Walking shoe recommendations?

Katbearfoot

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It’s time for me to get new shoes. What’s the best pair of shoes you ever had? I’m looking for a good quality pair that I can walk hundreds, maybe thousands?, of miles in. idk.. I walk a lot. They gotta be waterproof and good in hot and cold weather (but I try to avoid the super cold freezing climates). I’m sure I’ll find some, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations.. I know a lot of folks wear boots. Boots might be ok, but I’d prefer shoes cuz boots get kinda hot, sometimes ‘ankle support’ is uncomfortable, plus I’d have to get different socks.. but if you had a pair of boots that was awesome, go ahead and let me know

Thanks!
 
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Ezra Fyre

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Favorite pair... All weather, all terrain, almost certain to match any outfit, guaranteed comfortable! No socks required. :) ::cat::::cat::
... otherwise im fond of the super cheap payless/walmart "keds"... I'm not fond of all the wonderful things with squish and this or that support - personally those all hurt...
 

Katbearfoot

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Favorite pair... All weather, all terrain, almost certain to match any outfit, guaranteed comfortable! No socks required. :) ::cat::::cat::
... otherwise im fond of the super cheap payless/walmart "keds"... I'm not fond of all the wonderful things with squish and this or that support - personally those all hurt...

Haha, I knew someone was gonna suggest barefoot. Maybe not the best for my purposes (hiking in rainy mountains in the cold). But thanks for sharing! Gnarly toenails you got there.
 

Ezra Fyre

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Haha, I knew someone was gonna suggest barefoot. Maybe not the best for my purposes (hiking in rainy mountains in the cold). But thanks for sharing! Gnarly toenails you got there.

Just the big toes, & they're protective... Stubbing my toes BLOODY! is an erratic but ongoing issue of my reality... Also getting feet run into (jammed) or stepped on, tends to be another frequent occurance... In the case of stubs or jams - my nail tends to break, vs, have toe suffer injury... Stepped on, they tend to get nail vs toe & again, lack of pain...
They are currently approaching the "not past here" point in length... But even trimmed to half their length & i'll get a BLOODY toe stub...

Oddly, long nails & i don't scrape em when walking, but short nails & im guaranteed to try to see the tips of my toe bones, as if i never lift my feet at all....
 

Ezra Fyre

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More constructive to your post...

A good hiking boot, could be recommendable... Shorter than other boots, more freedom of motion in the ankles... Bought at a good outfitters store, should be appropriately durable and terrain/weather suitable. Designed for long periods of wear, lighter weight and with ventilation or wicking features typically standard. Should also have loads of coosh, to support and rejuvenate on the long treks...

In a shoe, I'd go for a good athletic store, and a cross-fit shoe. Long amounts of walking, people tend for a longer stride, more similar to running. But you likely want greater durability than a standard running shoe... Thus, cross-fit... Wider applications, but still fitness geared, with all the coosh and support athletic shoes can offer.

.... Brands? .... Well, to be honest.... Comfortable, Durable, shoes (or boots) most people i know who've ever had the opportunity to own a pair, all swear by the same brand - Fluevogs. Anyone and everyone I've ever known who's owned a pair swears by them. And, he makes everything from sandals to industrial/metal (clubbing) Boots... so you're almost guarmanteed to find a shoe/boot of your preference.

Perhaps more helpful than my barefoot suggestions... But I do go hiking/mountain climbing/swamp walking/highway trekking in my bares.... So... Still my preferred pair. :)
 
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Favorite pair... All weather, all terrain, almost certain to match any outfit, guaranteed comfortable! No socks required. :) ::cat::::cat::
... otherwise im fond of the super cheap payless/walmart "keds"... I'm not fond of all the wonderful things with squish and this or that support - personally those all hurt...

do you enjoy catching salmon out of rivers with those eagle talons you got there?

@Katbearfoot whats yer budget like? danner and merrel brands are really reliable and make shoes with and without ankle support. in my experience i really like ankle support and i know for sure its saved me twisted and possibly broken ankles more times then i could count. since yer looking for water proof maybe something goretex? goretex stuff tends to be a bit pricey at least last time i checked into it and even though its always sold as a breathable material my buddy who had goretex boots always complained that they wernt breathable and his feet smelled fucking awful because of it.
 

Anagor

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... otherwise im fond of the super cheap payless/walmart "keds"... I'm not fond of all the wonderful things with squish and this or that support - personally those all hurt...

Yeah, when it comes to shoes I also like cheap Keds-, Chucks-, Vans-lookalikes. Like for 4,99 or 9,99. I hate heavy shoes or boots. I prefer just flip flops, though.

At the moment I'm barefoot most of the time, don't have real shoes. ::stinkyfeet::
 

Katbearfoot

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Thanks for the tips guys! I will keep all of your suggestions in mind. That’s hardcore that some of you prefer barefoot on all terrains. I’m leaning in the other direction, looking for some really good shoes. I’m willing to pay the price for the good shit (but trying to keep it under 100). I’m gearing up to go hit the road like never before, making my last useful purchases before I go back to zero dollar/extremely low budget.

I’ve got some good clothing from Eddie Bauer (on sale, otherwise the price is nuts). Their shit is made for traveling and has a lifetime warranty, so really if you get their stuff you never have to buy clothes again. You can wear it til it falls apart, then go in there and trade it in for a new one. So if you buy a pair of shoes there, that equals shoes for life. (And yes, I know it’s possible to never have to pay for anything ever, but still, their stuff is so nyyce) Even if you get kicked down something that’s Eddie Bauer, it’s good to know that you can can just walk into a store and trade it in (even if it’s something that’s 20 years old or whatever)
There are other brands with lifetime warranties too, and most people don’t take advantage of it
 

Katbearfoot

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Just the big toes, & they're protective... Stubbing my toes BLOODY! is an erratic but ongoing issue of my reality... Also getting feet run into (jammed) or stepped on, tends to be another frequent occurance... In the case of stubs or jams - my nail tends to break, vs, have toe suffer injury... Stepped on, they tend to get nail vs toe & again, lack of pain...
They are currently approaching the "not past here" point in length... But even trimmed to half their length & i'll get a BLOODY toe stub...

Oddly, long nails & i don't scrape em when walking, but short nails & im guaranteed to try to see the tips of my toe bones, as if i never lift my feet at all....

I don’t have long toenails, but check out my fingernails

5A8C2049-E7C6-40D1-8129-E18CE80E5163.jpeg
 

Katbearfoot

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Man, you guys are so helpful, this website rules!

I’ll let you know what shoes I end up with.

For almost two years I’ve been wearing a pair of new balance sneakers. They did the job. Only complaints is that they’re ugly (but who cares?) and they get soaked when it rains and require drying out, that’s why I wanna go waterproof. The higher quality hiking shoes claim to be breathable yet also waterproof.. so that’s cool.

This shoe mission is a pain in the ass, but it’ll be worth it and you guys are making it easier, thanks.
 

Ezra Fyre

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I don’t have long toenails, but check out my fingernails

View attachment 45715

I only manage nails like those when I'm working concrete (finishing)! Wow! Thems fancy!!! ::pompus::
(...for whatever reasons, wet cement acts like miracle grow on my nails) Normally, I tend to have 1 or 2 bearing resemblance to "coke nail", others vary in length down to bleeding/the quick...
 

Coywolf

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Merrell Moab 2 high tops. Had 2 pairs, lasted 3 years each. Amazing, but not waterproof, if that is what you are looking for

However, I would always advocate for a pair of sturdy, comfortable, work boots. Never know when you are going to need that extra beef....

And in that case, go for Danner or Scarpa, drop the money, its worth it.
 

Katbearfoot

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Merrell Moab 2 high tops. Had 2 pairs, lasted 3 years each. Amazing, but not waterproof, if that is what you are looking for

However, I would always advocate for a pair of sturdy, comfortable, work boots. Never know when you are going to need that extra beef....

And in that case, go for Danner or Scarpa, drop the money, its worth it.

I am looking at the Moab 2s, they do come in waterproof and they have low tops also..
 

Katbearfoot

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I only manage nails like those when I'm working concrete (finishing)! Wow! Thems fancy!!! ::pompus::
(...for whatever reasons, wet cement acts like miracle grow on my nails) Normally, I tend to have 1 or 2 bearing resemblance to "coke nail", others vary in length down to bleeding/the quick...

Haha, all those prissy ladies who want long nails just need to do concrete finishing!

I don’t find long fingernails particularly beautiful, they’re a little bit freakish and scary, if anything..
But there is something strange and interesting about them.. maybe because they’re kinda alive and dead at the same time? Dead but growing? Or as a marker of the passage of time.. children are always fascinated by my long nails, they get mesmerized.. maybe just because they don’t see them often

Things are weird and cool!

Ahem, anyways.. shoes.. I checked out them Fluevogs. They’re works of art! Plus they’re Satan resistant.
 
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Ezra Fyre

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Fluevogs- They are indeed works of art, and my understanding is a price tag to match... But I know people who've had them for more than 10 yrs.... Given, I don't know anyone who'd put the miles on em a traveler would - but, mosh pits, burning man, 2 nights a week dancing at a club - and they're still comfy and "like new"... So it's durable art! Haha.

Nails/concrete - in theory it doesn't work like it does for me... Concrete being extremely caustic - all my co-workers had dried out, splitting, short nails... Me my damn pinky nail was 2 inches - once! ... Normally my nails are so thin they're capable of "paper-cuts"... But when I'm playing with concrete they're almost as thick as my toenails... No idea why it works that way for me. Hell, I shortened/lost 2 nails tonight washing my hair... Love concrete, hate washing... Dishwashing gig & I've got NO nails, haha.
 

Anagor

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Thanks for the tips guys! I will keep all of your suggestions in mind. That’s hardcore that some of you prefer barefoot on all terrains.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not advocating walking barefoot on all terrains and under all circumstances!

When it comes to me, I'm housed at the moment, so I walk in the house, on grass and on normal, not really dirty streets and pavement. And on the streets also I almost always were in cities, not hiking in the woods or alike. And most of the time I had shoes or flip flops with me, even when sometimes they were pretty much fucked.

Obviously there are places you don't want to go shoeless. For example really nasty public toilets (or somewhere else where people pissed), darkly lit squats (you never know what's on the ground), areas where there's a lot of broken glass. And so on.

And there are circumstances when you really need sturdy shoes or boots. Hopping freight, urban exploring, hiking in the wilderness. Then even Keds or Chucks would probably not good enough.

So it depends what you are planning to do. Also a point: how easy would it be to get replacements?

I was never worried about my shoes falling apart. Cause I knew I could get some replacements easily. People donating shoes, food runs, hell ... sometimes I even made a few quid and actually bought some cheap shoes just around the corner.

But on the other hand: imagine you are on a dirt track covered with sharp pebbles miles and miles away from the next town. You have to walk for ages to get to the next main road. In the burning sun. Or in winter, snow on the ground. Then, having inappropriate footwear (or none at all) would be life threatening.

It all depends ...

Given a "I don't know where I will end up" scenario I would choose a pair of lightweight canvas shoes an/or flip flops / sandals for normal wear and some cheap but robust skate shoes. The latter would be in my backpack most of the time, but I would have them just in case. And they are not as heavy and bulky as boots.
 

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