| Hiking, which eats even quality shoes because sliding down a mountain side tends to pull apart rubber. These need to be able to go through creeks, slide down mountains, and still be comfortable to walk up to 20 miles in. Martial arts, because mat shoes need to be soft enough to not injure a sparring partner, but still get used aggressively for hours every week. Semi-formal shoes for work and going out. Casual shoes for mowing the lawn in or other house work. Flat-footed trainers for the gym, kept clean of any oil or other hazards (which is why they can't overlap with the lawn mowing shoes). A pair of decent, well shined shoes for truly formal occasions (weddings, funerals). Water shoes, for swimming in water holes and going tubing down the local river. Note here that I don't run, which apparently truly eats shoes, and all of my shoes are high quality except my lawn mowing/house work shoes, because they're exposed to all sorts of crap like paint. These are just the shoes I've bought this year - my safety boots are still in decent condition, and it's likely my dress shoes will be last many more years. |