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Walking shoe recommendations?

stickyrice

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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!
Check out SALOMON, it's kind of expencive but you can always find some sales on the web. For me the best brand for trekking or hiking that I ever weared
 

Katbearfoot

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The higher quality hiking shoes claim to be breathable yet also waterproof.. so that’s cool.

Discovering that the waterproof yet breathable thing is kinda bullshit. I think Gwasher is right and I shouldn’t go for completely waterproof. And SlankyLanky is right about gortex being hot as fuck. I tried on a pair of super fancy gortex running shoes and my feet were hot after just a few minutes of chillin’. Waterproof/ gortex might be ok in cold weather (or to wear only when it’s raining) but otherwise seems too hot. So, not cool. Won’t work for my “one pair of shoes to rule them all” thing.

And yes, Anagor, I’ll let ya know what I end up with. I am considering just getting a new pair of my current shoes (new balance 515), at least until I find something better. Or my magic shoe fairy godmother shows up. ✨
 

roughdraft

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i like keens, they're pricey, but my last pair lasted me three years! that's crazy. super comfy with good tread that lasts a long time.

came in to say this (warning - humble brag) I dumpstered two pair of this brand and they are solid.... moral of the story if you see em marked down or whatever, get em
 
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Katbearfoot

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Got some new chuus!
They’re New Balance 574 Newbucks. They’re newbuck leather, so not super breathable (but better than gortex, I think). I sprayed them with a suede protector (should help a bit with water resistance). They seem to do well in the wet and cold. Might be a bit hot in the summer, but I think they’ll be a pretty good “one pair of shoes to rule them all”.. they’re super comfy. New Balance seems to have a lot of room for toes and also more padding than other brands, so they’re comfy with thin socks. I’ll update this if I have any problems, but so far so good. And I’ll update this if I ever find a pair of shoes I like better. Thanks for your help and may you all walk many miles in comfort. ♥️

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Toadandspur

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My absolute favorite boots are the USair Force Desert Storm issue hightops..i find them at military surplus stores and thrift stores for usually 25-50 bucks amd theyre guaranteed to last over a year, walking 10 ish miles a day, through amy and all terrain. Waterproof to about 4 inches up, then theres these little mesh windows for breathability. Indestructable.
 

Toadandspur

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came in to say this (warning - humble brag) I dumpstered two pair of this brand and they are solid.... moral of the story if you see em marked down or whatever, get em
I know you can also force dumpster pricey good boots like that too. My homie cassidy goes in and razor blades the tops of the shoes and then the store tosses them. Leather patch if need be. We used to do the same thing with good ass dogfood at petco..
 

Katbearfoot

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Walked to a gorgeous lake today. It was about 4 miles away. After a couple miles, my dogs started barkin’ (feet started hurting, if you don’t know that phrase)..


So, I’m still happy with the new shoes (much better than my old worn out pair), but some more shock absorption would be nice. And more breathability would also be nice, but I’m happy to have the water resistance.. Good pair of shoes, but not the greatest. Maybe someday I’ll get some that are like walking on a cloud ☁️
 

Anagor

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So, I’m still happy with the new shoes (much better than my old worn out pair),

Are the new ones more comfortable than the old pair or just better in general? I ask cause for me shoes are often most comfortable when they are worn out, just before they start falling apart.

but some more shock absorption would be nice. And more breathability would also be nice, but I’m happy to have the water resistance.. Good pair of shoes, but not the greatest.

Perhaps you should really look for a second pair of footwear, perhaps some trecking sandals or alike. So you would have one pair for cold and rain and the other pair for good weather.

Maybe someday I’ll get some that are like walking on a cloud ☁️

Soles shouldn't be too soft, either. Think I wrote about that ... had a pair of shoes once who felt super comfy in the shop but after walking a day long in them ... no way. Ankles were hurting really bad.
 

wokofshame

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I'd like to recommend flat-soled Ironworker's boots to anyone that wants a boot and not a sneaker. I used to have a lot of pain in my heels and finally figured it out that it was due to wearing boots with heels. The raised heel puts all the pressure of your step where you don't want it. Also you can try training yourself to step so that you strike the ball and midsection of your foot when you step.
Ironworkers pretty much universally wear flat-soled "moc"-stitched boots for better traction when walking on steel beams, but they are great for ordinary walking too. The midsole is thick and made of a really soft rubber, with usually no seperate outsole. Thorogood makes some good flat-sole boots on the higher end but I have an el cheapo pair made by Engles that I found in a parking lot that are comfy as fuck. Sears makes some, since they're closing you may be able to get a good deal.
They can be a little slippery on mud and mud/leafy ground, but if you're for example riding trains and periodically walking 5-10 miles on pavement or ballast, it's well worth it. I'll never revert to wearing boots with heels
 

Jo jo Joseph Mims

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My absolute favorite boots are the USair Force Desert Storm issue hightops..i find them at military surplus stores and thrift stores for usually 25-50 bucks amd theyre guaranteed to last over a year, walking 10 ish miles a day, through amy and all terrain. Waterproof to about 4 inches up, then theres these little mesh windows for breathability. Indestructable.
I’m wondering what brand your referring to here? Danner, perhaps?
 

BusGypsy

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If you can, save up for 1 or 2 good pairs of shoes that will last you forever. I know it's expensive but REI rocks, I have Sorrell boots I love.
 

Anagor

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If you can, save up for 1 or 2 good pairs of shoes that will last you forever. I know it's expensive but REI rocks, I have Sorrell boots I love.

Sometimes I'm jealous of people who like to wear boots cause, yeah, if you have good ones they will last for ages.

But I'm used to wear lightweight shoes since like 30 years and I really hate wearing boots. I can wear boots or other heavy shoes for a few hours or so while doing some gardening or shoveling snow or alike but not whole day, every day.

So I always end up with (mostly donated or found these days) canvas shoes, sneakers or alike.

But I don't mind. I just wear my shoes until the fall apart and then look for "new" ones. :)
 

Katbearfoot

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Sup, yall?

Hope you are well
It's time for me to get new shoes!! I wore my New Balance 574 Newbucks every day for over a year and a half. After probably hundreds of miles, they're finally wore out. They served me well, in cities and wilderness all over the world. They did not see a whole lot of cold and wet, but made it through a few months of fairly cold and wet Portugal. Also, it was nice to have some plastic sandals for beach, around houses, after shower, etc.

I'm not traveling now, so I will get several pairs of shoes. Sneakers, sandals, water shoes (for lake trips and kayaking), maybe even a pair of badass boots for colder weather. I'll let you know what I get and I'd love some suggestions. I'm looking for extreme comfort (I love walking, exploring nature, and I like to always be ready for adventure). I also would like some shoes that look nice. I wasn't crazy about how my last pair looked and it kinda sucked wearing ugly shoes every damn day.

So, COMFORT in a cool ass sneaker, sexy and cute sandal, fucking bad ass boot, etc.

I'm willing to spend more for quality.. I don't want any flimsy shit

Thanks and have a GREAT time
 

Anagor

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I'll let you know what I get and I'd love some suggestions.

Not much of an expert when it comes to nice shoes, especially for women. Currently housed as well, I use old plastic bathroom slippers as shoes, lol.

Said that, my ideas:

For comfort:
Flip-Flops and Crocs. Many people find crocs ugly and I wouldn't wear them for going out to a club or alike (not happening nowadays anyway ;) ) but they are super comfy. Wore them once as I had a bad ankle coming from wearing broken shoes for some time and they were the most comfortable shoes I had in a long time. And the fake ones are dirt cheap, here you can get them for €3 in some shops.

Sneakers:
The usual suspects ... Convers Chucks, Vans Authentic or Slip Ons. Lightweight and comfortable enough for everyday wear. Not so good for hiking and serious runnung, though. Some shops have lookalikes for €10-15 which are not so much worse then the originals, btw.

Nice shoes:
As said, don't really know. But I find ballerinas (ballet flats) quite nice and I think they go with everything, from jeans to dresses and can be worn to any kind of event.

Boots:
I would recommend Army boots as well. Made to last and good for hiking. Perhaps not as good as special hiking boots, though. As I did my 10 months service in the German Army long time ago I found the boots I had surprisingly comfortable - once broken in of course.

Just my 2 cents :)
 

Barf

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Danner has some really nice boots/shoes and they’re running a sale with up to 60% off select products right now. I had bought a pair of work boots years ago and loved them.

Any way, I picked up a pair of the TrailTek Lights a few weeks ago(marked down to $85) and love em. I have a wide foot, so I bought the boot in EE.

They’re still just a little tight, but I haven’t properly broke them yet. Still, a very solid shoe for sure.

 
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