I bought these for a Kilimanjaro hike I have coming up, I took advice I read on several websites to get a half size bigger than normal to make room for the thicker merino wool socks I'll be wearing for the hike and that was good advice.  I almost always wear a 7.5 in most every brand (nike, Adidas, new balance, toms, etc) so I got the 8 and they worked great right out of the box with my wool socks.  My first hike with these was about 10 miles and they were not uncomfortable at all.  I've since been on several more 10+ miles and they just keep getting better, little to no break in time required... but still a good idea. Very supportive and deceitfully light weight for the size.  I also have a pair of Solomon trail runners and they didn't require break in time either, I'll be sticking with all Salomon for hiking shoes from now on.