Tennis Shoes?

[M]

I know boots are the preferred solution for BIFL footwear, in general. I have always preferred tennis shoes though, for lightweight and comfort. This is one of my bad habits.

I used to go to garage sales and buy whatever was available in my size for a dollar or two. For some reason this supply mostly dried up, so I switched to buying the cheapest shoes I could find at wal-mart. These are normally around 10-20 dollar and last less than a year for me. I walk/run at least 7k steps a day, almost all on concrete side walks. Lately I am getting back into the routine of running every day.

Somewhere near the end of 2019 I randomly splurged on a 60 dollar pair of leather new balance 608 shoes. They are still going strong, I think this is the longest amount of time I have continuosly used the same pair of tennis shoes. Lately they spent some time in the bottom of a river (tire pullers for pulling tires out of rivers don't work well when tire is full of rocks and mud). Anyway, I dried them out and put them back on. They smell a little like river water now but other than that are fine.

This got me thinking...eventually, I assume these shoes will fall apart. I was looking at the current new balance 608s, but they made some design changes that imo will make them less durable. For example, they removed the plastic reinforced shoe string holes near the top of the shoe, among other things.

What is the longest lasting pair of tennis shoes you have owned?

Also - I have read that the cushioning material degrades after 6 months or so and running/tennis shoes should be replaced. Is this true/something I should worry about?

[bostonimproper]

The cushioning that supports your sole does indeed fail. I feel this mightily because I overpronate and I can tell when I start to have bad knee and ankle pain that the shoes have outlived their usefulness. The recommendations I’ve seen say to replace running shoes once every 500 miles, which feels about right based on my experience. I have no idea if this is as important for people who don’t have gait issues.

[jacob]

My longest lasting pair was either a Saucony 7. I had the Sauconys from 2014 to 2022 which admittedly were long overdue for replacement. The inner soles were wearing through and the outer sole (I pronate) was also getting thin. But the stitches had not come apart and the sole did not separate.

I replaced them with another Saucony. I look for sales on amazon. About $40. I'm willing to pay $5 more for a "neutral color" so I can also use them with "business casual".

It is true that the cushioning degrades. It is not something I worry about, but I definitely feel the difference.

[mathiverse]

You don't have to replace your sneakers at a given mileage number. That recommendation is like an expiration date. Ignore it if the shoes still feel good. If the bad cushioning is a problem for you, then you'll feel it like in bostonimproper's case. In my case, I can feel that the cushioning has weakened, but it doesn't cause me any issues.

[Western Red Cedar]

I have always preferred tennis shoes though, for lightweight and comfort. This is one of my bad habits.

I'm of the opinion that money spent on decent quality footwear is money well spent. The foot is a pretty complex piece of engineering with a lot of bones and joints. In the future we may look at foot health in the same way we look at oral care today.

[Slevin]

I'm of the opinion that money spent on decent quality footwear is money well spent. The foot is a pretty complex piece of engineering with a lot of bones and joints. In the future we may look at foot health in the same way we look at oral care today.

Agree on the cost perspective. In your argument, I think we would tend the other way then (away from supportive shoes) to promote foot health in a world where foot health is treated like oral care. In humans with well developed feet, the toes splay out from each other pretty far. This would imply needing a wide toe box. Then the big toe and the second toe have a huge separation, as the big toe is meant to counterbalance the rest of the foot to improve stability (for example the classic Japanese Tabi takes this into consideration). You end up at something like the current minimalist shoes, which have a cult following but just with a small audience. It’s possible this niche extends to a norm, but with the somewhat painful and long adjustment period out of normal shoes, I would be skeptical.

However, seeing as the tendency for humanity with technology is to become more sedentary as time progresses (see western world in the past 100 years), I would imagine the feet become less cared for as an important tool, not more cared for. Also, modern tennis shoes seem to do the job “good enough” for most people, so, much like the air travel stopped getting faster in the early 1960s despite us having supersonic planes, it’s hard to imagine why we would “need” to change the modern footwear paradigm.

On the not-totally-a-tennis-shoe side, I’ve had classic vans and converse last a long time (3-5 years) in the past, mostly due to the soles being incredibly durable and the lace holes having solid ringlets. They definitely don’t have a lot of support though, and give a pretty specific aesthetic.

[theanimal]

About a decade ago, I realized I really like trail runners. They are my main shoe for just about everything year round, from around town stuff to work in the yard to bushwhacking/river crossings in the wilderness. I tried a few different brands early on and settled on Salomons as my favorite by far. I take out the sole insert from the beginning and wear them like that. In 2017 I was in Anchorage and there was a store selling the kind I liked (Speedcross 3) at something like 60% off or $45/shoe. I bought all the pairs in my size (4) and just went through the last a few months ago. Now I have been sourcing another shoe stash off of eBay and similar sites. For me these shoes last about a year with heavy use. Towards the end of life, holes start developing in the sides of the toebox and I call it quits when they get close to meeting in the middle.

I do have trouble reconciling the disposable nature of these shoes. It would be nice if there was a boot equivalent quality trail runner/tennis shoe but I have not found one yet.

[M]

On the not-totally-a-tennis-shoe side, I’ve had classic vans and converse last a long time (3-5 years) in the past, mostly due to the soles being incredibly durable and the lace holes having solid ringlets. They definitely don’t have a lot of support though, and give a pretty specific aesthetic.

Someone gave me a pair of converse once as a present after hearing me complain about how quickly I destroyed shoes. They lasted 6 months before the sides blew out then ripped down both sides. I have heard tons of good things about their durability from other people so I assume I'm just hard on shoes. Or maybe I should not have been running in converse...

[M]

About a decade ago, I realized I really like trail runners. They are my main shoe for just about everything year round, from around town stuff to work in the yard to bushwhacking/river crossings in the wilderness. I tried a few different brands early on and settled on Salomons as my favorite by far. I take out the sole insert from the beginning and wear them like that. In 2017 I was in Anchorage and there was a store selling the kind I liked (Speedcross 3) at something like 60% off or $45/shoe. I bought all the pairs in my size (4) and just went through the last a few months ago. Now I have been sourcing another shoe stash off of eBay and similar sites. For me these shoes last about a year with heavy use. Towards the end of life, holes start developing in the sides of the toebox and I call it quits when they get close to meeting in the middle.

I do have trouble reconciling the disposable nature of these shoes. It would be nice if there was a boot equivalent quality trail runner/tennis shoe but I have not found one yet.

Interesting. I do have a pair of trail runners, street running shoes, and boots in addition to my tennis shoes. I don't wear them except for their intended purpose because I always assumed they would quickly wear out in day to day use.

Not gonna lie - I do love trail running shoes. They are even lighter than my tennis shoes and I can wear them hiking if needed. I always just assumed they would fall apart if I wore them daily. I may have to try this out someday. Hmmm..

[zbigi]

I know boots are the preferred solution for BIFL footwear, in general. I have always preferred tennis shoes though, for lightweight and comfort. This is one of my bad habits.

I think it, as with many things, largely depends on one's individual physiology. A friend of mine can wear the same heavy trekking shoes through most of the year (he perhaps switches to something lighter when the weather reaches 30 degrees C), while I need to have shoes for every season (winter, summer and autumn/spring). Otherwise, if I wear the shoes that are too warm, apart from the incredible discomfort, I might develop some skin condition due to all the heat and moisture (sweat). My father is the same and he got fungus on his feet from wearing heavy boots while in the army.

[Western Red Cedar]

Agree on the cost perspective. In your argument, I think we would tend the other way then (away from supportive shoes) to promote foot health in a world where foot health is treated like oral care. In humans with well developed feet, the toes splay out from each other pretty far. This would imply needing a wide toe box. Then the big toe and the second toe have a huge separation, as the big toe is meant to counterbalance the rest of the foot to improve stability (for example the classic Japanese Tabi takes this into consideration). You end up at something like the current minimalist shoes, which have a cult following but just with a small audience. It’s possible this niche extends to a norm, but with the somewhat painful and long adjustment period out of normal shoes, I would be skeptical.

I totally agree and I'm on the minimalist shoe bandwagon myself. I believe I lifted the comparison I made regarding foot health and oral health from a Katy Bowman book or podcast. Her point being that our culture tends to neglect our feet even though they are quite complex and critical for overall health and mobility. Not so long ago we did the same with oral health. Once we begin to appreciate everything our feet do to support our health, we may rethink shoving them into high heels or oxford dress shoes.

In regards to the OPs initial question, I'm still using a pair of Merrel's (Vapor Glove 3?) that I bought used at an REI garage sale after 4 years. The sole is starting to wear out though. I rocked a pair of Keen shoes that I also picked up at an REI garage sale for 4-5 years.