After buying a $70 pair of Vans at famous footwear and having them literally fall apart after using them as daily walking shoes, I’ve realized the quality of shoes overall has gone down over the last decade or so.

I don’t mind if they cost $100 or more, are there medium-light weight walking shoes that can withstand the horrors of walking on pavement? I remember checking out some Ecco shoes at the mall years ago, didn’t pull the trigger as they were almost $300 but the way the construction was described to me it sounds like those could last 5+ years.

What shoes do you have that you wear almost daily (not during the winter), and have had for almost a year but aren’t falling apart?

  • 1337A
    8·
    1 year ago

    I cycle between 4 pairs of shoes in summer, two pairs of boots in winter, and one pair of all year shoes. I have had them all for over ten years. Tips:

    1. Buy Goodyear welted shoes
    2. Use shoe trees
    3. Don’t wear the same pair two days in a row

    I also prefer to buy shoes made in UK, Italy, or US but that is just preference for perceived quality and definitely higher paid workers than most countries that mass produce shoes.

    If you want a specific recommendation go with Allen Edmond Strandmoks. That’s my all year pair. Great shoes.

    • Piers@beehaw.org
      3·
      1 year ago

      Use shoe trees Don’t wear the same pair two days in a row

      People really underestimate how much better your footware lasts if you take care of it by cycling between a few pairs and providing good interior support when isn’t in use.

      • money_loo
        2·
        1 year ago

        Meanwhile I just wear the same pair of shoes for ten years or so until it starts to get holes in the toes, then get extreme anxiety at the thought of trying to find a new, suitable replacement.