwear experience, and the process of sizing, fitting, and feeling comfortable can take some getting used to at first. As Peluva co-founder Mark Sisson likes to say, “If your toes slide right into Peluvas, you’ll love these shoes. If you have trouble sliding your toes into Peluvas, you need these shoes!” This article will help acquaint you with Peluva’s distinctive five-toe fit, how to ensure you are wearing the correct size, and how to best try-on the shoe.

Peluvas “fit like a glove”: Peluvas are designed to have a snug, glove-like fit into each toe slot. This is different from regular running or athletic shoes where we’ve been told to have a thumbnail sized gap at the front. The reason you need a gap in regular shoes is to withstand the abuse of the excess friction and compression of the toes that happens with each step. In your Peluvas, each toe has the freedom to splay wide upon impact, and operate independently through the gait pattern. It’s okay for your toes to push up to the edge of the fabric, as they will not be traumatized by the compression that happens inside a single toe box shoe. 

Because this glove-like fit is something new, some of our customers believe that their Peluvas are too tight, while their fit is actually correct. It’s okay for your toes to fill the entire slots, but leaving a bit of a gap is okay too if that feels more comfortable. Note: Individual variation in toe length means that you should determine correct sizing by the position of your longest toe. If one toe reaches the edge of its box and there is space in other toe slots, that’s fine. After a few years of extensive testing (under extreme circumstances such as high level athletics and extreme hiking), our early beta-testers report complete comfort even with toes completely filling the box. 

What’s more, your Peluvas will stretch and shape to your individual feet over time (especially when you wear them without socks and your natural foot oils and moisture interact with the fabric.) If one or more toes feel quite snug at first, realize the fabric will stretch out quickly into a comfortable custom fit. Now, we don’t want you to feel uncomfortable at the outset, or have a toe that won’t fully extend inside the box, so let’s make sure you get “glove-like, but not uncomfortable” sizing. Fun fact: The word Peluva comes from Portuguese words “Pe” for foot, and “luva” for glove. 

Trying on: Set yourself up for success by being deliberate and patient with try-on, and positioning your body, foot and hands correctly. First, sit in a position low to the floor, such as a stairstep or stool. Place the shoe on the ground and leave it there so you have leverage to push against while aligning the toes. 

Next, flatten the heel so your feet have maximum access to the shoe. Grab the tongue with one hand and have the other hand free to guide toes into final position through the fabric. Slowly slide your toes into position at their entry slots, then tug on the tongue while pushing the shoe into the ground for leverage. Use your free hand to manipulate any toes that aren’t going directly in. It may help to twist your foot a bit so the big toe enters first, followed by the others. If you misfire, back the toes out, do some more guiding with your free hand, then push into the ground and pull the tongue again. Once your toes are secure, you can flip the heel into place and start walking!

If you are having trouble getting your toes into position, note that it’s easier to glide and slide into the shoe when wearing Peluva five-toe socks. Yes, the socks take a bit of patience to get each toe in, but then you have less friction when entering the shoe. Socks are optional since the risk of blisters is minimal, but our customers love the warmth and feel of the socks. In fact, many customers report wearing five-toe socks in all of their shoes, as they are far more comfortable than regular socks (which still wedge the toes together all day long.)

When interacting with the public at trade shows, we’ve noticed some people give up in frustration when the toes don’t immediately slide into five slots. The truth is, when we wedge our feet into restrictive toe boxes for years and decades, the consequent atrophy and mis-shapening is going to take a while to overcome. But follow the directions carefully, keep at it, and you’ll get your toes in! Once you’re fitted, you’ll realize the Peluvas are the most comfortable shoes you’ve ever worn–you’ll feel like you’re barefoot. It’s a fantastic feeling to wear Peluvas for a few months and notice that you’re able to gracefully slide your toes into position!

If you need more help, please email our expert customer service team: [email protected] - and we’ll walk you through try-on and sizing one-on-one. 

Returns and exchanges: We really appreciate your interest and want you to be totally satisfied with your purchase, including our no hassle returns and exchanges. Just don’t jump the gun, as your shoe size might be just fine! Remember, a tight fit is desired, and an extra tight shoe will soon stretch and shape. If you are certain you need an exchange, you can get started at our Returns & Exchanges page