How To Tighten Hey Dude Shoes - Simple Methods

Do you want to know how to tighten Hey Dude shoes but aren’t sure what to do? If so I’m going to explain some of the options that you have for getting a better fit by making any necessary adjustments to the laces or shoes.

The importance of wearing comfortable shoes that fit correctly is important not only to make walking easier but also for your foot health.

Some Hey Dude styles are well known for stretching with wear. So your Hey Dude shoes that might have felt ok in the store can loosen over time and begin to feel uncomfortable on your feet. So I want to talk about what you can do to stop this unwanted movement and get a more comfortable fit.

Here are some of the options that you have if you want to tighten your Hey Dude shoes and get a more snug fit.

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Can You Tighten Hey Dude Shoes?

Before I go into details on how to tighten Hey Dude Shoes it is important to mention that the brand makes a huge range of different styles. Some of the Hey Dude shoes will come with lacing options to help you get a more secure fit but other makes of the brands shoes are slip ons which means that tightening the shoes will work differently.

To illustrate this you can see this Hey Dude Mikka shoe is purely a slip-on style with no lacing options to help you get a tighter fit.

Whilst these Wally Stretch shoes have the easy-on lace fit which makes them more easily adjustable.

Tightening Hey Dude Shoes with laces is relatively simple and I will discuss a couple of lacing options that you can use to get a snug fit that is comfortable.

To get a more secure fit on their slip-on shoes involves a little more trial and error but there are some easy steps you can take to get a much better fit.

Do Hey Dudes Sell Half Sizes?

I always however tell all of my readers that where possible get the perfect fit for your foot shape right from the start of your purchase decision.

Hey Dudes shoes don’t come in half sizes which means that if you are in between two whole sizes you need to make a decision on whether to size up or down.

If you size down you may find that the shoes are overly tight whilst sizing up means that you can end up with loose shoes.

Where possible try on a number of different styles to get the best fit for your feet otherwise the shoes are not going to be comfortable. Do not buy Hey Dude shoe models that don’t fit you properly and hope you can sort out the problem. This is a bad idea! Inevitably you will end up having to make compromises and may end up with pain and discomfort.

Are Hey Dudes Supposed To Fit Loose Or Tight?

So how should your Hey Dudes fit? Well Hey Dudes shoes are supposed to be true to size and not be too loose or tight on your feet. Of course, you may have a preference for a snug or loose fit and that is entirely up to you.

Do Hey Dudes stretch out over time? Well yes, some of their shoes do stretch once you have worn them for a time which means that footwear that may have started snug might become looser as you wear them.

I have also found that whilst the brand thinks their shoes are true to size this isn’t always the case. In fact my Hey Dude Wendy shoes were actually a little too snug when I bought them.

The best way to assess the fit is to try on a number of pairs to get the best fit for you.

If you do have a pair of Hey Dude Shoes with laces that feel too loose and it is too late to return them this is what you can do.

Working With Their Elasticated Laces

Ordinary shoes typically have laces that have no give in them. These laces are usually threaded through the eyelets of your shoes to help you get a more secure fit.

An average laced shoe might have four or more eyelet pairs however Hey Dude shoes that have laces are very different.

Hey Dude laces typically are threaded through only two eyelet pairs which is much less than usual. The laces themselves are also different in that they are elastic and stretch.

Having fewer eyelets and lacing options means that you may not get a secure fit but makes them easier to slip-on. As these are casual shoes that require less support than athletic or walking shoes you shouldn’t find that they are too loose provided you adjust the laces to fit your feet.

Some of the Hey Dude shoes elastic laces have a knot at the end of them whilst others have a toggle with a knot inside. The lacing techniques for both types of shoes are similar.

Hey Dude Lacing Options

Tightening Hey Dude shoes by their laces is relatively simple.

These are my Hey Dudes Wendy shoes as you can see the laces on these shoes have a regular knot on the end of them.

To tighten the laces undo this knot and then create a new knot or double knot further up the elastic laces. Many people add this knot near the eyelet section of the shoe to create a tighter fit to stop the shoes from loosening as you walk.

Your other alternative to make your Hey Dudes tighter is to pull laces so they are a tight fit on your foot and tie a regular shoelace knot at the front of your shoes.

If you Hey Dudes have a toggle the same method of tying a knot near the eyelet will work. As will tying the laces with the toggle at the front to prevent the shoe laces from coming undone.

This video shows you how to tighten Hey Dudes in a little more detail.

How To Tighten Hey Dudes By Other Methods

If you want to tighten Hey Dude shoes then tying the original laces is only one method of making the shoes a little more snug on your feet but there are other methods as well that you can use to make them the perfect fit.

Here are my favorite ways to tighten Hey Dudes so that they don’t feel too loose on your feet.

Wear Socks With Your Shoes

So should you wear your Hey Dudes with or without socks?

Well, I know plenty of people wear them in the summer with bare feet, and whilst that is great for keeping your feet feeling cool and free it doesn’t help with creating a better fit when your shoes are too loose.

To get that better fit try wearing your Hey Dude shoes with thick socks. Thicker socks help to reduce the amount of room that is inside the shoe making it a really simple way to get your desired fit.

This is a really simple and easy way to solve the loose shoe problem and as you probably already own socks it is a free remedy.

Double Up on Insoles

Hey Dudes famously come with a cushioned insole which is what makes them so comfortable. If however you are wearing the shoes with the original insole and find that you have too much room you can add another insole to make your Hey Dudes tighter.

Adding a double insole shouldn’t cause you any problems and will only add to the cushioning effect and help to create that snug fit you want.

Alternatively, you could find a thicker insole and simply replace the existing insole with something that gives you the desired tightness.

Wear Orthotics

If adding another insole doesn’t work then another alternative is to remove the insoles that you have in the Hey Dudes and replace them with an orthotic.

Do you need bigger shoes for insoles and orthotics? Well in some cases yes you do which is why this method can work.

I found out about this the hard way when I was given some orthotics by a consultant who was trying to help me cure the tendonitis in my foot. The orthotics were so large and bulky I couldn’t fit them in my shoes. Whilst the orthotics given to me by my consultant were no good it doesn’t mean to say that other brands wouldn’t work.

Times have changed and not all orthotics are so big and bulky now. They are however generally a little larger than the insole that you would find in your Hey Dude shoes. This means that if you pop an orthotic into the shoes that are too big you should find there is a little less room inside the shoe.

Sometimes it is a little bit of trial and error getting the fit you want but orthotics can make a significant difference when your shoes feel too loose.

Hey Dude shoes are notorious for having poor arch support so an added bonus with orthotics is that they can also create that extra support you may need which is missing in the basic design of the footwear.

Use Heat to Shrink Them

Hey Dudes are great shoes because you can machine wash them in cold water and they will look great afterward providing you air dry them away from any heat source.

Heat can shrink these shoes which is why you normally don’t want to use it however if your shoes are too big it might be worth washing them in warmer water or placing them in a tumble dryer for a short period to see if you can make them smaller.

The only thing I would say is you are doing this at your own risk. This is because using heat isn’t great for accurately shrinking them and you may damage them beyond repair. Only try this method if you have nothing to lose!

Visit Your Local Cobbler

Finally, if you want to know how to tighten Hey Dude shoes go to a local cobbler for help.

Cobblers have tools at their disposal to help resize shoes plus they have skills that you won’t. Getting an expert to look at your shoes is an option you can use if you have tried everything else and it hasn’t worked.

Just note that Hey Dudes are not expensive which means you probably are not going to be prepared to spend big bucks for adjustments as it is cheaper to sell them on a site like eBay and buy a new pair.

Learn More About Hey Dudes

Are Hey Dudes Waterproof?

Are Hey Dudes Good For Walking?

Do Hey Dudes Make Your Feet Stink?

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