Wearing boots every day.

[joegrec]

I looking at buying a pair of boots for a friend that is not into clothing very much but needs a pair of rugged yet good looking boots to wear every day. I have a pair of Indy's and was thinking that they would be perfect for him.

I know you can't wear the same shoe every day as the need time to breath.

My question is what kind of damage is done to shoes or boots that are worn everyday?

 

[Svenn]

I realize SFers have a tendency to anthropomorphize their clothing, but shoes or suits needing to "breathe" is a little excessive in my opinion

Sure, it's possible some bacteria or something might have a chance to proliferate if they don't have a day to air out, but I find that unlikely. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by joegrec

I looking at buying a pair of boots for a friend that is not into clothing very much but needs a pair of rugged yet good looking boots to wear every day. I have a pair of Indy's and was thinking that they would be perfect for him.

I know you can't wear the same shoe every day as the need time to breath.

My question is what kind of damage is done to shoes or boots that are worn everyday?

I think the worst thing aside from sole wear is that the moisture and warmth from your feet does not have time to naturally dry out. When leather gets wet it expands and when it dries it shrinks back down. To flex the leather during this process and keeping moisture in the shoe will cause it to break down much faster and somestimes rot.

 

[Master Squirrel]

Did it for years. Top quality work boots (Redwing, etc) can last 2-3 years in daily, heavy use as long as they are taken care of.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by Master Squirrel

Did it for years. Top quality work boots (Redwing, etc) can last 2-3 years in daily, heavy use as long as they are taken care of.

I guess it depends on what you consider acceptable. In high school I wore redwings every day as a landscaper after school, but they were beat to **** and eventually got holes in the creases from the water and flexing and such.

If you want to keep the finish like that of a dress shoes, I would say you have to have a different approach.

I sold the beat up redwings on the SW&D B&S for $4,000. I guess it was worth it.

 

[brokentelephone]

I have a very poorly dressed friend whois also extremely frugal, but on recommendation purchased a pair of RW Williams which I believe he has worn almost every day for many years.

They're not something I'd want to wear, but they really don't look that slovenly considering how he treats them. Once they surpassed the worn-in look, they really didn't deteriorate much further.

 

[Master Squirrel]

Yes, if you want to keep them shiny, you will need to care for them daily. I used mine in construction. This is the "updated" design of the boot I used to wear. (Which looks like crap.) (And yes, I used them when I was a Park Ranger over the Government issued boots.)

Basically they aren't anything special, but last a long time... Made in Wisconsin..

 

[makewayhomer]

as an aspiring minimalist who likes shoes, its kind of my dream to get a 3 shoes / boot rotation. I have a pair of #8 LHS loafers, which are versatile and I would never get tired of wearing. ditto my pair of #8 longwings. getting a cigar or ravello boot might be the perfect complement for the winter months. 1 boot, 1 blucher, 1 loafer. colors that can be worn with anything.

then again 5 is a nice # that corresponds well to the 5 day workweek. each shoe gets worn once, plus weekends.

obviously, I'm not counting more "special occasion" shoes like cap toe balmorals, sandals, etc

but, 1 is not enough. I think it would end up in bad shape. 2 I think is doable.

 

[zippo69]

Good boots will hold up well over time

 

[BoomDiggs]

I wore the same pair of Docs nearly every day for 5 years. Owned them a total of 11.

 

[The Swede]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

I guess it depends on what you consider acceptable. In high school I wore redwings every day as a landscaper after school, but they were beat to **** and eventually got holes in the creases from the water and flexing and such.

If you want to keep the finish like that of a dress shoes, I would say you have to have a different approach.

I sold the beat up redwings on the SW&D B&S for $4,000. I guess it was worth it.

Who bought a pair of dirty boots for $4,000?