foot falling asleep when backpacking

This morning I did a 5 mile hike with 20lbs on my back at a local park in Houston. I was on flat trail. My left foot feel asleep. These are new shoes but they fit correctly. I have plenty of space between toes and front of shoe. Has this happened to anyone? Was wondering if my backpack was pressing against a nerver

Was it your whole foot that fell asleep or was it just the front part? How tightly were your shoes (or boots) laced? Was part of your lower leg also involved? What I'm getting at is that there are a lot of things this could be and the more info you provide the more likely it is that your symptoms will ring a bell for someone on the forum. I occasionally have issues with "Morton's neuroma" which can: 1) make my foot go to sleep from the ball of my foot forward, 2) hurt like crazy or 3) both sleep and hurt simultaneously. The symptoms are much reduced if I loosen my shoe laces. If you can't get help here, check with a good podiatrist.

I thing its from my front ankle forward. Afterwards I loosed the laces. I didnt do it just walking. Only with weight on my back. My other boots didnt do this. I just switched to trail runners

If you wore the pack with both types of shoes and the same pack, and only one type of shoes produce the result, it isn't the pack, but the shoes.

At first thought I'd say you laced your shoes too tight, but really the fit can make a huge difference no matter how you lace them. You did say you loosened the laces, but not if that helped, so I'll assume it didn't

I'm not a fan of "Trail Runners". I know lots of hikers love them, but not me. Might be cause I'm not on a trail much, but to be honest I don't even like them for walking around shopping with my wife.

I'd definitely take them back. Shoes are still hand made to a great degree and you might another pair of the same shoe that fit and feel better.

I loosened them after I hiked with a pack on. I havent tried them with a pack since. Trying to break them in some more before I do that

A soft shoe like a trail runner shouldn't have to be broken in! I strongly suspect shoe fit.

"Breaking in" in the old sense (pair of stiff boots) basically means forcing your foot to fit the shoe. With modern footwear, you should never have to do that.

these are pretty stiff. A lot of people dont consider them trail runner. Northface labels them for trail running/hiking and light backpacking. Northface ultra 109. They are the only shoe I have found comfortable. I have a difficult time fitting in shoes. I havent hiked in them since I loosened the laces. The only bad thing is they are pretty hot. If I wear them with my marino wool socks it stay much cooler

I recently bought a pair of INOV8 trail runners that fit very well, but on the trail absolutely failed. Not everyone can wear trail runners, despite what forums would have you believe. I could get away with them until I was in my late 40's, after that, not so much..... Long in the rear view mirror, now.