Ok so the shoes are rad overall but the sizing is confusing because I wasn't sure how they were supposed to fit.

I wear a solid 10.5-11 US (heel to toe my foot is exactly 11 inches). In other vibrams I've tried (like the v-treks) im a 43, 44 being much too large. So with the hemps I opted for a 44, as per all advice about going a size up.

At first right out of the box I thought they were way too tight, like no way I could wear them. But after a day of flexing in them indoors I realized that the length and width were fine (my toes are right at the end, with enough room to curl my toes under a bit), and the tightness was from the height of the shoe. Like I was being squeezed a bit too much.

So basically I got thicc feet. But I wore them out and they feel fine now, and I'm sure theyll stretch the minuscule amount
I require, but even if they don't, I can comfortably wear them all day, wherever.

In summary, they seemed to fit very tight, but it turned out to be fine. I think you'll kno if they're too small, but if you're not sure that a full size up is what you need, think about the tightness around the strap area. It feels like if I cut the strap off/ if they stretched a tiny bit upwards they'd be perfect.

So there you go. They fit super snug, and it's ok. It's just different.