Summer shoes

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I am barefoot most of the time. I wear sandals if I need to protect the bottoms of my feet. When I need to protect the whole foot, I wear boots. When handling slicks I always wear boots. I have seen them nearly cut off feet.

I just bought a pair of these: http://www.keenfootwear.com/product/shoes/men/uneek Love them.

[Rich Riddle]

Malcolm,

What is a slick?

[Brent Cutshall]

I am barefoot most of the time.

See that's me. My driveway is a gravel driveway with the quarter sized gravel, I can run up and down that thing. Ain't nothing really hurts my feet. People always tell me it ain't human, I am glad to see someone else who does the same as me. Look at that, I learned how to quote!

[Joe Tilson]

Crocs are good. I also have a pair of Wolverine Carbon Max boots with Gortex which are stronger than steel toes and much lighter. Expensive though at around $150. No more than I wear them, they should last my lifetime. Other than being lighter, comfort is about the same as steel toes. I like to go barefoot, but for diabetes, not outside. Doc says no sandals either. Oh well, life goes on.

[Jim Becker]

Almost all of my shoes at this point are Skechers "relaxed fit" shoes of various types. I recently bought a pair to wear primarily in the shop and for weekend "around the house" work. While leather uppers, they are light in weight, have memory foam footbed inserts and have non-slip soles. I wear a couple pair of even lighter-weight canvas upper Skechers during the week in warmer months (without socks so I alternate for, um...freshness) and love them. I generally buy via Amazon as the sizes are consistent and good deals can be had.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm,

What is a slick?

It is a giant chisel used in timber framing and boatbuilding. It typically has a socket handle about 18 to 24" long and cutting edges from 2" up. They are notorious for giving free toe amputations. The socket works loose and the head falls, or the chisel itself falls, and they tend to land sharp-side-down.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Almost all of my shoes at this point are Skechers "relaxed fit" shoes of various types. I recently bought a pair to wear primarily in the shop and for weekend "around the house" work. While leather uppers, they are light in weight, have memory foam footbed inserts and have non-slip soles. I wear a couple pair of even lighter-weight canvas upper Skechers during the week in warmer months (without socks so I alternate for, um...freshness) and love them. I generally buy via Amazon as the sizes are consistent and good deals can be had.

I hiked across Italy in a pair of Sketchers, and the following year I hiked across southern France in the same pair. They finally died by heat, which happens often down here to shoes- the soles melted off. I replaced them with a very expensive pair of Asolos when I hiked the Camino de Santiago, and they were the worst pair of boots I have ever worn. My feet were in terrible pain. The Asolos died the same death that the Sketchers did- the soles melted off. Something about the heat and humidity down here that dissolves shoe glue, and also black foam like the pads on random orbit sanders and the soft part of shoe soles turns to a crumbly mush.