I’ve decided I’ll use my REI dividend on some shoes. I like walking briskly on my lunch break. From the office to the pig at Pike Place Market and back is about a mile, and my coworker and I often take a hike in the afternoon. My 15-or-so-year-old Timberland shoes are OK, but I’m tired of them. My semi-dressy Rocky shoes are very comfy, but the soles are so worn that with my destroyed knees I have to be careful of anything remotely slick. The Vasque hiking boots (also obtained with an REI dividend, and my second pair that way) aren’t really made for brisk walking. The Aldens look great and fit well, but don’t have much cushion. The Nike Airs feel great, but they’re white and seem kind of ‘middle aged’.
I really want to get away from leather shoes (i.e., the Timberlands, Vasques, and Rockys). So I’ve been looking at Salomon or Merrell. Salomon has more non-leather(ish) options. I tried on some Merrells and walked around in them. Nice. I thought of getting water shoes, and both Salomon and Merrell have nice ones. There are times when I might be in a position where I need to walk around, and then decide to go to the beach. But for summer kayaking I have sandals and for cooler paddling I’m going to get some mukluks. I don’t really need water shoes per se, and paddling might make them rather heinous.
So:
[ul][li]Salomon or Merrell[/li][li]City walking up to two miles per day, plus more walking on non-working days[/li][li]Good-looking (i.e., don’t look like I just came from the gym or doing yard work)[/li][li]Not leather or moccasin-like – more like cross-trainers[/li][li]Cross-trainer or water shoe[/li][li]Possible rare exposure to/immersion in salt water[/ul][/li]Suggestions?
I got them a few weeks ago and have been wearing them everywhere. They are much lighter than my leather hikers so I can wear them all day comfortably and my feet don’t get as hot as when wearing non-ventilated hiking boots.
My boyfriend has a pair too! He’s had his for about 9 months and loves them.
I need the ankle support. My left ankle was sprained badly last year and is still not 100%. But I guess you wouldn’t need that for city walking.
I love Merrells and I don’t think you can go wrong in choosing a that brand. My SO had a pair of Salomon hikers that he wore the heck out of; so you probably won’t go wrong there, either.
Merrell Chameleons are what I wear everyday and I do a lot of walking around the city. They are super comfortable and give you great support. They don’t seem to have many colors left on the website, but most shoe stores have a wide variety of color combinations.
Might wanna lose the durability factor. We all think differently, but a pair of reasonably good looking athletics can be had for ~$30 and you just replace them every however-many months. They’re also really comfortable.
I’ve got some Merrell Chameleons from 2002 (at least, they may even be older) that I’m still wearing. They still have many more miles to go. I love Merrells and have probably 7-8 pair in different styles. The only ones I’ve even come close to wearing out is my Jungle Mocs. The outsides still look good, but there is some wear showing on the inside lining. To me, the $$ spent on Merrells is worth it.
Keens. Hands down the best shoes I’ve ever owned, provided instant relief for my plantar fasciitis. I’ll never buy anything else. AND you can get them on Zappos for about $50.
Due to the May Day marches in Seattle and reports that buses might be delayed by an hour, I decided to drive the car into Belltown. The president sent an email saying that yesterday would be considered a ‘snow day’ and instructed everyone to leave an hour and a half early. So I had the car, and I had some time.
I went to the REI store on Yale and tried on some Merrells and some Salomons. The Salomons had a really comfy arch. I like shoes with a high arch. It’s like getting a foot massage. But they were heavier than the Merrells, and I didn’t really like the laces. Plus they were $40 cheaper. I ended up getting the Merrel water shoes. I haven’t worn them yet, other than to climb on the walking structure in the store and to walk around for a bit.
I ended up paying less than $10 for the shoes and the Backpacker First Aid Kit I bought. Gotta love those dividends!
I was at REI earlier today, too (I bought a new Half-Dome tent for $109 - score!) and they had some other nice things on sale. Women’s Keen Monterey’s for $60…want.
You’ll be happy with the Merrells. I love my Moabs more and more every day.
I see that I’m a day late, but I am currently wearing the low-top version of this very shoe. It’s fantastic for the needs you have. I imagine the ones you wound up with will be of equal quality.
I’m still kicking myself for not buying a Geo-Dome 4 when I had the chance. Only the North Face Hotel 46 was on sale and I bought it instead. Nothing wrong with the North Face, except it only has one door and the Geo-Dome had two. It’s a good tent, and I can really sprawl in it. (I have a Nitelite if I want to go light.) But I think the Geo-Dome 4 would have been just the tiniest bit better.
They look good, and they’re definitely lighter than my Vasques. But I was looking more toward a low-top.