Hacker Footwear

[Deviant Ollam]

I see that the "What do DEFCON people drive?" thread is still going strong. So i figured this wouldn't be too far off from that sort of chatting.

For the longest time, i have relied on pretty much three pairs of footwea

• r:
• Heavy black leather boots with safety caps and solid soles
• Converse All-Stars for mild weather and general knocking around
• Birkenstock sandals for really hot weather in the summer, beaches, etc

The Birks hold up pretty well, since they don't see a lot of action and i can have them re-soled on occasion. My beloved boots, too, get a new Vibram sole every eon or so, but otherwise survive all the time due to lots of maintenance.

The Chucks, however... i don't know if i'm somehow always managing to buy knock-off versions (often i'm seeking these on eBay) but it feels like they never last me more than a year. Right around now -- early spring -- i'm always looking at my feet and saying "well, i'm going to need new sneakers"

Maybe i'll give it up... maybe i'll get something else. What do people here in the scene tend to wear?

When i look around at cons, i see a rough split between the categories of "alternative scene sneaker" like Chucks or Vans and "functional / outdoorsy shoes" like products by Merrell and Keen.

Five Finger Shoes are also popular in the margins, but i'm not the kind of guy who would likely go for that option.

What graces your feet when you're hacking the Gibson?

[bascule]

Re: Hacker Footwear

I too roll with the birks, chucks, and doc martens...

[Club81]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Cooshy untied Asics running shoes as much as I can.

Brown or black dressy casual shoes for work.

Various flip-flops when it gets hot out.

[renderman]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Black 20 hole Doc Marten boots, all seasons, all weather. Last me a good 5-7 years.

Recently been looking into other boots, namely with zip closures to ease the entry/exit process. Suggestions?

[Thorn]

Re: Hacker Footwear

... Right around now -- early spring -- ...

We're still in "mid-winter". It was -16F yesterday morning.

Rocky tactical boots for winter and mud season. (ie. Sept - May)

Asics sneakers for the rest of the year. (June, July, Aug)

Boat shoes for hot weather. (July 4, +/- 1 day)
Yeah, I've had the boat shoes for almost 30 years.

[sintax_error]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Demonia 14's or 20's more often than not. When not, Itasca side-zip duty boots.

[noid]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Low top Merrill cross training shoes and .mil issue Danner TFX boots. I wear boots almost exclusively at this point and only put low-tops on when exercising. As I've gotten older I need shoes with a more rigid sole to keep my back, knees, and arches happy. I may go with the 'Worx' series of low-tops from Red Wing Shoes when the mud season is over and I can get away with low top shoes more often.

[Dalearnednoob]

Re: Hacker Footwear

I do like my boot's but I also like my makaveli's

[valkyrie]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Black 20 hole Doc Marten boots, all seasons, all weather. Last me a good 5-7 years.

Recently been looking into other boots, namely with zip closures to ease the entry/exit process. Suggestions?

Corcoran Jump Boots. They can be fitted with a leather insert in the front for speed zip.
Easy to find in men's sizes. And they are virtually indestructible with appropriate care.

valkyrie

[arahel_jazz]

Re: Hacker Footwear

Custom handmade Cowboy boots by Stewart Boot Company in Tucson. Yes, I even wear them with my suits.
Otherwise - Keens hikers and sandals.

[P33V3]

Re: Hacker Footwear

I Goon in skateboard shoes. Adio usually. Good support for long 15-20 mile days.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Hacker Footwear

after a number of emails and comments from folk, i opted to go with Keen lower-cut shoes in their "Red Rock" style. Slate/Bronze/Green coloring is what they call this model...

... we'll see how they fare. not quite up to par for heavy-duty hiking, but i can always opt for something else there if needed. i really would love to have the coin to drop on some Danners like noid.

[Ziptie]

Re: Hacker Footwear

A couple pairs of casual dress shoes from Bass, since the outlet store was right around the corner. DCs for anything outside of work. Though I'm beginning to think I may need to switch to something with better support since its getting harder to walk around for along time in them.

[acoustica]

Re: Hacker Footwear

My permanent wear shoes are a pair of Reef flip flops, that hopefully last longer than the poor quality ones I tend to buy.
In addition to that I have my Danskin tennies and a pair of hiking shoes that I'd be hard pressed to even vaguely recall the brand name.

[noid]

Re: Hacker Footwear

after a number of emails and comments from folk, i opted to go with Keen lower-cut shoes in their "Red Rock" style. Slate/Bronze/Green coloring is what they call this model...

Keen makes a good shoe. I had a pair of their Truckee cross trainers that I liked so much I bought a second pair. However, the second pair fell apart within 8 months and the first pair lasted over a year. Not sure if their QC slipped, or I just got a bad one on round 2.

... we'll see how they fare. not quite up to par for heavy-duty hiking, but i can always opt for something else there if needed. i really would love to have the coin to drop on some Danners like noid.

Here's my secret. When in Portland, you can visit the Danner store and get factory seconds for 99 bucks. What qualifies things as factory seconds is fairly amusing as what was wrong with my boots is that not enough of the sole had been trimmed off the side. Why they didn't just retrim the sole and call it good I'll never know. Either way, TFX boots for 99 bucks.