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Walking boot sizes are not standardised. No standard defines what “Medium” means, so each manufacturer publishes its own chart, and the same size letter covers different shoe-size ranges from one brand to the next. The chart below sets three published charts side by side so the difference is visible before a size is ordered or stocked.
Walking boot size chart: Breg and DJO-listed boots
Every value below is taken from a manufacturer or distributor product page, checked 2026-10-29. All three charts are keyed to shoe size, with separate men’s and women’s columns.
| Size label | Breg SoftGait Walker Boot (tall and short) | Aircast AirSelect Elite Walker Boot (DJO brand, as listed by ALIMED) | Breg Companion Boot (no longer available) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s | Women’s | Men’s | Women’s | Men’s | Women’s | |
| XS | 2 to 4 | 3.5 to 5.5 | up to 4 | up to 5 | 1 to 2.5 | 1 to 3.5 |
| S | 4.5 to 7 | 6 to 8 | 4 to 7 | 5 to 8 | 2.5 to 5.5 | 3.5 to 6 |
| M | 7.5 to 10.5 | 8.5 to 11.5 | 7 to 10 | 8 to 11 | 5.5 to 9 | 6 to 9.5 |
| L | 10.5 to 12.5 | 11.5 to 13.5 | 10 to 13 | 11 to 15 | 9 to 12.5 | 9.5 to 13 |
| XL | 12.5+ | 13.5+ | 13+ | 15+ | 12.5 to 17 | 13+ |
Sources: Breg product pages for the SoftGait Walker Boot and the Companion Boot, and the ALIMED product page for the Aircast AirSelect Elite Walker Boot (the ALIMED listing gives the brand as DJO). The ALIMED page is a distributor listing, not the manufacturer’s own site. Check your product’s labelling: if the chart on the box or in the instructions for use differs from this page, the product’s own chart governs.
How to read a walking boot size chart
The chart is keyed to shoe size, not foot length
All three charts above size the boot by the wearer’s usual shoe size. ALIMED’s listing says so directly (“Sizing: Based on shoe size”), and the Breg tables are headed “Men’s Shoe Size” and “Women’s Shoe Size”. Read the column that matches the shoe-size system you use, then read across to the size letter.
Men’s and women’s columns are offset
The same boot appears at different numbers in the two columns. In the DJO-listed chart, Medium is 7 to 10 in men’s sizes and 8 to 11 in women’s sizes. Picking a number from the wrong column moves you a full size label or more.
The ends are open
The smallest and largest labels are bounded on one side only: “up to 4” for XS and “13+” for XL in the DJO-listed chart, and “12.5+” for the SoftGait XL. Adjacent ranges can also share a boundary value. On the Breg SoftGait chart, men’s 10.5 appears in both Medium and Large, and women’s 11.5 appears in both. On the DJO-listed chart, men’s 7 and 10 each sit on a boundary. The chart alone does not settle which label applies at a shared value, so the product’s instructions for use or the treating clinician decides.
Choosing a size
A size chart narrows the options; it does not fit the boot. These charts use shoe size only. Fitting and application differ by model. Breg publishes instructions for use as separate PDFs for the SoftGait Walker and the SoftGait Air Walker, and those, together with the clinician who recommended the boot, are the authority on fit. Each manufacturer’s chart applies only to its own product line.
For anyone stocking boots, the podiatry office supply checklist lists walking boots (CAM boots) among the items held in a size range. The sports medicine clinic supply checklist covers the wider kit.
Why Medium is not the same everywhere
Take a man’s shoe size 9.5. On the SoftGait chart it is Medium (7.5 to 10.5). On the DJO-listed chart it is Medium (7 to 10). On the Breg Companion Boot chart it is Large (9 to 12.5), because that chart’s Medium stops at 9. The same foot, three charts, and two different size letters.
The same maker can also change its ranges between products. Breg’s SoftGait Medium starts at men’s 7.5, while the discontinued Companion Boot’s Medium starts at men’s 5.5. A size letter remembered from an earlier model is not a safe guide to its replacement.
Common mix-ups
- Treating S/M/L as universal. The chart above shows Medium spanning men’s 7.5 to 10.5, 7 to 10 and 5.5 to 9 depending on the product.
- Reading the wrong gender column. Men’s and women’s ranges are listed side by side and are not interchangeable.
- Carrying a size across product lines. Tall and short versions of the SoftGait share one chart, but a different boot from the same brand may not.
For other mobility and support products that come in sizes, see the mobility aid buying guide and what are crutches.
Walking boot FAQ
What is a walking boot?
A walking boot, also called a walker boot, is a supportive boot worn on the foot and lower leg. Breg describes its SoftGait Walker as designed to promote a normal gait, with a closed heel design, in tall and short versions, and lists soft tissue injuries, grade 2 and 3 sprains, stable fractures and post-operative use as common examples of use.
How do you wear a walking boot?
Application steps differ by model, so they come from the instructions for use packaged with the boot and from the clinician who recommended it. Sizing is the part a chart can settle: match your shoe size to the right column and size label first.
How do you use a walking boot?
How long it is worn and how much weight is put on it are treatment decisions made by the clinician, not details a size chart can supply. Follow the written instructions that come with the specific boot and the advice of the person treating the injury.
Sources
- Breg, SoftGait Walker Boot: part numbers and sizing chart. Checked 2026-10-29.
- Breg, The Companion Boot (No Longer Available): part numbers and sizing chart. Checked 2026-10-29.
- ALIMED, AirSelect Elite Walker Boot: sizing information (distributor listing; brand shown as DJO). Checked 2026-10-29.
