Footwear
May 23, 2015 — September 13, 2023
1 Sandals
My favourite are Sandália Goóc, specifically the Geocasp, which are comfy, affordable, as steady on rough terrain as most shoes, and largely recycled. They are also completely unavailable outside Brazil. I would appreciate tips on how to get them.
1.1 Compact sandals
There are everyday sandals, and then there are compact emergency sandals that I live to have in my pocket for when my shoes are soaked or an unexpected sauna breaks out.
I’m interested in the Xero sports sandals although they are rather expensive. They have an impressive warranty, though, and seem to weigh nothing.
A lower cost alternative might be lightweight folding sandals like flipsters.
Having a spare pair of comfortable thongs can come in really handy when your feet need a break. Think of a recent night on the town with your favorite heels. You probably got to the point where your feet were so tired you just had to take off your heels. Chances are, you can also think of a time when an unfortunate misstep caused you to break a heel, forcing you to carry around your mangled footwear without a pair of shoes to replace it.
Also they are entertainingly girly. They don’t seem massively robust; I would be surprised if they lasted me many days of continuous use.
UPDATE I got a pair. They did not last many days.
Products in a similar niche:
- Salvatos Australia look slightly tougher (AUD30)
- SECRET WEAPONS AUSTRALIA Fold Up Ballet Flats (AUD30)
I replaced my Flipsters with a pair of Salvatos and they indeed more durable, albeit slightly larger. I’m pretty happy with them. It would be nice if they had a zip-up pouch so they could be clipped to the outside of the bag, but I am basically satisfied.
2 Sock shoes and water shoes
Skinners the sock-shoe, are a low-material shoe you can fit in your pocket. At EUR50/pair they are not cheap per gram but they look terribly convenient.
Much cheaper are the water shoes/reef shoes/aqua socks, which seem to fill a similar niche at a fraction of the price. See, e.g.the Amazon listing for Men’s Water Shoes.
3 Sneakers
Shoes are expensive new and subject to fluctuations in fashions; I prefer to buy them second-hand.
If you cannot find the ones you need used, there are low-impact new options. Allbirds does wool-plastic runners with a low carbon footprint [sic]. Various brands offer recycled plastic options, e.g. Merrell Moab Flight.
4 Skates
TBD. Where to get decent skates?
5 Socks
I am fond of ozone which has splendid and ridiculous socks and stockings.
Julie White is an Australian designer in Adelaide who makes lurid socks with flies and lizards and such on them.
- The Sockery has good prices and nifty wool socks for Australia (I really like their Humphrey Law Socks knee highs)
- or just search ebay: argyle sock knee high
Lindner in the tiny Australian town of Crookwell, makes locally-machine-knitted socks.
Customised? I always fantasize about getting Argyle socks in my personal colour combination.
6 Hiking boot
TBD
7 Sizes
7.1 Women’s Size Guide
MM | EU | AU/US |
---|---|---|
216-222 | 35 | 5–5.5 |
223-230 | 36 | 6 |
231-234 | 37 | 6.5 |
235-238 | 38 | 7–7.5 |
239-246 | 39 | 8–8.5 |
247-251 | 40 | 9 |
252-258 | 41 | 9.5–10 |
259-265 | 42 | 11 |
7.2 Men’s Size Guide
MM | US | EU | AU/UK |
---|---|---|---|
216-222 | 7 | 39 | 6 |
223-230 | 7.5 | 40 | 6.5 |
231-234 | 8–8.5 | 41 | 7–7.5 |
235-238 | 9 | 42 | 8 |
239-246 | 9.5–10 | 43 | 8.5–9 |
247-251 | 10.5–11 | 44 | 9.5–10 |
252-258 | 11.5–12 | 45 | 10.5–11 |
259-265 | 12.5–13 | 46 | 11.5–12 |
216-222 | 14 | 47 | 12.5–13 |