Repurposing old hiking shoes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two pairs of old shoes can be placed on the roof of your car to act as a securing agent, and protect roof paint for heavy things strapped down on the roof. They negate the dome of the roof, as well as act as anti slip pieces. Good for dressers, ladders, pretty much anything heavy and bulky that you can’t fit in a car. Once made a 3 hour interstate trip with a large cedar chest on top of our little Ford escort.

on the roof of your car
OK, that is clever!

Where the heck does one purchase Ortholite fusion inserts?  The google is no help.