Shoes: how many pairs, and how to make them last

Eowyn1

Not sure if this is quite the right home for this question, but reasoned it fell broadly in the 'old style' category of make-do and mend.

How many shoes do you think it's reasonable for an adult to own, and how long should a good pair of shoes last? 

I walk pretty much everywhere, including to work, and find that I am constantly wearing shoes out. I don't think it's just the fact that I'm walking a lot though - my flatmate walks even more than I do and her shoes seem to last her forever, but I am always wearing out my heels and/or the inner soles of my shoes. I'm down to my last pair of summer (converse style) sand shoes but the pair I have left are on their last legs, despite me only buying them last August. I have a pair of brogues that I've had for a little over a year, but have only worn regularly for about six months as I tend to switch to boots over the winter. The inner soles are completely worn away at the heels! I can get insoles, but I wonder if there's something wrong with me for wearing out shoes so quickly, and whether the problem is that I don't have enough shoes in rotation. But shoes are so expensive - the brogues are from Clarks and cost about £65 a pair. 

So this got me thinking - how many pairs of shoes do you own to keep them all in good nick? Right now I have four: brogues, sand shoes, hiking trainers and winter boots. I do also have a selection of heels/dress shoes, which last me far longer as I only wear them occasionally. All thoughts and suggestions gratefully received!

Green_hopeful

Don’t know the answer but I buy nearly new shoes on eBay. Only ones I know will fit. I wear converse a lot and I can normally get them for £15 including postage. I have four pairs of converse at the moment. Some for gardening and diy. A lovely pair with padding inside that I got for £2 on eBay that are looking scruffy but I love and two pairs bought in anticipation. I have gazillions of other shoes but mostly because I am reluctant to chuck them out. 

pumpkin89

It's absolutely not something wrong with you, but there is a big variation between individuals due to different gaits, which put strain on different parts of the shoe.  Certain ways of walking spread the load across the whole shoe which makes it last longer, whereas others will find that one part of the shoe wears out quicker.

I don't think four pairs is very many if you do a lot of walking.  A bit like the dress shoes, the choice is to have more pairs (and then each will last longer, because it gets less use) or wear the same ones consistently but then realistically they will only last a year or so.

Tucosalamanca

My daughter pushed for Dr Marten school shoes. I reluctantly purchased at £130 per pair.
She's now about to start her third year wearing them and they're still in excellent condition (regularly polished with DM products). I guess they're worn around nine hours a day, 190 days a year, with a fair amount of walking involved.
Expensive to buy but excellent value for money....

Foofoopuppy

I wear out my shoes in about 18 months wearing them to death. It used to be more like 12 months but I moved closer to the train station so walk less.
I understand having 2 pairs that you rotate is the best way to keep them lasting longer, but some people (myself included) are just heavy footed and wear through shoes 😔

DullGreyGuy

Eowyn1 said:

Not sure if this is quite the right home for this question, but reasoned it fell broadly in the 'old style' category of make-do and mend.

How many shoes do you think it's reasonable for an adult to own, and how long should a good pair of shoes last? 

I walk pretty much everywhere, including to work, and find that I am constantly wearing shoes out. I don't think it's just the fact that I'm walking a lot though - my flatmate walks even more than I do and her shoes seem to last her forever, but I am always wearing out my heels and/or the inner soles of my shoes. I'm down to my last pair of summer (converse style) sand shoes but the pair I have left are on their last legs, despite me only buying them last August. I have a pair of brogues that I've had for a little over a year, but have only worn regularly for about six months as I tend to switch to boots over the winter. The inner soles are completely worn away at the heels! I can get insoles, but I wonder if there's something wrong with me for wearing out shoes so quickly, and whether the problem is that I don't have enough shoes in rotation. But shoes are so expensive - the brogues are from Clarks and cost about £65 a pair. 

So this got me thinking - how many pairs of shoes do you own to keep them all in good nick? Right now I have four: brogues, sand shoes, hiking trainers and winter boots. I do also have a selection of heels/dress shoes, which last me far longer as I only wear them occasionally. All thoughts and suggestions gratefully received!

How you walk, on what surfaces etc will make a significant difference, as will the type of shoe etc. 

I must admit I probably have too many pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of "work" shoes, 4 pairs of non-work shoes and 2 pairs of boots (non-work). All are leather or suede uppers rather than canvas or other materials. Other than 1 pair of boots, they are all at least 10 years old too but a few have been resoled at times. Despite their age I still get some occasionally comment about my "new shoes"

The key to leather shoes is never wear them damp, so on a dry days wear them every other day and if your caught in the rain etc leave at least two days. Allow them to dry naturally not on a radiator or in the tumble drier, clean them regularly with a good quality cleaner - you can get different types of product depending if you want them matt, shiny or mirror like. Salt is bad for leather but not so bad for suede so either adjust for the weather or use shoes with appropriate protection. 

Floss

I'm not confessing how many pairs I have, but one's gait, posture, build and surfaces being walked on will all impact how long shoes last. Also, sometimes VFM means spending on expensive items & looking after them, or even just wearing the most appropriate footwear rather than the smartest.

I have just had to retire a pair of Salomon walking shoes after 11 years which have been restitched by a cobbler twice, and reproofed several times because the Vibram soles have split & cannot be repaired. I have Converse that are 8 or 9 years old & still have good tread. My ex used to buy Loakes shoes in JL sales & get the leather soles replaced when they needed it.

Eowyn1

Lots of helpful advice here, thank you. @DullGreyGuy, thank you especially for the advice on keeping leather in good condition!

As with lots of things, I suppose it comes down to finding the right balance between not buying cheap for the sake of it, but also making sure of value for money. I'm good at doing that with clothes, but for some reason struggle with shoes. I definitely have what my father used to call 'soldier's heel' - always seems to be where my shoes go first. I will look into getting inner soles replaced more regularly (I vaguely remember enquiring about this at Timpson's a few years ago but was just told to buy insoles, which didn't last especially long either). 

At some point I think I just need to bite the bullet and buy more shoes, and try to be better in terms of rotating them...

PipneyJane

Eowyn1 said:

Lots of helpful advice here, thank you. @DullGreyGuy, thank you especially for the advice on keeping leather in good condition!

As with lots of things, I suppose it comes down to finding the right balance between not buying cheap for the sake of it, but also making sure of value for money. I'm good at doing that with clothes, but for some reason struggle with shoes. I definitely have what my father used to call 'soldier's heel' - always seems to be where my shoes go first. I will look into getting inner soles replaced more regularly (I vaguely remember enquiring about this at Timpson's a few years ago but was just told to buy insoles, which didn't last especially long either). 

At some point I think I just need to bite the bullet and buy more shoes, and try to be better in terms of rotating them...

May I say that the answer is probably a mix of buying better quality shoes and buying shoes that are suitable for your feet?  

You need to have your gait analysed, to ensure that your walking shoes support your feet correctly.   Then you will know whether the solution is to use padded inserts under your heels, all the time, or if you need a heel built a certain way to throw your weight in a different direction.  (I had my gait analysed at a specialist running shop.  I over-pronate, so my running shoes are designed to compensate for that.)

Quality shoes are generally more expensive to purchase but cheaper in the long run.  (Remember Mr Vimes’ “Boot Theory”?).  Leather soles and a leather block heel will last much longer and can be replaced, although you may have to send them back to the manufacturer to do so.  (I have a pair of RM Williams boots bought in Australia in 2003.  They’ve returned twice to be resoled, via the shop in Bond Street.  Still cheaper than replacing.)

@Laura_Elsewhere is quite knowledgeable about shoes.  She may be able to help. (Laura, do you have anything to add?  Thanks.)

- Pip

kimwp

How you put them on will make a difference to wear at the back - I started slipping my feet into mine with the laces already tied and inside the heel is shredded, which has never previously happened.

pompeyblue78

Have you tried barefoot shoes? Hearing lots about then, especially from the Dr Rangan Chattergee podcast. I like the idea but hate the look....