Suggestions on a Versatile Footwear System

Hi Nick

> Afterwards, my toes felt crammed and felt like the sides of my big toes were rubbing against the insides of the shoes.

OK, big fact of life coming up – one which apparently few people outside walking circles know about.
***After a few hours walking your feet will expand at least half a shoe size.***
This means that whatever shoes seem to be the right size in a shoe shop will quickly become **too small**.

Solutions:
Go up half a shoe size from your normal fitting for 3-season use, and buy good wool/synthetic blend walking socks for use with them.
Go up *another* half size for winter use and add another layer of thick wool/synthetic blend socks.
Subscribe to BPL and read the articles by Will Rietveld on wearing joggers in the snow.

Cheers

I see conflicting requirements:

“I would prefer to have only one pair of shoes/boots.”
“- 4 season use (I prefer … winter weather)”
“…But in WARMER weather, what about all that extra room inside the shoe?”

It sounds like you want foot wear for cold AND warm weather. To me they’re just two different beasts.

In dead winter at 0-30F, I just use the classic moon boot. I’m just surprised how well these do in the snow.

Now for weather from 20F to 120F, I want something that
1. keeps my feet warm at the low end but
2. let’s my feet breath and let sweat evaporate quickly at the high end.
3. Allows room for down booties (no squishing allowed), but still is snug with the thinnest of socks
4. I don’t have to take off at rivers because I can just plow right through and they dry in a few minutes. This eliminates extra river shoes.
5. I can loosen up at night and they feel as comfortable as a slipper. This eliminates extra camp shoes.
6. protects ankle twisting yet allows the ankle to move freely; high top boots weaken ankles because of stiffness. It’s a catch-22. Some people need high top boots because they have weak ankles.
7. is 10oz or less (my dead winter boots are 12oz). This allows more energy throughout the day.
8. has a soft cushy heal.
9. has decent arch support
10. allows plenty of room to wiggle the toes (or plan for blisters)
11. allows immediate drying of sweat.
12. don’t have to worry about shoe strings breaking
13. eliminates blisters because my feet stay dry and my toes aren’t pinched.

It would be a nice bonus if I could wear this footwear to work, biking, basketball, handball, tennis, etc.,

And after trying on a couple dozen footwear, I find the item that meets all the above:
The black TEVA TerraFi 2 with a black sock :) People think I’m just wearing a shoe.

May everyone find their foot zen.

-Barry

I appreciate the recommendations. I was wondering if anyone else out there wanted to chime in on this topic also.

Thanks,

Nick

I am a big fan of Salomon's Comp 3 and XA Pro 3D (in XCR and not) – they are designed for trail running and I put two pairs through a pounding. The Pro 3D has a good heel cup and the arches are better for someone with a medium arch. The shoes run a little narrow, but there is plenty of room on the toes. I wore mine with SmartWool Adrenaline Minicrews.

> Now for weather from 20F to 120F, I want something that
Thongs/flip-flops/whatever in the driver's seat of a 4WD?

Cheers

PS: the joke here is that is what I wear all the time, including while driving our LandCruiser 4WD.