We’d argue that Hey Dude designs some of the most lightweight, breathable, and affordable footwear out there, and that’s why you might have been drawn to them. But when your package arrived, you noticed that your Hey Dudes weren’t picture perfect. Why are your Hey Dude laces too long?
Whether you’ve gotten the wrong fit of Hey Dudes or ordered the super lengthy laces rather than the average ones, you ended up with a problem that might plague you every time you put them on.
No matter what you do, your Hey Dudes don’t fit the right way because you can’t get the long laces to fit your foot tight enough.
Now, that’s the thing with Hey Dudes. These shoes were designed by two Italian footwear experts, Alessandro and Dario, who wanted to create comfortable, wearable footwear that would fit everyone’s expectations (and feet).
Hey Dudes are made with high-quality, hard-wearing fabrics for a fraction of the price you’d typically pay for Italian designer footwear. But even with Hey Dudes, you need to make sure you get the right style and fit to ensure they’re as comfortable as they’re supposed to be.
What happened, then? Why are your Hey dude laces too long?
Why are your Hey Dude laces too long?
OK, here’s the thing. Hey Dudes are made to be comfortable which means they’re wider than some of the other footwear you might have tried, more flexible, and more adaptable.
Hey Dude laces are longer than average laces because they’re meant to fit people with wider feet. People with narrow feet can tighten them to ensure they fit them perfectly. But, the lengthy laces seemed to have angered a lot of people who argue how they’re left with long strands hanging on the sides.
Depending on the style of Hey Dudes you opted for, you might notice that your laces are elasticated, too.
With elasticated laces, you might have a tough time trying to tighten them because they’re meant to fit your feet from the moment you put them on. Worry not, though, we’re bringing you a few of our favorite tips and tricks on how to tighten your Hey Dudes down below.
What can you do when your Hey Dude laces are too long?
We’re not saying that Hey Dude made a mistake coming out with lengthy laces, but they’re getting mixed reviews from people with narrow feet who don’t know how to tighten them without looking silly.
People who are wondering why Hey Dude laces are too long to tighten are also wondering whether Hey Dude offers replacement laces for unhappy customers. But no, Hey Dude doesn’t make replacement laces which means you’re left to your own devices to figure out how to make them fit better.
Now, you can always resort to buying the length of laces you need from a different brand. We suggest going for laces by iBungee, Lock Laces, elastic shoelaces from Upin, or American Laces when you’re adamant to avoid DIY-ing anything.
However, if you’re willing to do some work to tighten your Hey Dude laces, you might want to take a peep at a few of our favorite ways to do so.
How can you tighten your Hey Dude laces?
1. Tie a tighter knot
While that sounds self-explanatory, you’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t think to tie a tighter knot. When you’re struggling to figure out how to hide the rest of the laces hanging on the sides, you can reposition them, tie them a little tighter, and see what happens.
Start by undoing the knots on both sides of your Hey Dudes. Pull the laces as tight as you need them to be and secure them by tying a knot near the eyelet.
Now you’re left with long, loose ends hanging on the sides. Cut them and burn the edges to ensure you don’t damage them further on. Or, you can thread them through the eyelets once more to achieve a neater appearance without employing the scissors, too.
2. Try out a handy hack to tighten your laces
When you’re unhappy with the way your Hey Dudes look with long, loose ends hanging on the sides, you can tighten them by threading each lace through the front lace. What do we mean by that?
Start by putting your Hey Dudes on.
Fasten the laces as tight as you’d want them to be and thread both ends through the front lace. Move them to the side of your Hey Dudes with the toggle facing forward. Repeat the process as many times as you need. When you’re done, you should end up with a tighter, neater appearance.
3. Loop your laces
Oh, you thought we were done with hacks?
When you’re struggling with your Hey Dude laces, you might need to experiment with a few hacks before you find the one that works for you. We suggest looping your laces for a more polished, put-together look.
Cutting your laces might end up damaging them, but threading them over each other solves the situation without causing damage. Start by pulling on your elastic laces to tighten them as much as you need. Loop one lace under and one lace over.
Repeat the process as many times as you need. Once you’re done, you don’t need to tie a knot because of the toggles. Of course, you should end up with a comfortable, snug fit that doesn’t require you to cut your laces or buy new ones.
4. Wear socks with your Hey Dudes
Moving away from handy hacks, you might have the solution to your situation closer than you might think. We aren’t suggesting you stuff your Hey Dudes with socks, but we are wondering whether they’d fit better.
When you wear your chunkiest, chubbiest socks, you’re bound to notice a difference. You might not even need to shorten your Hey Dude laces when you’re rocking your favorite knitted socks.
Now, Hey Dudes aren’t meant to be worn with socks because they’re super soft and comfortable even without them. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t break a rule or two to ensure your Hey Dudes fit the way they’re supposed to.
We do suggest going for no-show socks or ankle socks for a neater appearance, though.
5. Replace your Hey Dudes
We’re aware that you might not want to do that, but Hey Dudes offer a 30-day return policy for a reason.
You’re able to return them and get a refund or exchange them for a different style. You wouldn’t be the first to do that and you’d solve the problem without DIY-ing a single thing.
Tightening your Hey Dude laces might help when they’re stretched out or when you have a narrow foot, prefer a snug fit, or wear a half-size smaller (Hey Dude doesn’t offer half sizes).
However, when your laces are too long, you might need to replace them with a different style because the one you opted for doesn’t work for your feet.
6. Machine wash your Hey Dudes
We do need to underline that Hey Dudes aren’t necessarily machine washable. But we know that most people don’t follow the rules and wash them that way, anyway. Before you do that, however, know that there’s a chance you might damage them, break them apart, or tear them.
Once you do that, you won’t be able to return them.
With that out of the way, though, machine washing your Hey Dudes might make them shrink because they’re typically made of textiles. When you dry them, you might notice that they’re much tighter or that you don’t need to tighten the laces as much as you did before.
How to tie your Hey Dudes the right way?
Hey Dudes are designed to make things easier for you, but there are times when you might need to tighten the laces even though they’re elasticated. Here’s how you can tie your Hey Dudes the right way.
1. Crossover looped laces
Put your Hey Dudes on and pull your laces as tight as you need them to be. Tuck one end of the lace under the front lace. Repeat the same thing with the other end of the lace. There you go – you can now proceed to go about your business without worrying about your Hey Dudes falling off of your feet.
2. Loops on the sides
You can modify the crossover looped laces a little bit to achieve an even more polished and put-together appearance. Start by putting your Hey Dudes on and pulling the laces on the side until you reach the knot. Tuck the excess lace under the front lace and repeat the process with the other side, too.
3. Single-knot laces
We can’t forget about the single-knot laces because they’re the easiest to do. Start by untying the knot and pulling the laces tight. Make a new knot closer to the eyelets and tuck the excess under the front part of your Hey Dudes. We’re keeping our fingers crossed you succeed!
