The down side to that is that it gets exponentially harder to stretch this as you go, so Id say about 1ft - 2ft is about all the stretch youll get out of this before it just becomes almost solid feeling. Feel good! I have been a dedicated buyer of the Meleen ever since I ended up with Plantar fasciitis in both of my feet at once, a few years ago. Beautifully designed and flexible with respect to folding. It should be noted I did NOT contact the seller. I enjoy writing honest reviews for my fellow Amazonians and I hope you find this review helpful. I only wear Birkenstocks (I live in Texas where it?s hot or warm pretty much all year), so I am obviously a fan. So far I am on month 2 with these shoes and they are holding up great. Less sub-bass than the Apple EarPods, but Im not really a bass-head so Im satisfied with this. It?s not too thin or thick.