Scarpa 8000 Fit

In-home testing of Scarpa 8000 so I can return them if they don't work.

Ski-boot like fit, with about 1/2" of room at the end of the toes.
Only thin socks fit. I can wiggle only a couple toes on each foot.

BUT - I haven't heat molded them yet, so I can still return them.

Based on the above, does anyone know right up front if the heat molding will give me the necessary fit, if the toe cap during molding will give me the right wiggle room, and if thin socks will be good enough at 8000 meters in these boots?

Or should I go up a size?

Thanks.

I have not used those particular boots, but I use old Invernos with heat moldable Intuition liners. In my opinion, wiggle room for a thin sock is not enough. My feet swell at altitude and I like the boots to fit with wiggle room and big socks. Tight boots invite frostbite. You will likely gain a little room after molding, but not much.

The molding place I've been going to is more appropriate for ski boots, and they use a thin sock for the molding, but say to use a thick sock after and it will pack out some.

What you're saying makes sense though.

I have found that after the initial molding process, the boot will pack out very little. Close to three seasons of decent use on my tele boots and they are very close to the post heat molded sizing.

-Jon

I summited Manaslu and Everest in those same boots. When you say thin are you talking about a very thin liner sock? If so I would definitely say the are too small. I found that the heat molding process didn't make a whole lot of difference in the toe area. Mine probably fit a little looser than yours do and I wish I had gone a little larger. I originally fit them with a heavy expedition sock and found that at altitude they were too tight so now I normally use them with a midweigt sock. There's no way I can use a thin liner sock in additon to the midweight sock. They're warm enough that way but why wouldn't you want to be able to use them with a heavy sock? At 8000 meters you want all the warmth you can get. I've also found that even after all the hours I have worn them they haven't packed out much.

Next step up from a liner - very thin ski sock, but yes, foot expansion at altitude and possibly foam expansion at altitude. I ordered in the next size up to try - thanks all for your positive suggestions.