Ask Lemmy

All my boots are made for walking. And that’s just what they do.

I only have comfortable boots, i dont bother with footwear that's uncomfortable, my lifes too short for hurting feet.

Find a well -rated outdoor store nearby, and go in and ask them to help you find a good pair. Be completely open about having no idea how to fit boots, and try to be as descriptive about the most common issues you've experienced. You can usually get free return if you wear them inside the house for a day or two to check fit.

It can be time consuming to find the right pair, but once you find a good pair it'll make a huge difference and give you somewhere to go from one they eventually wear out.

Don't take specific brand advice from the internet because everyone's feet are different shapes. It's a very individual thing.

Yeah so all shoes were uncomfortable, then I realized my feet are shaped too differently for mass produced shoes. I started making my own on a custom last, and now all my shoes are comfortable. Steep learning curve, though.

Either you're buying bad boots, the wrong size boots, or not breaking in your boots.

Hiking boots tend to offer the best comfort IMO.

Work boots: check red wings, Irish setters, Georgia boot, Wolverine, timberland pro, Thorogood

Casual: check Clark’s desert chukkas, timberland 6”, red wing heritage, Thursday boots, blundstones, Jim greens.

Haven’t owned them all but I have spent a lot of time researching boots for comfort since I’m a big dude on his feet all day. Currently have traction tread lite 6” red wings steel toe for work. Going on 7 months, swapped insoles twice (I like walk hero from amazon for arch support, $20.), and they feel better every day. Seriously worth it in my opinion.

Surprised nobody's mentioned this yet-- What kind of socks are you wearing?

Boots used to always suck for me. Double check your sizing, and I recommend mid to heavyweight socks. Quality insoles help a lot, too. (Darn tough socks have been a game changer for me)

Timberland, classic for a reason. I originally got them for doing DIY work around the house (and they have saved me from a nail in the foot at least twice so far) but now I legit pick these over my sneakers just for going out for a walk sometimes because they are comfier.

If you don't mind heavy-as-f***, Carolinas. Insulated, composite toe, waterproof to a foot and change deep. I learned about these from a guy who wears them to fight forest fires in the dead of winter. They're very comfy and put in a lot of work but holy gods are they heavy.

I don't remember the exact reason anymore, but sometime back on reddit someone told the story how all his life his feet and shoes felt bad but he got used to it. Until at some point he found out he had some foot disease, I think it was athlete's foot or something.

Unless of course its only boots that bug you, not other shoes, then carry on...

Boot weirdo reporting in. I wear boots pretty much all day every day.

My current favourite are "Steel Blue" brand, model: Argyle.

They've been around for years now and each iteration has actually been an improvement.

These things are so god damn comfortable, which is quite rare in a boot with such protection and a 300C sole.

Can't recommend them highly enough.

I bought a ridiculously expensive pair of hiking boots and ended up going back to my steel blues because they just fit me so well.

Go try on more boots.. there are hundreds of styles. Go to a place that has lots and knowledgeable people to help you. And don't tie them so tightly.

You might have flat feet or need more arch support, go to a place where they're specialized in selling shoes and boots and tell them you're always uncomfortable.

Also, cute looking shoes are more often than not not built to be good for your feet, I can't believe the number of girls/women I've met that freeze all winter because they refuse to wear actual winter boots because they're ugly...

The two most important things that most people don't think about enough is making sure you get the right width of boot, and get a pair of quality insoles(they are just as if not more important than the boot they go in). I hated all the boots I wore until I got some superfeet insoles. As far as boot brands go I can back thorogoods as my goto.

Keen all the way. They're not dressy, you look like you're going for a hike but man are comfortable out of the box. I have a hard time finding shoes / boots and keens are winners.

Runner up and more fashionable have been my blundstones

Checkout barefoot shoes. There are a whole lot of videos and websites about it online.

Redbacks are the most comfortable boots I've ever tried yet.

I always go for the wide shoes whenever I can, because I know my feet are wider than average, and arch supports because I know I have flat feet. You might want to find an expert who can show you many different shapes of shoes or a foot and ankle specialist who can diagnose if you need extra support or anything.

I have some absolutely amazing work boots with steel toe, shank and heel that are very comfortable, but they're goddamned heavy.

I also have kinky boots that are not comfortable but very stylish.

I'm ready to go to a foot dr whenever I can find the time. I work 10 hr days (sometimes 12-14 hrs when I'm on the road for work). Most if not all on concrete. I've tried Keen boots, Sketches, Timberland Pros, etc. Different insoles as well. They all fail way too quickly. I think it's my feet. I've spent well over $400 this year on boots and insoles alone. I'm thinking of trying the Timberland Pro Mudsill boots as my last resort since they have built-in arch support, which is what I think I need. I feel a tearing on the middle of my feet after a long day's work, which I believe is the plantar fascitis thing.

Work boots? Try Thorogoods, redwings, even a few of the Wolverines brands like Bates are awesome.

Casual wear boots are somewhat trickier. Gotta just try em on in person see which ones fit to you correctly.

There is a "break in" period for all leather boots though, where the leather softens at the natural bends when you walk. Takes only a few days if you treat the leather right and keep it clean and moisturized.

I have iron rangers that took about two weeks to break in, and now they're like an extension of me. So comfortable. But the break in period was...trying.

You could have nonstandard shaped feet. I have had horribly uncomfortable footwear most of my life - turns out I need wide or double-wide sizes and taller mids (not the arch, but the corresponding top of the foot - the talus I think?).

You might have a local shoe store that offers custom fitting or measurements for work or sports footwear. Visit them and describe how your boots are uncomfortable. They can help figure out what features you need and which brands offer them.

Personally, I found Rockport chukkas to be perfect for me in the wide sizes. Very little break in time and decent quality (my current pair are 3 years of daily wear and going strong). That said, if you find a pair that work for you, but two and alternate wearing them to give them time to air out. They will last longer.

I love my Thursday boots. I do a fair amount of standing and walking in them and wear them all the time and they've always been comfortable for me.

Absolutely.

I have hooves (very wide, not long feet) and I have great luck with the Red Wing King Toe. They're a hard toe that's super wide. I started wearing them when I was a tradesman. I'm no longer a tradesman but I keep buying them because they're sneaker-comfortable, at least on my feet.

I do not.

Before Covid I was wearing redwings as my daily and they were so comfortable, bought a second pair in a different style (which is a big investment for me) and then Covid hit and now I spend 90% of my day in Ugg boots, socks or no shoes.. oh well, I think I have a lifetime worth of boots there

I don't know if you have this in your town, but there's an old school shoe store near me that has actual sales people who know their stuff. They've never led me astray.

My current ones are Ecco boots, but I credit the store more than the boots.

Every pair of boots I've owned have needed breaking in before becoming comfortable, and then they remained comfortable for the duration of their life.

Danners bull run chelsea boot

I dont fuck with laces First boot I've ever put on that I had no complaints out of the box. Perfectly comfortable and good all day. I got them because I was looking for a laceless work boot that I could get re-soled as I kept wearing through the soles of my old boots while the leather was still in good shape. I've only had them for about 6 months and so far so good. We'll see how the leather holds up.

It's about boots, it's about socks, it's about insoles.

The Redwing Burnside boots are MIGHTY comfortable just right out of the box. But the soles are on the soft side, they won't last much over 2 years of hard labor. They can be replaced with I think it's the Montana vibram sole for $100; it's compatible but also harder. So...bonus.

It's hard to beat the socks at Buffalo Wool Co! Buffalo wool socks breathe well, and they're tough, too. They wear very very slowly. Don't hold an odor. Have adequate cushion.

When the regular insoles of the boots wear too thin, it's time to switch over to SuperFeet insoles! I get the 'Orange' ones.

That combination should get you some very comfortable, high quality boots.

Food for thought, my military minded friends talk about jungle "Mickies". I think. They say you will hurt & blister breaking them in over a few months, but then it's a very comfortable pair of boots that last a long time. And they're pretty cheap, too. I'll talk to them again & update my post with relevant info.

I had a pretty good pair when I worked outdoors. I think the brand was Hi-Tec.

I would recommend blundstones. Very comfortable, lasts long, functional, and versatile to style. Great beginner boot

I have a pair of Keen hiking boots that have lasted well over a decade and are very comfortable.

I wore steel toe boots for several years for work and while they do tend to be uncomfortable at first they eventually break in and improve. For me the most comfortable were the wider boots and especially those with a larger toe box. I no longer need a safety boot so now wear the Lems boot which I find super comfy.

I had some waterproof snow boots that were perfectly comfortable once. They were waterproof all the way up to their high top. Nicely cushioned, no breaking in required.

I wish I could remember the brand. It was a long time ago.

I've always had Doc Martens boots for casual wear in the winter. They're really comfortable as long as you break them in by wearing them around the house for half an hour a day for a week or two before going outdoors with them.

Getting cushioned insoles might help?

Knowing how sensitive I am, I can't imagine buying footwear I didn't think was comfortable.

Get boots made for construction workers. They are on their feet and in boots all day. I got a pair of redwings a few decades ago and they were my daily walking shoes until I got a car.