I have been happy with my handmade Piper sandals. They feel good, they look good and they are made well with quality materials.
With this happy experience, I decided I would order a pair of custom-made leather shoes from Native Earth. They will be made to a tracing and measurements of my feet. They will be a simple pair of light boots with a flat, no-heel lug sole. I will use them for hiking if they fit well. Leather shoes will keep the foxtails out.
Additionally, I ordered another pair of Chacos in the wide width without the toe loop.
My plan is to eliminate all poor-fitting footwear from my closet and wear only top-quality foootwear that fits and that can be resoled and repaired. The initial cost will be worth it if the shoes are long-lasting and can be repaired. No more disposable, ill-fitting, over-engineered, plastic running shoes for me.
That's my plan anyway. I do not know if after all these years of wearing low-cut shoes I can go back to ankle-high shoes. And I don't know if I can deal with leather after enjoying breathable mesh. The boots may be for the cooler months and the sandals for warmer.
Goodwill got a lot of my old shoes when I came back from hiking the PCT. They're about to get more.
What style did you order? Do you know how much they weigh yet?
ReplyDeleteI ordered the Lachet Boot. The plainest ones. I used to have similar shoes but low-cut and very heavy. They had a gum sole. I had the sole replaced with a crepe sole and they weighted very little after that. So I think that these won't weigh a lot. The best thing is they will make them to fit my 4E feet.
ReplyDelete