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Backpacking Light

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Repurposing old hiking shoes

Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Multiple Use Gear › Repurposing old hiking shoes

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • May 4, 2020 at 9:38 am #3645030
    Elliott Wolin
    BPL Member

    @ewolin

    Locale: Hampton Roads, Virginia

    A little off-topic, but I found that my old, sort of worn out Merrell low, breathable light-hikers work pretty well for bicycling.  The foot bed is no longer good for hiking (sole is ok), it causes my feet to hurt after a while that new shoes solved, but this is not an issue for bicycling.   And I don’t care if they get chewed up a bit by my toe clips.

    May 4, 2020 at 1:31 pm #3645091
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    I retire hiking shoes into shoes for projects around the house, especially mowing the lawn which sprays green grass juice on them and doesn’t completely come out and for any painting/staining jobs.

    Then the next year, they get a second retirement to be the shoes I put on over the neoprene socks of my chest waders.  It really helps to have real soles and lace-up shoes when in the surf with a 5-foot diameter net with one or two salmon in it.  All summer, I’ll hose them off when I get home, but at the end of the season, I just toss them – at that point they’re sandy / muddy / torn-up enough and I generate at least one retired pair a year anyway.

    May 4, 2020 at 2:17 pm #3645096
    Gary Dunckel
    BPL Member

    @zia-grill-guy

    Locale: Boulder

    How about buying a new pair of footbed inserts? The most cushy ones I’ve found are Ortholite’s Fusion inserts. A bit pricy at ~$20/pair, and somewhat weighty at ~2.3 ounces for the pair, but man are they comfy and cushiony. Ortholite is pretty proud of them, especially for the durability/long life.

    May 4, 2020 at 3:09 pm #3645108
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    Gary, thanks for the reference.  I’ve tried, with some success, to extend the life of low-cut hikers when the cushioning is too far got and feet feel bruised on longer mileage days.  But some aren’t very cushioned and on others, the top fabric of the insert detaches after not much use.

    May 7, 2020 at 5:40 pm #3645675
    PaulW
    BPL Member

    @peweg8

    Locale: Western Colorado

    Elliot, I found that an old pair of my Merrell Moab Ventilators make decent mountain biking shoes. Much cheaper than buying specialized shoes, especially considering I use flat pedals anyway. Plus, I can comfortably walk up those really steep hills. Really old shoes get used for yard work and lawn mowing.

    May 8, 2020 at 11:03 am #3645775
    Elliott Wolin
    BPL Member

    @ewolin

    Locale: Hampton Roads, Virginia

    Paul:  mine too are Merrell Moab Ventilators, and I’ve been using them on my 1976 era road bike w/toe clips and straps (I’m too cheap and unserious to get fancy shoes and clipless pedals) and soon on a mountain bike I plan to purchase.

    When they wore out from hiking I purchased the equivalent model from Merrell (I forget the model name).  My wife and I really like them.

    May 9, 2020 at 6:50 pm #3646036
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    One pair that was still serviceable went into the emergency/disaster kit. Old leaky boots still work for heavy yard work like landscaping, ladder work and painting. I’ve seen lots of old old footwear used for succulent flower pots.

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