[abakker]

Here's a non-standard answer. I bought a pair of boots/trail hikers that I like a lot. I wore them for about a week and bought 2 more pairs. (total around $600). I alternate the pairs every day so they are always dry, and they stay in the "good" range of broken in and useful about 3x as long. I walk trails with a baby in a backpack or pushing a stroller about 3 miles / day and was in the habit of replacing shoes after 300-400miles, with the last hundred miles being noticeably worse than the first 300. By alternating shoes, it stays comfortable for a lot longer. it doesn't result in longer lasting per-pair life, but does mean I can go longer between getting to the part where it sucks, and can retire individual pairs that go bad sooner. (even identical pairs seems to have dissimilar life spans)