The Patron Saint of Quality Footwear

First off, I'd like to congratulate Jeff R. and his wife Lorraine on the birth of their first child Justin Timothy (8 Pounds, 7  Ounces) at 4AM this morning. Mom and child (and dad) are doing fine.  I guess the pressure's on me now as I'm the last of the 'Rational Actors' (our high school rock band) without an heir, yet.

So, congrats again to Jeff and Lorraine, get some sleep and enjoy parenthood.  For the record, Justin's only hours old but already has an e-mail account at Gmail, he's that ahead of the curve.

We've returned from a wonderful vacation to Italy and I just woke up from a twelve hour slumber. I plan on a proper post or two with details on the trip later but wanted to write a quick post extolling  the virtues of the shoes that got me through the week.  Just before we left, I talked with some friends (including new dad Jeff R.) with more European experience than me (I had only been to England) and the concensus was to avoid sneakers so as to look less like a tourist, which meant my trusty suede Converse trainers were out.  On our last day stateside, Carla and I bought some last-minute items (money belt, hiking socks, clothes) for our trip at REI.  She strongly urged me buying a pair of Merrell shoes, which I did.  That purchase made all the difference in the world in keeping my feet blister-free all week long.

While I'm not as active as I like to be, I do walk a considerable amount both with and without our dog.  When I know I will be walking a great deal, I usually plan accordingly with the proper shoes and for most cases my 'running shoes' do the trick.  Since we would be doing a great deal of travelling on foot over cobblestone streets and uneven terrain, I knew these shoes would have to serve multiple purposes: be comfortable, be lightweight and double as semi-dress shoes at night as we were packing light. They handled all three tasks with aplomb. One day in Florence, we walked from our hotel to The Duomo, to the top of The Duomo (eight stories high, 463 steps) then through Florence back over to The Boboli Gardens and through most of the gardens themselves.  By our conservative estimates, it was about six or seven miles total.  I didn't have as much a callus, let alone any blisters.

I've put my money and my feet behind my Merrells, what's your footwear of choice for multi-purpose hiking/walking? What are your shoes to avoid?

Comments

[freakgirl]

I'm going to recommend those shoes to my husband.

My faves:

I wear my J-41s when I'm biking and/or light hiking:
http://www.j-41.com/

I am addicted to my MBT sandals and wear them for walking:
http://www.swissmasaius.com/

If they weren't so pricey, I'd have several pairs. LOVE THEM.

I made a terrible mistake by hiking for several hours in these:
http://tinyurl.com/2z85d8

We were hiking around water and I thought they'd be helpful in that respect. Which they were, but my shins and feet ached for DAYS afterward.

Welcome back, you two, can't wait to hear more about the trip. I dream of visiting Italy someday.

[Jay]

Adidas - Rod Laver's (green on white) are my personal favorites. Not to be confused with Stan Smith's. I'm probably on my 20th pair.

My last trip to London I wore a pair of vintage Adidas Volleyball shoes (thin soles). Probably walked 100 miles that trip and my dogs were barkin'. Flip flops would have been the only worse choice of footware from my closet.

Looking forward to hearing details about the Italy trip. Welcome back!

[HESS]

I read that headline as Patrón, like the tequila. Thinking, "what, he's gonna be a kickass drinker when he grows up?" (Welcome aboard JTR.)

I'm notoriously bad at selecting proper footwear. I only own black shoes.

[ken]

Freakgirl- I think Carla has a pair of J-41's. And do what you can to get to Italy, it was a helluva trip.

Jay - I like the Rod Laver's as well but am still partial to Stan Smith's.

HESS, et al- That headline was actually a line from Spinal Tap, St. Hubbins is the Patron Saint of Quality footwear according to David St. Hubbins.

[Jeff]

Since my middle name is Merrill, I have tried to avoid wearing Merrells - but lately capitulated as they are probably the best looking and feeling in their price range for real hiking sshoes. They don't look so hot with shorts though, so I usually trek around in some diesel trainers which aren't so bad...

[Scotty]

Congratulations Jeff! Thats great news. I hope baby and mom are doing well.

I'm on my feet all day, usually on concrete. I wear Redwing boots. They are around 200 bucks but they last awhile and are a treat to the feet. Redwing makes shoes but they don't look as stylish as those Merrells.

[Dave]

I HAVE worn Merrel hiking books and they ARE excellent. I've worn Red Wing, Wolverine and Carolina boots at work. Once again...they're ALL excellent. (It doesn't pay to try to wear cheap shoes/boots.)

My favorite recreational wear shoes are New Balance....and here's a little secret I've learned: the New Balance shoes in lower number ranges (that you usually find in department stores) are inferior to New Balance shoes you can buy in shoe stores. The secret is in the numbers. New Balance shoes numbered in the 300 to 400 range are inferior to those in the 500 to 900 range. I thought this was BS until it was confirmed by a podiatrist. And usually, you can find the higher number New Balance shoes on sale in shoe stores for not much more than the department store shoes. Go figure!

[Ara]

Having run two marathons I highly recommend New Balance 992's. Right now I have no less than 4 pairs of these little buggers with a fresh pair still in the box untouched. Great shoes for walking around as well.

For work I wear only Cole Haan. My Uncle Monty sells shoes down in North Carolina so I get outstanding discounts for both the Cole Haans ans New Balance.

[dj]

Congrats Jeff. And since unsolicited advice is never appreciated, I'll just say four words: sleep when he sleeps.

I also have little or nothing to add to the shoe conversation. I typically wear Vans or Nikes and have absolutely no idea what my shoes' names are.

[Jeff]

Thanks everyone - and Ken, let me tell ya it's not so bad. All you gots to do is stand next to the bed and say 'push' every now and then. Not sure why everyone thinks this birth thing is such an ordeal...

[Kent]

Congrats Jeff, I didn't even know.