Feels like a dumb question, but I haven’t ever worn a pair of boots that didn’t hurt in some way. Is this just a feature of boots, or am I doing something wrong?
All my boots are made for walking. And that’s just what they do.
Be careful. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
I hope this conversation doesn’t end with me getting gunned down.
Find a well -rated outdoor store nearby, and go in and ask them to help you find a good pair. Be completely open about having no idea how to fit boots, and try to be as descriptive about the most common issues you’ve experienced. You can usually get free return if you wear them inside the house for a day or two to check fit.
It can be time consuming to find the right pair, but once you find a good pair it’ll make a huge difference and give you somewhere to go from one they eventually wear out.
Don’t take specific brand advice from the internet because everyone’s feet are different shapes. It’s a very individual thing.
To add to this, you might be able to find a store that analyses gait. Usually it’s on treadmills or a machine you stand on.
My final advice is inserts. You might find your most comfortable boot is actually a boot + insert. Orthopedic stores can make custom inserts, too.
I only have comfortable boots, i dont bother with footwear that’s uncomfortable, my lifes too short for hurting feet.
But fashion!
Yea, im not falling for that scam again 😅
I just buy some cheap Van’s, but maybe I’m too young to understand the boot supremacy.
I wore vans up until my mid late 30s, but even with a desk job my feet killed after a day.
So now I have running shoes with more support and its helped. I also have a pair of combat boots, but they’re more difficult to get on when I’m half asleep and trying to get to work.
So yeah, you might just have enough youth left to get by with vans lol.
Yeah so all shoes were uncomfortable, then I realized my feet are shaped too differently for mass produced shoes. I started making my own on a custom last, and now all my shoes are comfortable. Steep learning curve, though.
Either you’re buying bad boots, the wrong size boots, or not breaking in your boots.
Hiking boots tend to offer the best comfort IMO.
Second the hiking boots. My day to day lambofeeties are a pair of hiking boots.
Work boots: check red wings, Irish setters, Georgia boot, Wolverine, timberland pro, Thorogood
Casual: check Clark’s desert chukkas, timberland 6”, red wing heritage, Thursday boots, blundstones, Jim greens.
Haven’t owned them all but I have spent a lot of time researching boots for comfort since I’m a big dude on his feet all day. Currently have traction tread lite 6” red wings steel toe for work. Going on 7 months, swapped insoles twice (I like walk hero from amazon for arch support, $20.), and they feel better every day. Seriously worth it in my opinion.
Work boots or casual work, add Mucks.
Timberland, classic for a reason. I originally got them for doing DIY work around the house (and they have saved me from a nail in the foot at least twice so far) but now I legit pick these over my sneakers just for going out for a walk sometimes because they are comfier.
If you don’t mind heavy-as-f***, Carolinas. Insulated, composite toe, waterproof to a foot and change deep. I learned about these from a guy who wears them to fight forest fires in the dead of winter. They’re very comfy and put in a lot of work but holy gods are they heavy.
Surprised nobody’s mentioned this yet– What kind of socks are you wearing?
Boots used to always suck for me. Double check your sizing, and I recommend mid to heavyweight socks. Quality insoles help a lot, too. (Darn tough socks have been a game changer for me)
Boot weirdo reporting in. I wear boots pretty much all day every day.
My current favourite are “Steel Blue” brand, model: Argyle.
They’ve been around for years now and each iteration has actually been an improvement.
These things are so god damn comfortable, which is quite rare in a boot with such protection and a 300C sole.
Can’t recommend them highly enough.
I bought a ridiculously expensive pair of hiking boots and ended up going back to my steel blues because they just fit me so well.
I don’t remember the exact reason anymore, but sometime back on reddit someone told the story how all his life his feet and shoes felt bad but he got used to it. Until at some point he found out he had some foot disease, I think it was athlete’s foot or something.
Unless of course its only boots that bug you, not other shoes, then carry on…
Most likely it was plantar fasciitis, which means that he just needed arch support. Same thing happened to me. I thought I was just cursed with sore feet forever until someone explained what it was and how simple it was to fix. It’s amazing what good arch support can do!
You might have flat feet or need more arch support, go to a place where they’re specialized in selling shoes and boots and tell them you’re always uncomfortable.
Also, cute looking shoes are more often than not not built to be good for your feet, I can’t believe the number of girls/women I’ve met that freeze all winter because they refuse to wear actual winter boots because they’re ugly…
Redbacks are the most comfortable boots I’ve ever tried yet.
I always go for the wide shoes whenever I can, because I know my feet are wider than average, and arch supports because I know I have flat feet. You might want to find an expert who can show you many different shapes of shoes or a foot and ankle specialist who can diagnose if you need extra support or anything.
The two most important things that most people don’t think about enough is making sure you get the right width of boot, and get a pair of quality insoles(they are just as if not more important than the boot they go in). I hated all the boots I wore until I got some superfeet insoles. As far as boot brands go I can back thorogoods as my goto.
Keen all the way. They’re not dressy, you look like you’re going for a hike but man are comfortable out of the box. I have a hard time finding shoes / boots and keens are winners.
Runner up and more fashionable have been my blundstones
I am glad that you have had luck with Keen. I tried 2 separate pairs, one work shoe, one hiking boot/shoe and they both fell apart within 6 months in spots where they used adhesives instead of stitching. Never again.
Weird. After years of use, the first thing to go was a lace
Same here. I still have two pair sandals and one pair shoes, all held together with ShoeGoo after separating.
Same here - I got a pair of Keen abut 5-6 years ago for hiking and they are the most comfortable boots I ever had - sometimes I wear them instead of sneakers. However they haven’t had as much use in the last few years.
I imagine all boots are slightly different and all feet are slightly different, so it’s a matter of finding that perfect fit for your feet at the time
Checkout barefoot shoes. There are a whole lot of videos and websites about it online.
