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?
IMO anything with that horrible foam (most shoes at this point) is going to last a year TOPS. In fact, running shoes with foam, are supposed to be limited to around 300 miles.
If you are talking about something like a half cab, that has the standard vans soles, yeah, I agree quality has gone down some (same with those new chuck 70s). They feel cheaper, and are made from far cheaper materials.
Personally, I have tons of shoes that are decades old, and still going, but I do not own any shoes with foam (mostly chuck taylors). And I’m apparently not very hard on shoes, somehow.
I think the unfortunate reality is you’ll have to buy some expensive, high quality shoes, or expect to throw shoes out yearly.
There are companies like this one who claim to resole running shoes, but I don’t know how far they can/do go, and have never used them before.
I‘d generally advice against sneakers. If you want shoes that last, get some quality leather shoes, ideally Goodyear welted ones. When properly taken care of, they can last many years and can then be repaired. Also they will fit very well, after being broken in.
What types of shoes? High tops? Canvas? Sneakers?
