Random thoughts 1: Just Sayin'

[Snerk]

No option to try on I'm afraid. Gotta do a guesstimate on a size and hope for the best.

 

[Synobun]

And if you had to land on one of those for a guesstimate of my size?

Try on anything you like between 9 and 11. Manufacturing isn't perfect.

This. Some shoes have weird fits. Back in school before things went south health-wise, so basically at my physical "peak", I was doing track in size 11s. These days for walking and after some arch collapse I wear 9W. The shape of your foot can impact size a lot.

9.5 will be mostly the same as 10. Just a bit more snug. If you absolutely had to pick one as a guesstimate... go with 10. It's the safest bet.

 

[Arakhor]

Size 9/10-ish is my shoe size, but I have flat feet (and one foot slightly longer than the other), so my fitting varies depending on the chosen foot and if I'm sitting down or not.

What's a W fitting? Is that the width, where A is the narrowest and upwards through the alphabet?

 

[Borachio]

I like all my footwear loose and sloppy, since my feet regularly change size and shape according to the seasons and my mood. And in any case I can't easily reach down to put them on. So I certainly don't have shoes with shoelaces.

I've always liked it this way, and luckily enough or maybe because of it, I've never had any real problems with my feet.

 

[Farm Boy]

You dress down wisdom admirably, Sir B.

You can always add inserts, shrinking the shoe is more difficult.

 

[Synobun]

What's a W fitting? Is that the width, where A is the narrowest and upwards through the alphabet?

It... depends. Some brands utilize very strange width measurements.

For most, W is the wider variant of the normal shoe size. My toes bleed in most shoes if I don't get the wide variant because the front halves of my feet sort of splay outwards after a while.

 

[CKS]

Generally there are two sets of width sizing:
AAAA (narrowest) - AAA - AA - A - B - C - D - E - EE - EEE - maybe more Es
or
N - M - W (narrow, medium, wide)

Lots of shoes don't come in different widths, and most shoes don't fit comfortably. I hate shoe shopping. Unfortunately, I've worn almost completely through my current work shoes in several different spots, so I have to find some new ones.

 

[Arakhor]

If a C is an entirely average fitting, then shoemakers need to sit up and pay attention, as it's impossible to buy size 10 shoes in a C fitting.

 

[CKS]

You wouldn't want your feet to be average, would you?

Here, B is "average." I don't think I have ever purchased a C width shoe, but I'm positive I've seen it on the foot-measuring device. Since reaching adult foot size, I have worn shoes of every other width I listed, in sizes from men's 9 to men's 13, which tells you how useless American shoe sizes are.

 

[Synobun]

Lots of shoes don't come in different widths, and most shoes don't fit comfortably. I hate shoe shopping. Unfortunately, I've worn almost completely through my current work shoes in several different spots, so I have to find some new ones.

That's the problem I face now! The shape of my feet are very rough on my shoes even if I change my gait. I wear thick rubber work shoes now with steel shanks in them just to try and make them last longer. 7~ months instead of 3~ months is a better lifespan but I'd really just like for a pair of shoes to last more than a year, especially since I only do between 2000-3500 steps a day.

 

[Arakhor]

You wouldn't want your feet to be average, would you?

Given that I'm flat-flooted and am always forced to wear shoes that are too wide for me, then yes, I wouldn't mind them being a little less unusual!

 

[Cutlass]

That's the problem I face now! The shape of my feet are very rough on my shoes even if I change my gait. I wear thick rubber work shoes now with steel shanks in them just to try and make them last longer. 7~ months instead of 3~ months is a better lifespan but I'd really just like for a pair of shoes to last more than a year, especially since I only do between 2000-3500 steps a day.

I've got a pair of Red Wing hiking boots that like 6-8 miles a day on for 6 months, and a year or more of lighter use. And they're worn, but not worn out. It was about a $200 pair of boots. They're tough enough for hard use.

http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/435-red-wing-shoes/435-red-wing-mens-6-inch-boot-brown

 

[Synobun]

I've got a pair of Red Wing hiking boots that like 6-8 miles a day on for 6 months, and a year or more of lighter use. And they're worn, but not worn out. It was about a $200 pair of boots. They're tough enough for hard use.

http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/435-red-wing-shoes/435-red-wing-mens-6-inch-boot-brown

That's about 5x over my 2 year shoe budget.

 

[Takhisis]

Yeah, but if you buy the right pair they can last you five, ten years.

 

[Synobun]

Yeah, but if you buy the right pair they can last you five, ten years.

I'll save up for 10 years to afford one of these five-year lasting pairs of shoes, I guess.

 

[Arakhor]

If you only spend $20 a year on shoes, that is unquestionably part of the problem.

 

[Borachio]

I'm not so sure.

My yearly shoe budget is around that figure. And I have no problems.

 

[Arakhor]

Thanks, Jack.

 

[Borachio]

No problem.

I didn't mean to come across as unsympathetic, btw.

I was just pointing out that not spending much on shoes isn't necessarily part of the problem.

It could be, of course, if your feet have special needs that only spending more money would address.

But that should go without saying.

 

[Synobun]

If you only spend $20 a year on shoes, that is unquestionably part of the problem.

Yes, being poor is problematic.

Anyways, it's $40 per two years! After the 7-month mark I start using tape and paper stuffing to keep everything together.