Footwear

[BUB 209]

Being an upper middle aged woodworker, over the last 10 years or so I've been gravitating toward the lighter workboots, and over the weekend I think I found out why. I bought a new pair of conventional heavy boots and wore them to the family reunion. The next day I experienced some fairly severe though not disabling back pain. After switching back to the "leather sneaker" type shoes, the situation improved in the course of the day. Just something you might try if you feel it coming on.

[Swingman]

As long as you can keep the sawdust out of them, New Balance has a comfortable walking shoe (MW811) that works well in the shop on concrete floors, and Rockports are also hard to beat for comfort in the shop.

[Mark Jerde]

I'm 45 and what causes problems for me is the height of the heel. Tennis shoes, sandles & anything with low heels are fine; boots & dress shoes that have my heel more than 1/2" higher than the balls of the feet are killers after a few hours of use.

-- Mark

[nospambob]

[JLucas ILS]

Bub, I am one of those older types (67) and I wear leather with ankle height and with steel toes... I got into real foot problems 4 or so years ago with tool landing on foot.

[Swingman]

If you're talking about the ones made in San Antonio, had a pair of those and lost them to the flood of '01. You're right, they were very comfortable shoes, but I haven't seen them around lately. I bought a pair of ecco dress shoes to go to England in recently and was impressed with their comfort.

Approaching 61, that old saying about spending your money on good shoes and a good bed, because you're either in one or the other, is starting to make sense.

Now if I could just find a pair of dress western boots that were as comfortable as all the above ...

[Jay Pique]

I've found what appears to be a workable solution to my footwear woes. I purchased a set of these Timberland boots

an outlet for $60, and put a pair of custom footbeds that I normally use for ski boots into them. My feet haven't been tired or sore at the end of the day since I've been using them.

I'm planning to get another pair so they have time to dry and air out between uses. I like the looks, they are comfortable, and with a heavy waxing they should hold up well to the occasional splash of finishing material or solvent.

JP

************** Next up: Pants.

[Swingman]

"Jay Pique" I've found what appears to be a workable solution to my footwear woes.

Thanks for the link. Being more at home in a swamp, what are "footbeds" and where do you get them custom made? Also, do you buy a size larger and wider boot than normal when using them?

Thanks ...

[Charlie Self]

Swingman states:

Approaching 66, I can tell you that you're right.

Yeah, well...I date almost all my foot problems from a couple decades in cowboy boots. There are times when I wish I'd never seen a horse, never mind rode one. Of course, those weren't dress boots, and the roper's heel will cripple anyone who walks far.

Charlie Self "When you appeal to force, there's one thing you must never do - lose." Dwight D. Eisenhower

[J. Clarke]

You might want to see a podiatrist about an orthotic.

[Mark Jerde]

How else are you supposed to develop that "Cowboy walk"??

-- Mark (Western South Dakota native with plenty of ranch-induced scars)

[Jay Pique]

Maybe they're called "custom footbeds" or "orthotics" or something...

I got mine made at a ski shop in Breckenridge, CO called The Racer's Edge. They heat up the bed and then have you stand on it so it molds to the bottom of your foot. For skiing, it's (IMNSHO) an absolute must have. The only problem with using them for work shoes is that the ski boots in which mine sit fit my feet much more snugly than a comfortable workboot. As such, my toes tend to hang over the edge while working. What I'll probably do is have a pair made just for work.

JP

[Swingman]

Definitely a contributing factor. Looking back, my foot woes seem to have a genesis in those forced marches in three levels of training in the service. Then RedWing ropers were my footwear of choice for a couple of decades after that ... on reflection, you pretty much get what you'd expect clomping through life like that.

[BUB 209]

Do orthotics come in flavors? I'll do a search. Working in peoples homes is also a factor in what kind of footwear I look for. It's hard to find anything that a) doesn't have a vibram type of sole, picking mud and rocks out of them could be made into a full time occupation. b) comes with a side zipper for E-Z on and off.K-Mart was selling a suede Wellington- type boot that met both criteria, originally they were made by Totes, but the quality kept going down and down. I'm currently wearing "Swat" boots that lace up but have a side zipper. They're light but have the lug soles and only come in black.

[Michael Baglio]

I'd recommend these:

there's no way I can adequately prepare you for the sticker shock.

Michael who actually tried some on one time and almost fell waaay down that slippery slope...

[Swingman]

I've owned two pair ... unfortunately, the current Lucchese's aren't as comfortable as the Rockports.