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SnowblindAlbino t1_ir42t6y wrote

Reply to comment by bring-me-cake in Shoes like Crocs but tougher? by MoadSnake

>Keen

Agreed. Crocs are fine for the grocery store. I wear Keens hiking...never Tevas or Chacos because they don't have a toe box and it's far too easy to ram a stick into your foot or break a toe on a rock or something. Keens do the trick and they last for years.

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corsicanguppy t1_ir4g3yl wrote

If you buy the nylon keens, that years number is 1. The leathery ones, maybe 2.

Still better than tevas, and not just because junky tevas have Velcro that dies in a month.

So anyway, I have a keen budget.

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scottb84 t1_ir4ljan wrote

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I just don't understand how people in this sub manage to kill stuff so quickly.

I've had the same pair of Tevas for about 4 years now. I live in them in the summer time, including for hiking in wet and rocky conditions (where something with toe protection would admittedly be the safer choice). They show 0 signs of giving in. Hell, the velcro is still so grippy that I've got to put a little muscle into pulling it open to adjust the straps.

Are you guys walking across lava flows or some shit?

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jrp162 t1_ir4mal6 wrote

I had the same pair of tevas for six+ years. The insole worn down but they were still wearable until my wife made me buy new ones. I wore them walking all over…city walking, running errands, hiking, even in water (not like extended swimming sessions or anything).

So yea. Just another counterpoint that tevas don’t last.

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dirtycimments t1_ir4suug wrote

Weight and walking style.

That’s it. Some people twist their foot a little as they walk, and other little quirks that add friction to the sole. And weight is not proportional to foot size (especially not the size of the patch of the sole that is in contact at each time). So the pressure on the sole can easily double depending on your weight.

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jrp162 t1_ir4tavs wrote

Well tevas hold up great.

Signed, A fat guy with small feet (8.5W US)

Ps. I should note they weren’t the cheapest tevas. They were the hurricane ones (I think). They were also ones that had like felt on them (instead of just foam and nylon straps); the felt was the part that went first.

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KingOfTheProles t1_iscupno wrote

The felt isn't supposed to last. It's not there to make the shoe better. A certain percentage of the sole having felt allows them to have a lower import tarrif charged to the company when they are manufactured in a foreign country. It's something along the lines of being taxed as slippers instead of as shoes. The felt should wear off in a few days so you have full rubber soles. There are a bunch of companies that use this loophole.

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jrp162 t1_iscvvkj wrote

Oh yea. I know. But it lasted awhile despite it being felt. It was impressive. My new ones have no felt.

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SnowblindAlbino t1_ir58rm0 wrote

> I just don't understand how people in this sub manage to kill stuff so quickly.

No doubt. My main pair of Keens is now 5-6 years old at least. I suspect some folks are literally owning a single pair of shoes (or whatever) and wearing them every day. I wear my Keens when doing outdoor stuff and other shoes in town.

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JasonDJ t1_ir5hd47 wrote

Velcro doesn’t usually go bad that fast. It gets lint stuck in it that reduces its effectiveness. A little bit of maintenance with a good set of tweezers or nimble fingernails goes a long way.

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Fuzzpot t1_irgn97e wrote

I'm a bigger guy and blow out the crotches in pans and the soles of shoes unusually fast. So I spend my time on /r/bifl or in the thrift store for heavy duty pants and durable shoe recommendations.

I think there's a correlation between "people who wear clothes out fast" and "people who are interested in clothes that don't wear out fast." Makes sense, no?

People who don't blow out their stuff fast won't have as much of a reason to be on this sub

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rock9the1house t1_ircoi7m wrote

Big up vote for the Tevas. My wife swears by them so hard, I may have to get a pair

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Hodgybeats19 t1_ir5g8ow wrote

Used to last for years...

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DisgruntledCoWorker t1_ir5nrjw wrote

Agreed—I’ve had Keens last 10+ years with everyday use. Those I bought recently either didn’t fit right or started to come apart in no time.

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