In need of comfortable shoes


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3 minutes ago, Steven P. said:

Got my Merrell's delivered just now, they fit perfectly, will do some walking in a bit but they are comfy :) 

Ive told you before ste, you shouldnt wear heels every day, just not good for your feet! :woot:

Thanks for all the suggestions! I discovered that I can get 30% off my order at Sketchers for being a Amazon employee, so I have ordered a pair and will report back on the comfort level,

If it is worth anything, in the 2000s I would buy sketchers as I was constantly moving. The first few months were fine but after that and heavy use carrying stuff, crouching, bending, etc the toe area would cave in and essentially crush my toes. After several pairs doing this, I decided to never buy the brand again after several shoes and types doing the same thing. Ymmv, nunn bush were ok but seemed to fall apart. Average life span for shoes are about 1 year for me. Sneakers are a couple of years, I will never touch another Nike or Reebok basketball shoes are uncomfortable (wore them a lot in my younger years). Lightweight and walking on pillows is where I am at.
1 minute ago, sc302 said:


If it is worth anything, in the 2000s I would buy sketchers as I was constantly moving. The first few months were fine but after that and heavy use carrying stuff, crouching, bending, etc the toe area would cave in and essentially crush my toes. After several pairs doing this, I decided to never buy the brand again after several shoes and types doing the same thing. Ymmv, nunn bush were ok but seemed to fall apart. Average life span for shoes are about 1 year for me. Sneakers are a couple of years, I will never touch another Nike or Reebok basketball shoes are uncomfortable (wore them a lot in my younger years). Lightweight and walking on pillows is where I am at.

wearing sneakers all the time is not good for your feet, they get too soft, hard skin is natural, its the body protecting the tissue underneath, its only when it becomes excessive its an issue :) 

  • Like 2
wearing sneakers all the time is not good for your feet, they get too soft, hard skin is natural, its the body protecting the tissue underneath, its only when it becomes excessive its an issue [emoji4] 

Yep. Majority of the time I am in my rockports. Even to throw out the garbage in the outside can, I go for my work shoes. Sneakers are of going out/walking and occasional casual day. But I could wear them all the time. You don’t feel them and have great support. Anyone who walks or runs I recommend them or brooks. Good for every day, but great for what they are designed for. ESP if you get the right ones for your feet...ASICS has a shoe selector on their site to help you choose what is right for you. When the sole flattens it is time for new ones or your feet will hurt for everyday, running you have to change them way before that happens.

21 minutes ago, sc302 said:

Yep. Majority of the time I am in my rockports. Even to throw out the garbage in the outside can, I go for my work shoes. Sneakers are of going out/walking and occasional casual day. But I could wear them all the time. You don’t feel them and have great support. Anyone who walks or runs I recommend them or brooks. Good for every day, but great for what they are designed for. ESP if you get the right ones for your feet...ASICS has a shoe selector on their site to help you choose what is right for you. When the sole flattens it is time for new ones or your feet will hurt for everyday, running you have to change them way before that happens.

Rockports are also very very good, but very expensive over here. rockports are my "going out" shoes.

34 minutes ago, Mando said:

wearing sneakers all the time is not good for your feet, they get too soft, hard skin is natural, its the body protecting the tissue underneath, its only when it becomes excessive its an issue :) 

Although I agree with you, I remember some sort of study which stated the opposite. Declaring wearing hard shoes can be bad for you, on your heels and lower back due to the lack of impact protection awarded by trainers. Guess the truth is somewhere in between.

Although I agree with you, I remember some sort of study which stated the opposite. Declaring wearing hard shoes can be bad for you, on your heels and lower back due to the lack of impact protection awarded by trainers. Guess the truth is somewhere in between.

Rockports, in general, are in between sneakers and shoes. They are marketed in such a way.
  • Like 1

Also a vote for an alternative pair of shoes, (or trainers/sneakers, whatever) a decent sportswear store should find you a suitable pair of ASICS. They're gel based and provide support for collapsed and raised arches. (Common foot problems, my wife suffers from raised arches)

1 minute ago, sc302 said:


Rockports, in general, are in between sneakers and shoes. They are marketed in such a way.

They remind me of my first gen pair of Kickers, moccasin style, so a part of me associates them with copies, as here, Kickers did it first, and were cheaper at the time, ok that was back in the 1990's.

13 minutes ago, sc302 said:


My rockports are About £70 on the uk amazon site. Not horrible.

they are? they used to be way more expensive over here XCGs i think they were called, I used to get my parents to bag the Rockport boots stateside and bring them over.

1 hour ago, The Evil Overlord said:

Also a vote for an alternative pair of shoes, (or trainers/sneakers, whatever) a decent sportswear store should find you a suitable pair of ASICS. They're gel based and provide support for collapsed and raised arches. (Common foot problems, my wife suffers from raised arches)

They remind me of my first gen pair of Kickers, moccasin style, so a part of me associates them with copies, as here, Kickers did it first, and were cheaper at the time, ok that was back in the 1990's.

Rockports predate Kickers mate, they only became common in the UK late 90s. They are also top grade Nubuck leather.

 

Man all this shoe and foot knowledge, im surprised it remember it all , been out of surgical shoemaking for almost 20yr now, still have all my hand tools. 

2 hours ago, Mando said:

wearing sneakers all the time is not good for your feet, they get too soft, hard skin is natural, its the body protecting the tissue underneath, its only when it becomes excessive its an issue :) 

Agree for cushioned sneakers, but barefoot style sneakers which are 'minimal' are better than most other types of shoes based on my research.  Ran about 700km in mine this year without any injury.

 

2 hours ago, Mando said:

Rockports are also very very good, but very expensive over here. rockports are my "going out" shoes.

Rockports, especially the XCG, were the drug dealers shoe of choice in my neck of the woods.  Shame, because it was a great shoe.

 

 

 

Personally, it is very difficult to answer the question, because more detail is needed.  What sort of environment will they be worn in? formal, functional or casual?

 

 

On 12/8/2017 at 11:02 AM, Fahim S. said:

Agree for cushioned sneakers, but barefoot style sneakers which are 'minimal' are better than most other types of shoes based on my research.  Ran about 700km in mine this year without any injury.

 

Rockports, especially the XCG, were the drug dealers shoe of choice in my neck of the woods.  Shame, because it was a great shoe.

 

 

 

Personally, it is very difficult to answer the question, because more detail is needed.  What sort of environment will they be worn in? formal, functional or casual?

 

 

I need comfortable shoes that I can wear for 10+ hours a day on concrete floors, no need to be formal.

  • Steven P. unlocked this topic

After 5 and a half years, I decided to buy some new Merrell's. Got the Adventure iii even cheaper than what I paid for the MOAB 2's

https://www.tradeinn.com/trekkinn/en/merrell-moab-adventure-iii-waterproof-hiking-shoes/138581735/

My MOAB 2's are still ok, but they are a bit scuffed up.

  • Like 2
On 03/10/2023 at 11:12, Steven P. said:

After 5 and a half years, I decided to buy some new Merrell's. Got the Adventure iii even cheaper than what I paid for the MOAB 2's

https://www.tradeinn.com/trekkinn/en/merrell-moab-adventure-iii-waterproof-hiking-shoes/138581735/

My MOAB 2's are still ok, but they are a bit scuffed up.

I transitioned to barefoot shoes 8 months or so ago and wow what a difference. I have a very wide foot and I finally have shoes that feel roomy but not loose and let me feel every nook and cranny of the ground. I actually dropped from a US14 to a US13 (possibly a 12.5 after break-in) with this discovery. I was buying shoes that were too long and not wide enough.

I found a cheapo chinese off-brand called Whitin on amazon and took a chance on a pair of $40 shoes after ruining a few pairs of $70+ adidas within a couple months. I am so disappointed with the drop in quality of adidas over the last few years and was in disbelief when I popped on these cheapo chinese barefoot shoes and they were immediately comfortable. The whitin ones have a wide toebox, are super flexible, and when they get dirty I can just throw them in the washer/dryer and they look brand new.

I bought these for day-to-day / walking, etc.: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Z5S1KWM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I bought these for when I'm fishing / kayaking: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BS3NSWWY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Although now that I see the amphibious ones are on sale for $33 I'm going to order another pair in black/gum for walking because I can wear them sockless.

If anyone has experience with the Merrell Trail Glove or Vapor Glove barefoot style shoes I'd love to hear it because from what I understand Merrell makes some of the most durable shoes you can buy.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Have to say Sketchers for me are my go to for comfort shoe.

 

I have them in  various shapes Runners, old mark 1 type Sketchers and even a work boot that I picked up in the US.

 

I tale a fair amount of abuse for wearing them, but heh, mid 40s one does not care..comfort is king!

On 03/10/2023 at 17:12, Steven P. said:

After 5 and a half years, I decided to buy some new Merrell's. Got the Adventure iii even cheaper than what I paid for the MOAB 2's

https://www.tradeinn.com/trekkinn/en/merrell-moab-adventure-iii-waterproof-hiking-shoes/138581735/

My MOAB 2's are still ok, but they are a bit scuffed up.

I decided to return the Adventure III as they were too tight and narrow, and ended up getting the Adidas Terrex Swift R3 GORE-TEX Hiking Shoes for €100.80.

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
On 08/12/2017 at 18:25, sc302 said:

If it is worth anything, in the 2000s I would buy sketchers as I was constantly moving. The first few months were fine but after that and heavy use carrying stuff, crouching, bending, etc the toe area would cave in and essentially crush my toes. After several pairs doing this, I decided to never buy the brand again after several shoes and types doing the same thing. Ymmv, nunn bush were ok but seemed to fall apart. Average life span for shoes are about 1 year for me. Sneakers are a couple of years, I will never touch another Nike or Reebok basketball shoes are uncomfortable (wore them a lot in my younger years). Lightweight and walking on pillows is where I am at.

Back in the 2000s, I used to wear Skechers a lot because I was always on the move. At first, they were fine, but after a few months of real wear, bending, crouching, hauling things around. Toe box would start collapsing and crush my toes. 

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