4 ms·

I swear by Rainbow sandals. I just replaced a pair that I had for nearly 10 years.

taeric 8y ago
I will not claim that there are not people with shoes that have lasted a long time. I do assert that is more a property of the person than it is of the shoe. I fully cede I may just be trying to explain why it is that my shoes don't last for more than a couple of seasons. (Excepting, of course, my biking shoes, which have some obvious reasons for lasting longer...)
- Marsymars 8y ago
  I don't see why well-designed shoes shouldn't last for years. My most-worn pair currently is a set of VivoBarefoots that I've conservatively worn for something in the range of a thousand days, during which I've walked pretty extensively. Replaced the insoles with some spares I had when the originals started to disintegrate. I expect I'll wear through the sole (originally 4mm) within the next year or so. I have some Adidas turf shoes with probably upwards of three thousand soccer/ultimate games played in them that are still going. (Though one of the studs is threatening to rip off, so I've got a newer pair that I wear for out-of-town games and that I keep in my car as backup.) When failure methods are fabric tearing, glue or stitches coming apart, excess localized wear, etc. I blame poor design.
  - taeric 8y ago
    I have yet to have a pair of shoes that can take continuous wear from me for more than a couple of seasons. Yes, I can get a ton more wear from shoes if I do not wear them every single hour of every day. However, I don't care to deal with the storage to rotate what shoe I wear day to day. That said, now that I bike every day to work, my biking shoes get worn pretty much every morning and last for some obvious reasons. This leaves my day to day shoe much less stress than what they used to get, such that my crappy shoes that I only wear in the office have lasted a few seasons at this point. But I have come to view the idea of a shoe that can last years as a myth that just isn't worth chasing. Back when I walked upwards of 5 miles a day at a minimum, I was happy to get 2 season's wear of my shoes. And that was splurging for some rather expensive shoes.
lozaning 8y ago
I grew up down the street from their original socal factory/store, been wearing rainbows for decades. I've got a ratty 12+ year old pair I wear to go surfing, a pair I bought in the last year that I can get away with wearing to work, and a couple other pairs in-between. If you get a chance check out the factory store in San Clemente, they've got pairs up on the walls with all sorts of super awesome stories.
- finaliteration 8y ago
  Yeah they’re amazing! My wife balked at me buying sandals for $50-60 (she’s used to $10 sandals that wear out in a year), but they’re so damn comfortable after you break them in and last what seems like forever. The only reason I got rid of my last pair was because the color was fading pretty badly, but other than that they’re still totally wearable. I also love them because they aren’t huge and bulky like Reef brand and others. They actually look somewhat “classy” as far as sandals go.

I will not claim that there are not people with shoes that have lasted a long time. I do assert that is more a property of the person than it is of the shoe. I fully cede I may just be trying to explain why it is that my shoes don't last for more than a couple of seasons. (Excepting, of course, my biking shoes, which have some obvious reasons for lasting longer...)

Marsymars 8y ago
I don't see why well-designed shoes shouldn't last for years. My most-worn pair currently is a set of VivoBarefoots that I've conservatively worn for something in the range of a thousand days, during which I've walked pretty extensively. Replaced the insoles with some spares I had when the originals started to disintegrate. I expect I'll wear through the sole (originally 4mm) within the next year or so. I have some Adidas turf shoes with probably upwards of three thousand soccer/ultimate games played in them that are still going. (Though one of the studs is threatening to rip off, so I've got a newer pair that I wear for out-of-town games and that I keep in my car as backup.) When failure methods are fabric tearing, glue or stitches coming apart, excess localized wear, etc. I blame poor design.
- taeric 8y ago
  I have yet to have a pair of shoes that can take continuous wear from me for more than a couple of seasons. Yes, I can get a ton more wear from shoes if I do not wear them every single hour of every day. However, I don't care to deal with the storage to rotate what shoe I wear day to day. That said, now that I bike every day to work, my biking shoes get worn pretty much every morning and last for some obvious reasons. This leaves my day to day shoe much less stress than what they used to get, such that my crappy shoes that I only wear in the office have lasted a few seasons at this point. But I have come to view the idea of a shoe that can last years as a myth that just isn't worth chasing. Back when I walked upwards of 5 miles a day at a minimum, I was happy to get 2 season's wear of my shoes. And that was splurging for some rather expensive shoes.

lozaning 8y ago

I grew up down the street from their original socal factory/store, been wearing rainbows for decades. I've got a ratty 12+ year old pair I wear to go surfing, a pair I bought in the last year that I can get away with wearing to work, and a couple other pairs in-between. If you get a chance check out the factory store in San Clemente, they've got pairs up on the walls with all sorts of super awesome stories.

finaliteration 8y ago
Yeah they’re amazing! My wife balked at me buying sandals for $50-60 (she’s used to $10 sandals that wear out in a year), but they’re so damn comfortable after you break them in and last what seems like forever. The only reason I got rid of my last pair was because the color was fading pretty badly, but other than that they’re still totally wearable. I also love them because they aren’t huge and bulky like Reef brand and others. They actually look somewhat “classy” as far as sandals go.