Poor Footwear Choices

Like a few others, I have a GHB in my vehicle with more suitable clothing for walking. (I'm in a suit and tie at work.)

For casual wear, I like what I believe are called "amphibious" shoes in the heat of the summer. Something like this ...

Mudinyeri, those are great!

I just tried my first keens last summer, and so far I've made it thru 2 summers now with them. They may not be quite as comfortable as my tried and true Teva's, but for rugged conditions in the woods they beat the Teva. I've taken some very long walks in the keens, and so far, so good. My Teva's may get put back to my boating use sandals, except for those 95 to 100 degree days. Then I like the Teva's.

Most people way under estimate what you can do in good sport sandals. If I had to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere in very hot weather, I'd rather have my sandals than hiking boots.

Those do look very light, rugged, breathing and comfortable, Mud.

Might have to look into a pair.

I am personally a very firm believer in chaco sandals, I have walked who knows how many miles in the oregon desert in mine shooting rabbits and such critters, but the brass to the bare foot is a good point, I've never had it happen but i could see it happening in the right circumstances.

... I get thinking about tactics, I get thinking about the what-ifs in life .... but seriously ... I should base what shoe I wear on the remote chance I have to run for my life from someone?

As I already said, when I *know* there is a distinct chance I have to run I will dress, act, and wear the part. Usually in uniform, but I value my quality of life too much to let the bad guys run every minutae of my life.

Well...there are always alternative choices:

Another thing to think about is that a lot of people have their tennis shoes loose enough that they can slip them on and off without untying them. This also means that it's possible for them to come off when you don't want them to, such as in a struggle.

Practical shoes FTW. As a martial artist, I try not to choose impractical footwear. I'd like to always be able to
1) run offroad
2) walk some miles (in case of a car breakdown or similar)

Mid-height Hiking boots are my year-round casual shoe of preference. Sometimes in hot weather I'll wear Keen sandals that are secure enough to run with.

When wearing leather soled dress shoes or cowboy boots, I'm extremely aware that I have little to no traction, so I try to avoid them.

Off duty I wear either vibram fivefingers or chuck taylors. Something about flip flops makes me uncomfortable when wearing them, I suspect it has something to do with them not being strapped or tied to my feet.

Does this mean it's not good to wear my Miami Vice/Don Johnson white loafers?


Carl.

"What are your thoughts on this?"

My thoughts are that the chances for those outside of certain demographics the likelihood of actually having to ever use a gun are awfully remote. And the chances of the situation requiring manueverabilty that would be hindered by flip flops are far more remote. I'm all for being vigilant but within reason.

Bobson said:

There are so many options in this thread lol. Vibram Fivefingers look super comfortable, I'm definitely going to give those some serious consideration.

Are they basically just athletic shoes? Or do you guys wear em in "everyday attire" too?

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I bought mine (speed) for running, but ended up wearing them everywhere else I can. I just feel way more balanced without the thick sole of a shoe.

Bobson said:

There are so many options in this thread lol. Vibram FivefingersAlso, I really, really like Chuck Taylors, but I can't wear em more than an hour or two without them hurting my feet really badly. Walking long distances (a couple miles or more) is out of the question. Maybe I just need to find some in wide sizes, idk. I routinely walk upward of 5 miles a day though, and closer to twice that distance on days I work.

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I have the same problem. Since getting the vibrams my chucks spend most of their time gathering dust in the closet.

I've never really considered my footwear in the context of gun fighting.

I simply prefer to have shoes that enable me to meet the widest variety of commonly encountered terrain. Where my feet are concerned, the old BSA motto "Be Prepared" applies.

Nothing like trying to hike through snow in low cut expensive leather loafers.

Or trying to walk several miles in flip flops.

Or trying to outrun a snarling dog while wearing the same.

One more thing about tall, traditional cowboy boots that I forgot to mention: you can stash some respectable surprises around the tops of them for anyone who might wrongfully try to do you harm.

For example, my boker bud nealy sometimes goes to see movies with the misses and me, riding comfy atop that bison leather; a nice thing to have around when you are spending lots of time seated in deep chairs.

Not much carrying capacity in flip flops.

I've been wearing Tevas for over 13 years now. Within the last year, I decided that all my tennis shoes were junk and searched out a good pair of all around and everything type shoes. I looked at Keen, Merrell and a few others. I got a pair of Patagonia Drifter A/C (as in Air Conditioning). These shoes are awesome. I wish I had two or three more pair of them.

I wear flip flops when carrying all the time. I know it is not ideal, but I think it will suffice when taking the dog for a walk or picking up gallon of milk.

If you are going to do it, get solid flip flops that really fit you. I like Rainbows. I've worn them hard for 10 years, and they have never broken on me, they just wear out. I can walk backwards and jog in them no problem.

'Anybody remember Alp sandals?

I still have a couple of pairs of Alp sandals, bought close to 30 years ago.

They were advertised, IIRC, in SOF Magazine and called "Combat Sandals", and were supposed to be popular with guys who ran the Iron Man Triathlon.

They absolutely will not fall off your feet. I wore them on my several extended jaunts through central Mexico, as well as all over the U.S. I swam in them, sometimes slept in them, occasionally fought in them and did a few other things in them.

Once, while trying to climb over a high chain-link fence, the webbing of one sandal snagged on the wire points on top. When I could not maneuver it loose, nor untie and remove the sandal from my foot, I tried with all my strength to break the webbing in order to free myself. I couldn't do it. Fortunately, a friend rescued me after I had hung there for a little while.

Properly cared for, my Alps will probably last another few decades (I had the foresight to stash away several pair of replacement "Octopus" soles, and have had the sandals re-soled a couple of times). That's a good thing, because, unfortunately, they're no longer made.

But, for all their attributes, Alps don't protect one's toes very well. So nowadays I only wear them in the most beastly hot conditions, and otherwise my warm weather outdoor footwear consists of G.I.-type desert combat boots by Belleville, which keep my feet fairly cool and fully protected. 'Can't swim in 'em, though.

I've always favored durable, practical clothing and, in particular, durable, practical footwear. That even extends to my liking women in "sensible shoes"; high heels or similarly impractical footwear does nothing for me; maybe that's part of why I've always been attracted to women in uniform.
I never understood why "Your mother wears Army boots" was supposed to be a put-down!

I thought that 9/11 would make people, and women especially, adopt more practical, "ready-for-anything" clothing and especially footwear, but that didn't happen.

I had bought my ex-almost-wife several pair of sturdy boots, and even though she doesn't have me anymore, she still wears those boots and still appreciates them.

Whenever I step out of my house, I never know for sure what I'll be stepping into, literally or figuratively, or know for sure that I'll be returning home that same day. So I like to be ready for any eventuality, and that starts with sturdy shoes (and also includes a hat and gloves, a knife and a flashlight, and of course a serious sidearm).

Never ran in flip-flops, but I've fought in them. You won't feel hindered once the adrenalin kicks in.

I typically wear lace up boots. I used to have a bad habit of just stuffing the laces in my boots if I was going to take them back off shortly. Had my laces stuffed into my boots and was bullrushed by a crazy guy that wanted to kill me (when I say crazy, I mean really crazy; guy was not right in the head). I was trying to maneuver around without tripping and without getting hit or stabbed. I asked the guy if he would let me lace my boots; his response was to run at me again. I eventually kicked my boots off and while barefooted was not optimal, it was the best I could do at the time. From that I learned to always lace my boots, even if I was going to take them right back off. (I also learned a similar lesson; always completely hook up a trailer, even if only moving it 20 ft across the yard!).

I work in the a/c business, and one day in the late 80's, one of my fellow techs arrived at an apartment complex that had just had a running gun battle between supposed drug dealers. The cops had one guy in custody that was wearing tennis shoes, and the one that was becoming ambient temperature had one flip flop still on. The techs moral of that story has always been don't wear flip flops to a gun fight. Thank God I don't work at any of those complexes any more, once when I got there the security guard asked me if I had a gun. When I said no, he picked up his shotgun and said "well, I better go with you then". That said, the only issue I ever had was a carload of guys went by and did a magazine dump on a large capacity handgun. I was in the chiller plant and heard it, looked at the vent louvers and saw the car. Anyway, don't wear flip flops to a gun fight!

I wear Teva and Keen sandals all the time. I even backpack in them.
Worrying about flying brass giving me an little ouchie is not high on my list of priorities.

I'm a professional and work in an office downtown. Because of the distance from my truck to the building I've started wearing dress shoes with rubber soles instead of traditional leather. There us an unsavory element on the street sometimes and sure footing gives me a little piece of mind. Leather soles are slippery as heck on concrete.

I can't wear flip flops. The strap that goes between the toes is actually painful, so I don't bother.

I used to play raquetball in my Teva sandals. They worked perfectly fine for that.

I think that as long as your footwear isn't outright impractical (like flip flops or loose skate shoes), you are probably overthinking it.

I can't wear flip flops. The strap that goes between the toes is actually painful, so I don't bother.

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I know what you're saying, .I hate that too, but not all flip flops do that. You gotta shop around. I look at the strap to make sure it's not too stiff.