These are my daily walkers, BMX riders, rainy day shoes, and mechanic work shoes. Left shoe not pictured, but I’m sure you get the idea…
Yes I do have a few much nicer pairs of shoes for nice or important occasions, but I’d rather fully wear out one pair of shoes at a time.
So, what’s your worn out shoes looking like?
Those look good to me. I wear the shit out of my shoes.
Fresh clean shoes are lame. I like looking down at my feet and seeing all the life and work I’ve worn into my shoes. I’ve a pair of boots for snow, a pair of sneakers, and one pair of sandlas. That’s it- if you invited me to something fancy, well, I won’t be invited anywhere fancy I assure you. I’m 38 and never even been to a single wedding. Ha.
I wear heavily cushioned shoes for comfort, and the common tradeoff is they don’t have an outsole to reduce weight. The midsoles have direct contact to the ground and since they are super soft, they wear out fast if you regularly wear them. Once I start losing traction or I can feel the ground through the soles, it’s time to replace them.
Until they leak in the rain. If my feet get wet walking across wet pavement, either through the sole, because the sole and upper are separating or a hole in the side, I retire them.
Oh man, that’s when they just start getting comfortable…
Where it gets really crazy is where you have a few pairs that you rotate through for “daily wear”. A whole decade can slip by before you go “how long have I had these?”
I don’t care a whole lot about fashion so “until they stop working correctly” is about the best answer I can give.
Even crazier when you started working from home at least part time since pandemic, so the shoes you’d normally wear to work get little use.
I got divorced about five years ago and still have a closet full of shoes I apparently needed but they’re all unworn so I might have a lifetime supply
Upvote for extra shoes 👍
I wear them until they reach zero on the comfort scale:
- 10 - The most comfortable thing in the universe. You don’t even know you’re wearing them
- 0 - It actively hurts your feet
Is this scale measured in years, months, or hours?
I start with a pair of good insoles, then as those wear down I buy another, and another, and so on until the shoe tread wears out or holes appear in them. If you buy some of those magic eraser pads, you can usually keep the outside of the shoes looking relatively new for a lot longer as well. I have some shoes right now that are going on ~1.5 years and I’ll probably get another 1.5 out of them.
Pro-tip: don’t buy the cheapest shoes you can if you can afford it. I used to buy $20 skate shoes and they would wear out in less than a year.
Meh, I prefer cheaper shoes to an extent, as I know I’ll eventually destroy them.
My main requirements are:
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- Good comfortable fit
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- Easy to put on and take off
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- Well ventilated to evaporate sweat
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- Bottom sole is preferably the yellow rubber anti-skid stuff good for potentially oil-slick surfaces
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I don’t think I have a daily shoe. I wear shoes based on the occasion. For me, it’s just different levels of weight/ protection/ support. Baking soda in a sock helps dry them out. Adds a few years. Also, get a new insole.
Hah, new insoles would probably cost me more than the shoes themselves did, which were $16.95
These are my daily junker shoes, as the usual ‘special occasion’ for me tends to be changing tires or replacing a starter or some other greasy shit…
I do have other nice shoes for other situations.
Not orthopedic insoles, the cheap ones that came with your shoes from China. They’re 10 bucks on alibaba for 3 pairs. I haven’t done that since the trade war, though.
Why is that picture of an almost new slipper? No duct tape ?!
LMFAO! The big toe area is totally busted out…
I wear them until I know when I’ve stepped in liquid.
My winter boots is during its 7th winter now. The last one.
Leather is still good, but upper part has not decent look. But the worst part is it not warm enough anymore for russian winter.
Laces was changed, heel counter was patched, sole was glued.
Ooo ooo I love good work boots!
I bought these in 2015 for work. I left that job in 2020, and I wore these like three times since. Pulled them out this winter for my son to wear as the fit him right now, (he’s growing and blowing through shoes).
How bloody happy I am that after ten years, they are still holding up! You can see some of the leather is wearing, but they’re soaked on the outside in these photos, bone dry in the inside.
Fuck inflation though, I paid $120 for these back then, the same boots, I looked them up, today, are $230. Wild. No way I can buy these kind ever again, I’m so happy they have lived so long my son is now getting life out of them! Will definitely be getting these repaired when the time comes!
Until they break, then they’re yard shoes
No shoe thrown away
Yard shoes?
I actually like that term, makes sense 👍
I call these my junker shoes, for general everyday use, as I hardly give a shit anymore, as I have other nicer shoes for more formal occasions.
I can replace insoles, I can mend the uppers, but once the soles start letting water in, then it’s time for retirement.
Guess that’s a skill I should learn.
Protip: E6000 craft adhesive works magic.
Shoe Goo
E6000?
You son of a bitch, you reminded me of my old project, my custom modded game controller!
I did lots of mods back in 2003, but the plastic is getting brittle these days ☹️
E6000 was used to secure my modded parts.
I really should at least try to fix the remaining parts and give it another game drive, even if it requires some duct tape…
I wear leather boots, ankle high. The shoe store fixes em when the bottom wears out. Had em 11 years and they’re still fairly pristine. Just gotta oil em every winter. Probably should do that more often.
It was $600 and $50 or so every couple years. Figure I’ve gotten it amortized down.
Till a toe pokes out.
Well that toe done sailed…
At least I’m prepped with more new shoes.
I just realized that nearly all of my daily shoes were replaced by my dad… who is a semi-professional marathon runner and would go through shoes in months… So probably every 1-3 years, depending on when my parents visit I guess; I think their definition of wearing out is when there are a good amount of rips/holes
My last pair was a pair of HOKA that lasted a year and a half; they are designed for long-distance running and have massive toe boxes (which I need) but are not known for their durability… Dad basically urged me to get a pair of Chinese HOKA knockoff to replace it, got it half a year ago. It’s showing signs of wear but I think it can still go for at least another year
What’s the knockoff you got? Is it anywhere near as comfortable?
It’s a small brand started by a few Chinese marathon runners, modelled exactly after HOKA. So it’s equally as comfortable at like 1/2-1/3 the price. Only available in China unfortunately…
The main annoyance is that this pair doesn’t have much sideways support, so it’s easier to slip sideways. Probably not a worthwhile concern for most people of course
Also… Durability isn’t a strong suit for HOKA shoes, so I’m not sure if I can really recommend them for daily drive regardless
Too bad, I was hoping I could snag a pair. Probably not going to China any time soon though.
Had five pairs of HOKA Clifton or Bondi (one of the few brands that have wide and quarter sizes) that usually lasts a year. My HOKA Kaha lasted two hand a half which is too short for that kind of shoe. Last pair of Clifton bought this summer lasted two months.
I suggest you look at Altra if you need wide toe box.
