Go to Rainy Day Shoes

[thinman]



I would not assume shell is an automatic recommendation. Many shell shoes (mine included) spot/welt up pretty badly when exposed to water. Other shell seem to brush it off without a problem. The issue is that you won't know how your shoes will behave until you get them wet. So, pursue shell-cordovan-for-wet-weather with this in mind....

When my shell cordovan Darlton wingtips were almost new, I got caught in a rainstorm and they spotted/welted pretty badly. I made the mistake of polishing over them the next day and the spots stayed for several months, but eventually disappeared. Now that I've polished them multiple times, they are impervious to a little rain. None of my shell cordovan shoes get water spots that don't disappear once the shoes dry for several days to a week (only one pair really shows spots at all). Shell works well in rain and snow.

 

[Reevolving]

Listen to sweigo, thinman, and I.
Some people obsessively apply paste wax to their shells, and that may be the difference.
If this is not you, then shell is the LAST kind of leather you want in the rain. It's just pure stupidity.
But why even take the chance? What do you have to prove?

Rain = rubber
Sun = leather

I really can't stand people here steering new young kids down a path of financial death traps.
Most people here can't even afford a single pair of shell, let along buying 70 pairs that they go through like underwear ($35,000 shoe budget)

 

[otc]

There's something wrong with your shoe bro....

I don't own a single pair that hasn't been out in the rain long enough to soak through to the sock (heck, even true of my rubber soled shoes getting wet enough on the uppers to get my socks wet)...and not a single pair has ever cracked like that.

 

[Patek]



Listen to sweigo, thinman, and I.
Some people obsessively apply paste wax to their shells, and that may be the difference.
If this is not you, then shell is the LAST kind of leather you want in the rain. It's just pure stupidity.
But why even take the chance? What do you have to prove?
Rain = rubber
Sun = leather
I really can't stand people here steering new young kids down a path of financial death traps.
Most people here can't even afford a single pair of shell, let along buying 70 pairs that they go through like underwear ($35,000 shoe budget)

I bought Alden Indys in shell this fall and I have been in rain and sleet and the boots look as good as ever. I bought them in shell as shell is extremely waterproof. I have not applied anything to them since buying them as they have so much wax in them out of the box. I am a "young person" so I don't really know what that has to do with it.

My rainy day shoes are BB and Ferragamo as well as boots--some of them in (gasp) shell. I have found that the RL marlows do not take well to water. The BB and the Alden shells have had so such problem.

 

[swiego]

Again, shell is durable but some shell have problems with water. Mr. Horween acknowledged this behavior on this very forum not one month ago. This does not mean that you should not buy shell, or that all shell will have problems (as reevolving implies in his somewhat alarmist posts) or that you should never wear shell in the rain. It DOES mean that you should be prepared to receive a pair that does not handle water so well. If you need shoes that are absolutely guaranteed to be go-to rainy day shoes, get rubber-bottom calfs or some beater shoes. If you need shoes that PROBABLY will handle rainy day weather just fine but might carry a risk of not handling it well at all, shell is fine.

I love shell shoes and am continuing to add them. But, having experienced this welting issue myself, I no longer assume that shell is the guaranteed choice for inclement weather. It just hasn't deterred me from shell because I still perceive the other advantages (brush to a shine quite easily, highly scuff resistant, more aesthetic creasing) and do have plenty of beater shoes.

 

[Reevolving]

IF you INSIST on wearing shell in the rain, I would get an eye dropper and put a drop of water somewhere back near the heel an see if it ruins the shoe.
All this is moot, b/c leather soles motherfucking MELT in the rain if you're walking for more than a few minutes.
But, hey, if you love pissing money (or wearing speckled and water stained shoes) or just dropping another $500 every time it rains, go for it like these ballers.

 

[otc]



IF you INSIST on wearing shell in the rain, I would get an eye dropper and put a drop of water somewhere back near the heel an see if it ruins the shoe.
All this is moot, b/c leather soles motherfucking MELT in the rain if you're walking for more than a few minutes.
But, hey, if you love pissing money (or wearing speckled and water stained shoes) or just dropping another $500 every time it rains, go for it like these ballers.

Cool.

can we DT this now?

 

[swiego]



Cool.
can we DT this now?

Well, I've tried to offer a balanced view to the OP but Reevolving keeps pulling it back to an extreme, so might as well...

 

[ahe]

40 dollar bass weejuns from the outlet when I need the shoes to be somewhat dressy, those things are indestructible, rain or snow. The soles can be somewhat slippery though.

 

[Patrick R]

All this is moot, b/c leather soles motherfucking MELT in the rain if you're walking for more than a few minutes.

LOL

I understand trolling for the sake of humor, but why do you want to bring misinformation to an otherwise helpful online resource? Today alone I have spent 25+ minutes walking in the rain (thanks to my umbrella) in leather soled shoes. The soles of my shoes are wet, but not melted and, based on many dozens of my personal experiences with these particular shoes, when they dry, they will be as good as always.

 

[KObalto]



Again, shell is durable but some shell have problems with water. Mr. Horween acknowledged this behavior on this very forum not one month ago.

Link, please. I must have missed that thread.

 

[david123]

I wear rubber-soled AE Back Bay in burgundy. They were < $100 at Amazon and aren't on a great last but they come out of the rain looking better than new.

 

[swiego]

Again, shell is durable but some shell have problems with water. Mr. Horween acknowledged this behavior on this very forum not one month ago.

Link, please. I must have missed that thread.

Do a search for the Horween interview.

 

[Reevolving]



Today alone I have spent 25+ minutes walking in the rain (thanks to my umbrella) in leather soled shoes. The soles of my shoes are wet, but not melted and, based on many dozens of my personal experiences with these particular shoes, when they dry, they will be as good as always.

God help those soles if you happen across any gravel b/c they are soft are melted butter by then. They will look like they were shot at close range by a shotgun. You could literally take a bite from them. It truly baffles me that people would insist upon trashing their nice shoes. Sure, you can wear shell in the rain. BUT WHY? It's stains them permanently and melts the soles. Just get a pair of rubber soled beaters for the rain. Listening to the advice here will just cost you money that didn't need to be thrown in the trash just to make one's self feel alive.

 

[Patrick R]

Quote:

God help those soles if you happen across any gravel b/c they are soft are melted butter by then. They will look like they were shot at close range by a shotgun. You could literally take a bite from them.

All true.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reevolving

It truly baffles me that people would insist upon trashing their nice shoes.

The bottoms of the soles of all of my shoes show significant wear. "Showing wear" isn't the same as "wearing out." Showing wear is what soles do when you, wait for it... wear them. I guess if I cared about the appearance of the bottoms of my soles, and wanted people to believe I only walked on fluffy clouds, then I would understand your point.