Boot Laces – What happened. Nobody has them

[John M]

Today I went to REI to buy a pair of laces for my REI hiking shoes and apparently REI no longer carries laces.  They had a few on clearance and a few make your own – that’s it.  I wear my merrels to work so I can’t have any homemade laces.  Since a broken shoelace is an unplanned event buying them online is a poor substitute for getting them at the store.  Today I went to REI, Walmart target and Dicks and nobody had anything suitable.

While I was complaining about it at REI EVERYONE standing around me agreed and the associate I was talking with said please tell someone who can do something about it – this is a fairly common complaint.  I checked online at REI and they’ve disappeared there as well – only the expensive make your own laces remain.

Anyhow,  where do you get your laces?  Ain’t nobody got them in Atlanta.  My guess is that they are not worth the shelf space for the revenue they return, but REI should be more customer focused than that.  I’ve been a coop member for about 45 years.  They’ve never done anything this stupid that I can remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob]

Here you go.  Custom made laces from Lawson.

http://lawsonequipment.com/Apparel/Technora-Toughlaces-p1080.html

[Kief H]

I recommend the Technora Toughlaces sold by Lawson Kline. They last forever, and he’s a good guy.

Edit: GMTA

[BlackHatGuy]

n/m

[John M]

These are nice but a pair of shoelaces for a pair of shoes worn to wok should not cost over $10.00.  The laces are for my merrells which I wear to work.

 

[David Thomas]

OTOneH, Yeah, seems like they should stock some show laces.

OTOtherH, apparently they aren’t selling them or their inventory control program would keep them in stock, instead of canceling that item.  I certainly now wear out most shoes before I wear out the laces.  40 years ago, it was the reverse.  Shoes used to be leather, now they’re often fabric.  Laces used to be cotton, now they’re nylon.  Laces now outlast the shoes they’re sold in.  To the point that, since I save usable laces like I cut 120-volt cords off old appliances, I have quite a collection of serviceable laces around.

One used to need tires and tire repairs all the time.  Now, most of mine go for 40,000-60,000 miles without mishap.  Some cars don’t even come with a spare, not even a mini-spare, anymore.

I used to diagnose Apple computers down to a single component, say a blown 74LS125 chip and you could buy one at Radio Shack for $2.50, but it was easier to order in bulk and keep them handy.  If you can even find a Radio Shack now, it only sells cell-phone plans and remote drones.

Kids these days!  Get off my lawn!

[John M]

Thanks. @@@&&&&$$!!!)).  n/m means nothing to me.

[David Thomas]

But it’s one reason I always have 25 feet of 130-pound-test braided Dacron line with me.  Weighs about nothing, makes many emergency shoe laces, tent guy lines, clothes line, repair thread, etc.

[John M]

Thank for the comment.  I have never had a pair of laces outlast my shoes.  I have a pair of walmart ozark trail shoes that I use to cut the grass.  They are very low quality and the laces and shoes wear out at about the same time.  As far as Radio shack I would say its a waste of space and has been for 10 years.  I can fix anything if I can get the parts.  I used to buy stuff from them.  Today I drive by because the people working there generally don’t even know what I’m asking for.

[BlackHatGuy]

“Thanks. @@@&&&&$$!!!)).  n/m means nothing to me.”

Perhaps some valium would help….

[John M]

Thanks for your comment, Doug.  No help at all.  I didn’t post this question to be ridiculed.  I’ve paid for a subscription to this site and asked for some comments.  Not criticism.

 

 

[BlackHatGuy]

No problem John. Glad to be of no help at all.

Okay, now that we have the childish crap out of the way…

n/m means never mind. My initial response was that Target carried a variety of shoelaces, then I re-read your initial post and saw that you had already discounted Target, which made my comment kinda moot, so I changed it to n/m, since a Target suggestion wouldn’t have been helpful and BPL software doesn’t let me simply delete a post.

Your response to that, imo, was a bit of childish overreaction, so I followed suit with some childishness of my own.

And I’ve paid for a subscription as well, not to be sworn at (even comic-book-style) for a non-transgression.

Edit to add: No, I didn’t report your comments, nor do I know who did.

[Nick B]

 

EDIT: Beat me to it so,  n/m. haha

I don’t believe anyone has ridiculed or criticized your original question. You have received several helpful replies. However, ““Thanks. @@@&&&&$$!!!)).  n/m means nothing to me.” appears very aggressive and combative.

n/m means “never mind”, as in he typed a response but realized it didn’t apply, or someone already said it, or etc..

[M B]

No one has ear pieces for my expensive bluetooth headphones when my daughter’s cat ate them.

 

So I was able to order some off of Amazon for a couple of dollars and they were there in 2 days.

 

I think the same thing works for shoelaces and many other things.

I think Academy Sports has laces. I bought them there to replace them in my running shoes. I like round places that stay adjusted instead of these flat skinny ones that don’t hold the tightness when you take the shoe off.

For boots specific laces might check a work safety shoe boot distributor locally.

 

But before I run all over town spending $20 in gas looking for a $1 set of shoelaces Id just order them from Amazon

 

[John M]

Today was my one day off in two weeks and I spent from 10 AM until 4 PM looking for suitable shoelaces. Shoelaces – absurd.  A total waste of my day off. n/m literally means nothing to me and n/m when a person has said nothing else previously is even more meaningless. Thanks for reporting me whoever that was.  It helped me decide to cancel my subscription.  $27.00 dollars for a premium subscription has not been worth anything to me.  Not one penny.  I’ve been backpacking for over 45 years and have learned nothing from this website in spite of numerous posts asking for others perspectives.  Sorry if I offended anyone.  I’m old enough that in my day you really had to say something deeply offensive to actually offend someone.   Today everyone is offended by everything.  I would have cancelled my subscription 30 minutes ago if I could figure out how to do it.  I guess I’ll have to wait until monday.  Good luck to all of you and hey n/m!!!!

[Jerry Adams]

I recently bought some Kiwi Outdoor laces from Winco.  Solid brown color.  Round.  Braided.  One pair.  72″.  They had a number of styles and lengths.

 

 

[J R]

where do you get your laces?

That’s the question. As for several others, my answer is Lawson. ++

Whatever you feel shoelaces should cost, you’ve seen what the reality is and your available choices. Lawson’s laces will last forever, and for ~$12 to your door your problem is solved, no more wasting the one day off in two weeks. Something to consider.

[John M]

CANCELLED!  Litetrek out.

[John M]

Hey, those are great laces and I would put them on any of my backpacking boots.  I have a pair of merrell moabs that I wear to work and those laces are overkill (in my opinion) for that particular pair of shoes.

[BlackHatGuy]

“I’m old enough that in my day you really had to say something deeply offensive to actually offend someone. Today everyone is offended by everything.”

Including, it seems, a simple n/m. Or is it okay for you to be offended by simple stuff but not others?

C’mon John. You’re frustrated as hell because of your shoelace travails on your day off. I get it, simple stuff can frustrate the hell out of me at times as well and I, unfortunately, act accordingly.

But I looked at the seven threads you’ve started since you’ve been on BPL, and each one is full of good responses and people trying to help (including this one, actually). More so than you’d probably find on any other site. And in more than once instance you’re thanking someone for bringing up something you hadn’t thought of. So your angry ‘learned nothing from this website’ statement is simply a product of your frustration, not reality, and you know it.

You’re an old curmudgeon it seems. So am I. Not always a good mix. But there are plenty of non-curmudgeons on this site, some great, helpful people with lots of knowledge in a lot of different areas. Certainly cancel your subscription in a fit of pique if you wish, but I think you’d be biting off your nose to spite your face, as the saying goes.

Why don’t you stick around and avail yourself of the great folks and the abundance of knowledge on this site, and I’ll try to remember your BPL name and not post in your threads. Seems like a fair deal.

[Ken Thompson]

Hope he’s OK to be alone. Maybe somebody should take his laces.

nm, too late.

[Nick B]

Well…….that was hilarious! You shall be missed, Litetrek. hahaha

[John M]

I’ve gotten better info from whiteblaze for free. Cancellation already done. I’ve been thing about it since two weeks after I signed up.  Not worthn the money in my opinion.

That said, I’m happy that others find value in it.

[John M]

Doug,  your n/m didn’t offend me at at all but after a day of looking for shoelaces. Your n/m is the only thing I got from you no other post to n/m.  Out of context it means nothing.  Anyhow, as you say I have gotten some input from this site but nothing I didn’t also get for free from whiteblaze and hammock forums.  There is no value here for me so I cancelled my membership.   This thread pushed me over the edge.

[John M]

Not alone.  I belong to many outdoor backpacking sites.  This is the only one I payed for.  Its value doesn’t justify the cost for me.  Apparently its valuable to you and that’s great – keep paying for your subscription. I was a lightweight backpacker about 30 years before it was a “thing”.

 

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