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New shoes
RightfulSin
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Any advice on good shoes? For a bit now I have bought the ones from Wal-Mart and am getting a little tired of needing to buy new ones so often. I do a fair bit of walking and I am extremely rough on my shoes, in the sense that the sole (both inner and outer) wear down decently fast. I am size 12.5-13 and usually get the Wide version if available. Also, by fast I mean I am usually going through the pair to where they are worn and a bit uncomfortable to wear in less than 3-4 months. I am not sure if thats common or not. I just hate having to keep buying shoes for my damn feet. Thanks.
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Shoes are something that price does matter on, typically. A cheap, 30-50 dollar pair will probably wear down in half a year of heavy use. A well made pair costing you $150 might last you a decade with only some cheap repair work. It also depends on what you are doing. Buying fancy shoes if you are often walking through ankle-deep water due to your environment is a bad call, for example.
Need a pair for work shoes and a pair of casual shoes.
Work shoes that can handle lots of walking outside, it's close to a construction similar job environment. Not running per se, but it involves lots of walking. Casual shoes can be generic shoes to wear while I am not working.
For casuals, I almost always go cheap because I have a habit of doing stupid shit with friends to ruin them. I usually buy several pair of canvas deck shoes, usually a darker color to hide stains. They wash well, and if you get them truly ruined its not a huge loss to get rid of them. And because you get several at once, you are probably good for a few years (and usually a discount).
Style, availability, and feel are a big part of this, so just saying "buy this shoe" is generally not helpful. You probably want to find a mid-range shoe store with a very large selection and try on a dozen or more shoes at once until you find a pair that looks nice, feels nice, and meets your budget. DSW is a national chain that runs from inexpensive to ~$200 in shoe price range and typically is the top end of what I will shop for (and then only for a very nice dress shoes for dates and meetings and interviews and weddings sort of thing). I rarely break over $150, but going 80-150 is usually the norm per shoe if you want something that will last a bit.
Of the relatively big trekking brands Merrell can be hit and miss (some of my best and my worst shoes have been merrell) but shoes like North Face Fastpacks and Salomon GTX have been consistently good. Since they tend to have more structure that your average sneakers it's extremely important to get a good fit (especially a heel that grips like glue but is still comfortable).
For me these tend to last maybe 2 years, but for my brother (who walks 10-20 km every day) they tend to last about 9-12 months before the outer sole is worn down.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Thanks for the advice. Ya I wasn't looking for a "buy this shoe", more so some helpful advice to that end.
Comfy, good looking and good quality.
Also if you like sneakers then Adidas has huge variety, but quality is not always great so check the reviews on the shoes in question before buying. Also their sizes are not that consistent from model to model, so if buying on-line know that if a size X fits you with a shoe you have a different shoe from them you might need X and a ½ for it to fit right.
I used to love Ecco shoes. Then they changed their heel design and now I can't any of them. Because they fuck up my heels. So badly. Like "walk 100 meters and they've stripped all the skin from my heel tendon" bad.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
I'm a larger dude and hard on shoes. The only shoes I've ever had last me any amount of time are SAS shoes. Most brands I can get 6-8 months if I'm lucky. With SAS shoes, I normally get 1.5 - 2 years out of a pair. I usually wear the tread off and wear out the insoles well before the shoe is actually done. They aren't flashy, but they get the job done. Expensive however, expect to pay $200 for a pair. I am partial to these; they take some breaking in but they are comfortable once they are.
If I wanted a pair of random, pretty nice shoes, I'd start with Ecco too.
More expensive than your 'last half a year' shoes, but while you might pay let's say 5 times as much, they'll last more than 5 times longer, easily.
There's an upper limit on spending where the quality won't keep improving, but it is worth it to buy decent shoes. Just don't buy anything if you're unsure about the fit. And, if you buy nice/expensive shoes, you can replace the sole when/if it wears out, which might make financial sense.
If you buy nice shoes with an option for leather soles, get whatever weatherproof soles they offer instead. These shoes can go for $300-600, but they have the advantage of lasting for years, since their soles are sewn on in a watertight fashion and can be fully replaced.
Make sure this is actually true before buying. Less expensive dress shoes have an injection molded sole which cracks over time and becomes unrepairable, and shoes with a stitch on the bottom of the sole may just go right through to the inner liner without regard for waterproofing (Blake Stitch). The Goodyear welt is the gold standard.
With expensive full grain leather shoes, they should be very comfortable out of the box to stand in, though they may need some breaking in for long walks. If not, don't buy them. If you're not comfortable with hard soled shoes that have no cushioning or do not like shoe maintenance, they are not for you.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
If you repeatedly get pain or discomfort in your leg or hip worsened by exercise, you may benefit from discussing this with a podiatrist / physiatrist / physical therapist to determine if an orthotic is needed for gait correction, but otherwise if you're just looking for durability, try a rigid insert that feels comfortable. You may have to spend a bit of money if the insert requires trimming to fit in the shoe, or you could splurge on a custom insert online. If that's the only thing wearing out your shoes, then getting the right insert rather than the right shoe may be your most economical solution.
If you do want a higher end shoe but not an insert and want to go leather, try shoes with different "lasts" which are the mold shapes used to craft the shoe. Unlike sneakers and mass produced dress shoes, the insoles of high end shoes are also made of leather and are much more durable to wear. In addition, many cobblers will be able to replace them.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Can confirm. I have Keen boots and some open sandal-like shoes that are super comfy and durable. I also have a pair of Carhartt shoes for work that have steel toes. They've saved my feet from some big heavy ass TVs a couple times now.
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15-20 years ago I would have said Airwalks because while they were "lawl skater shoes" they were the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn and came in enough styles that you could use them for pretty much everything outside of a bridesmaid/groomsman at a wedding or a pallbearer at a funeral. On top of that? They lasted for years.
Buuuuut Airwalks are terrible now (I know, I foolishly bought two pairs. One is garbage because their sizing sucks and the other is basically converse but a shittier sole and a useless amount of more padding on the sides). So to get that old school Airwalk fit you have to go for Sketchers and while they can fill the same niche it's not the same level of variety and they also don't have the durability the old Airwalks did.
If you're extremely rough on your shoes my suggestion would be a pair of Redwing boots. They're incredibly durable and while they usually focus on work boots they have a line of ankle high boots that are comfortable on their own but also very accepting of insoles if needed while looking good. They're not cheap but it's very much a case of you get what you pay for. I have a pair that I paid $160 for 9 years ago and the only reason they have any damage is because I'm pretty careless about wear when wearing steel toed boots.
I hesitate to recommend any sort of work boot for hiking. The toe will make it heavy and hot and generally work boots are rigid for walking on things like plank or rebar.
I wear these Keen Omahas as my daily shoe to get to/from work and around the house for projects. I'd definitely get something lighter with more mobility for hiking.
Something like these? https://www.amazon.com/Wolverine-Mens-W02625-Durant-M-Brown/dp/B001A2RZW8/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=Wolverine+Hiking+Boots&qid=1603410758&sr=8-15&th=1&psc=1 I think this looks kinda like what I was asking for, a stiffer toe, breathability, hopefully durability.
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Forestry and mountaineering boots can have reinforced toes. And they tend to have a reinforced rubber "front" as well for kicking stuff. They're not the lighest boots around but they're decent for hiking.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden