Do you force your walking shoes into early retirement?

Deb, I walk everywhere. My husband and I don't drive in NYC. When I see the soles wearing away, I buy new shoes especially before a trip. The ones I buy don't need "breaking in". I don't want to be in the middle of a trip to find that there is a hole in the sole or some other problem.

If you are happy with the comfort of your shoes but about to set them aside for the winter, I’d pack them for next summer’s trip and discard the bulkiest pair in Switzerland/Venice prior to flying home. This frees up a little space in your suitcase for some things you might buy along the way. I for one have never heard the warnings you’ve been give about shoes and “bounce”. I tend to keep shoes I really like a long time until something fails on them or the scruffiness factor embarrasses me to the point of getting rid of them. However, I barely own a pair of sneaker type walking/running shoes. I don’t like my foot tied up 😬

I have nothing to back my actions up, but I DO buy before my old ones wear down. I use Altra athletic shoes and the tread/grip on the soles does wear down. I alternate between my older pair with slick soles and the newer pair that I've taken on 3 European trips. I'll probably soon buy another pair of the style I like and retire the slick soled ones.

If you've found the perfect combo, I'd buy new pairs before you can't find them any more.

I definitely do retire shoes from use on long trips before they fall apart, because I don't want to realize mid-way through that my feet are not dealing with the walking as well as they should. I do notice a difference in how the soles feel as the shoes get older. If I took relatively short trips, I'd figure if the shoes were OK at the time of departure, they'd make it to the end of the trip.

I think walking in older shoes is probably less likely to cause a problem than a higher-impact activity like step aerobics. I used to retire my aerobics shoes after less than 6 months of use. They were still fine for walking.

It's possible that the weight of the wearer is also a factor. It stands to reason that the shoe would break down faster if worn by a heavier person.

Mona -- too funny, me too. I haven't owned a pair of shoes with laces for 20 years!

Pam -- OOOHHH, good point, that happens to me all the time! If I like it, surely it will be discontinued. That might tip me to ordering new shoes just in case......

Thank you also to Continental and acraven for the input.

"If I like it, surely it will be discontinued."

Yes!! It's like they have sensors implanted in my shoes and when they know I like them they are automatically discontinued, hahaha!

I think the old advice was for athletic shoes and was based on the assumption that most people were buying running shoes for actual competitive running. For serious runners/walkers, etc., the soles and insoles do break down with heavy use, and keep you from your best performance. Most people wear them for comfort not high usage running, so it's not like "bounce" is critical. I wear mine until holes develop in the uppers, the wear on soles is so uneven to change your stride, or they look too disgusting to appear in public. Then they become lawn-mowing shoes.

I retire my beakers when the soles begin to wear on the sides. They can cause problems throwing your gait off, unbalanced. I walk a minimum of 3 miles a day in them. My walking shoes for travel, dressier, are still fine so will wait until they cause me trouble.

The shoes I like always seem to be discontinued when i go to buy a new one. I should buy a spare pair but I always think I will find that perfect travel shoe and will spend the money then. You know, the shoe that is the perfect shade, great support, no breaking in time, fashionable, right height. But, i have travel shoes and sneakers i only use when traveling. I don't wear them year round. This way I know I always have something that works if I can’t find that elusive perfect new one.

My travel shoes are not the same as my every day shoes. They will last for several trips, and I'll keep them until I see a fair amount of wear on the soles, or the uppers start to look awful. The 2 pair I have now have seen me through 3- month long trips, and expect them to be good for a few more.

I have been wearing the same make and style of boat shoes year after year, and have had probably 8 pairs in a row. At any given time I have a pair that looks like new, a pair that's a little dull but presentable and a pair with paint on them. A new pair comes about every 10 months since I rotate wearing them--depending on what I'm doing that day. I do wear a Dr.Sholls gel insoles because my size 15 feet are a little narrow, and the shoes only come in M width.
I also have Merrills that are have a cleated sole, and I use them to hold me on a steep hillside when mowing the grass. They would be great to travel with, but I prefer the looks of the boat shoe for travel and I only carry one pair of shoes when traveling--on my feet.

I wear mine until the heel wears on one side and makes walking uncomfortable. Just last weekend I replaced a pair of Reeboks purchased a couple of years ago in Bavaria (left home without and knew my driving Crocks weren't going to work for 2 weeks on cobblestones, great service and I wound up with a pair that both loved my feet and passed for dress shoes) but it was murder replacing them this time. I had to drive 90 minutes to an outlet mall and 90 minutes back. No local stores sold more than one shape of Reeboks. It is easier to get British Reeboks in Germany than here in England. Eventually got two pairs of Reeboks - one with a built in sock and jelly sole for indoors and driving, and one traditional - all blue. I don't like showy logos on shoes except the gold swoosh on my white Nikes which I wear into London to horrify the fashion police. I love watching the reaction.

After earlier this month I wear them both because they have a gold swoosh on white but mostly because they are Nike.

If you buy good footwear it will last. Which is why I don't wear "athletic" shoes much. My Danner boots, which are my main walk/hike go to stuff are pushing 15 years old. I've had them rebuilt by Danner twice. Waterproof, stiff Vibram soles, GoreTex, and easy to care for. Back when I wore these every day I had two pair and switched them back and forth. In Seattle they're unnoticeable, same in most of Europe. For something a little dressier I have good shoes, including a pair made by Danner. If it's really warm I'm not hiking anywhere. Same if I'm on the beach. But then I've got a nice set of Mocs or flip flops and that's enough.

Buy good shoes. Spend the money. If they can't be rebuilt don't even bother with them. The longer you wear them the better they fit.

Years ago, I was having back pain, my back doctor told me to replace shoes every six months. I stand on concrete all day. I was much heavier than I should be. Walk about four miles a day. I started changing shoes and the problem went away. To this day, I still change shoes. Don't forget good socks are important too!

I had the same experience as CSU, so I get rid of my shoes fairly quickly, 6-12 months or if my back starts bothering me. It resolves the issue. That being said, I wear the same shoes basically all the time...I'm not into multiple pairs for the same purpose.

I would buy another set of your perfect shoes before they change the style.

Wray and csu beat me to it. Worn out shoes can affect your back, particularly the lower back. For years I worked on my feet, usually 35-45 hours a week. Even with good, expensive shoes, at some point my back would be hurting, and yep, they're worn out. New shoes and problem solved.

I used to buy Propet at about $50 and they'd last 3-4 months. Then Danskos for a while. They were around $80-90 and lasted about 6 months. But then they changed slightly and weren't fitting quite right. My current fave are Klogs, at around $120. I'm going on a year for the first pair, but I do have 3 total so I can rotate a lot.

My shoes are replaced when my shins (shin splints) start hurting. I walk for exercise and that is the telltale sign. Sometimes the shoes look perfect, sometimes they are shot. I do not get the same shoes every time because they keep "updating" them. Never improve them, just make them worse.

I retire the tennis shoes only when they are down to the heal. On a trip I usually bring new or next to new white tennis shoes which I calculate will last the 4-7 weeks of heavy duty walking, ie, a ton of walking. There are times when the particular pair of tennis shoes will last three trips.

Interesting how most folks replace their shoes proactively. My mother would be proud (“THEY SAY you should replace your shoes often”). Good feedback.

Based on this and also my total belief that everything I like will be discontinued (thank you Pam, Barbara and Wray for the reminders), I will go ahead and reorder replacements now while I still can.

Thank you also to Nigel for making me smile. My 13-year-old daughter is a member of the fashion police and I love making her speechless.

I tend to wear my walking shoes [Asics] till that one little spot in my knee starts to twinge... I usually do 2 or 3 hour-long 3-mile walks per week, so they're not getting serious use. And I usually already have a backup pair, so it's easy to switch when the old ones wear out. My serious runner friends do swap out their shoes on a regular basis, but they are usually keeping track of how many miles they've put on each pair and use that as a guide.

However, on my trip to Amsterdam in March, I brought the good ole Clarks that I've been wearing for years [6? 8? 10? hard to know], mostly for travel. And a few days in, it became clear that their cushioning was gone. Nothing was badly worn to the eye, but the back, knees, and feet knew that these shoes were done. I usually bring 2 pairs so I can switch off day by day, so I just moved into the other pair which stayed reasonably comfortable even worn daily. My lesson from this is to give the shoes I plan to pack at least one full day of hard wear before my trip, and preferably two in a row. Fortunately, I was able to get a replacement pair of Clarks Cloudsteppers on my return, which were great for our trip in July!

Do none of you have your shoes repaired? When the heels had worn down on my wear-everyday-and-on- holiday-too shoes, I took them in to be repaired and the cobbler noticed that the soles had worn thin as well (not surprisingly} so he repaired the sole with a new layer of rubber and gave them a good re-plishing while he was about it. Now they'll do many more months yet.

I was a little surprised also that no one spoke of shoe repairs. (No judgement, just observation!)
I have a pair of Reickers Mary Jane type black leather shoe that I have been wearing for at least 25 years, maybe longer. I've replaced the soles 3 times, the heels once or twice, and the straps last year. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned and go on most, but not all, trips with me. I do wear wear a Dr. Scholl's insert with them to give them a bit more arch support and cushion.
I'll admit that they look a little worn and I could probably polish them once in a while but I worry that the polish would rub off on my clothes in the suitcase.
I know that eventually I will have to replace them and I just hope that Reickers still offers something similar.
It's worth thinking about repairs when your otherwise perfect shoes are getting worn.

I agree, repairing can be a great option. Back in the day when I was wearing (sadly, crazy expensive) dress shoes for work, I would get the soles repaired/replaced when needed.

Unfortunately, lately I’m finding that the uppers on my shoes just don’t seem to last long enough to warrant resoling the bottoms.

Granted, I am very hard in my shoes — I spend most of my day in my barn and outside, and my shoes are often wet, on gravel and muck (eewww); they take a beating. I’ve been through a lot of reputable brands in shoes and boots, and nearly all seem to crack on top before a year is up.

So I was thrilled to find the Keen slip ons. They are truly awesome and wore well for months. But a little after I posted this initial thread, I noticed that one of the elastic gussets was starting to wear. So I did go ahead and replace the whole shoe (I actually bought 2 pairs... one to beat up at home and one for normal, “clean” wear). (Ok, I really bought 3 pair and am keeping one in a box to make sure I have them when these wear out and they change the shoe so I can’t get them any more).

But it is a great point that if you’ve found shoes that will last, repairing/replacing the soles is a good solution.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Also, for what it’s worth, I did notice a big difference in comfort with the new shoes. The new ones feel much more springy and cushy. So I will be a proactive shoe replacer in the future!

Exercise instructors always say to get new shoes every six weeks. I don't do it that often but do replace on a regular basis even if they seem fine. I use the retired shoes in my yard, running errands, etc. but not during activities that involve a lot of walking.

Most better shoes have wear markers built into the tread. It’s what a good shoe merchant will look for when recommending shoes specific to your gait, mass, abilities, and stride. My Altra PAradigms get replaced about every 14 months.

I believe they do wear down. 3 years ago I bought a new pair of Nike's for Germany. 3 years later, I still wear them but I wouldn't bring them to Europe for heavy walking. They're just not as comfortable. I see it as an excuse to buy a new pair of sneakers :)

It's not just heavy use that will break them down. My son runs cross country and his coach told them not to put their shoes in the dryer (they run rain or shine), because the heat from the dryer breaks them down. He said to shove newspaper inside them overnight...and they are perfectly dry the next morning!