I wear them until I know when I’ve stepped in liquid.
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I can replace insoles, I can mend the uppers, but once the soles start letting water in, then it's time for retirement.
Guess that's a skill I should learn.
Protip: E6000 craft adhesive works magic.
Till a toe pokes out.
If I can't see the floor through them, I'll keep wearing them.
Until they leak in the rain. If my feet get wet walking across wet pavement, either through the sole, because the sole and upper are separating or a hole in the side, I retire them.
My winter boots is during its 7th winter now. The last one.
Leather is still good, but upper part has not decent look. But the worst part is it not warm enough anymore for russian winter.
Laces was changed, heel counter was patched, sole was glued.


Ooo ooo I love good work boots!
I bought these in 2015 for work. I left that job in 2020, and I wore these like three times since. Pulled them out this winter for my son to wear as the fit him right now, (he's growing and blowing through shoes).
How bloody happy I am that after ten years, they are still holding up! You can see some of the leather is wearing, but they're soaked on the outside in these photos, bone dry in the inside.
Fuck inflation though, I paid $120 for these back then, the same boots, I looked them up, today, are $230. Wild. No way I can buy these kind ever again, I'm so happy they have lived so long my son is now getting life out of them! Will definitely be getting these repaired when the time comes!


Until they break, then they're yard shoes
No shoe thrown away
Where it gets really crazy is where you have a few pairs that you rotate through for "daily wear". A whole decade can slip by before you go "how long have I had these?"
I don't care a whole lot about fashion so "until they stop working correctly" is about the best answer I can give.
Even crazier when you started working from home at least part time since pandemic, so the shoes you’d normally wear to work get little use.
I got divorced about five years ago and still have a closet full of shoes I apparently needed but they’re all unworn so I might have a lifetime supply
I wear them until they reach zero on the comfort scale:

- 10 - The most comfortable thing in the universe. You don't even know you're wearing them
- 0 - It actively hurts your feet
I wear leather boots, ankle high. The shoe store fixes em when the bottom wears out. Had em 11 years and they're still fairly pristine. Just gotta oil em every winter. Probably should do that more often.
It was $600 and $50 or so every couple years. Figure I've gotten it amortized down.
Usually until I have a hole in the bottom or they start to stink that even washing them doesn't help.
Wait, you wash your shoes?
I only do that when I stepped into a doggy landmine..
Edit: How do wash shoes without damaging them?
Yeah I do once a while which also gives them a week of rest before I go on with them. You just don't dry them in the dryer, you air dry them.
How do wash shoes without damaging them?
If I have a laundry of work clothes, I put the shoes in a pillowcase, then in the middle of the clothes. Alternatively, you can try freezing them. It works pretty well to get rid of smells.
Awesome advice 👍
No dice for me though, washers just destroy my shoes like 5x faster than my own footwear and BMX riding.
Foot/shoe smell means nothing to me, I don't smell my feet or shoes.
Look at the wear on my right shoe. I'm definitely due for new shoes, but these are my 'dirty job' shoes..
Way before they reach that state.
I go barefoot whenever it’s feasible, so if I’m wearing shoes, they better do shoe things. They last a long time because I don’t wear them, which helps from a financial side .
Those look good to me. I wear the shit out of my shoes.
Fresh clean shoes are lame. I like looking down at my feet and seeing all the life and work I've worn into my shoes. I've a pair of boots for snow, a pair of sneakers, and one pair of sandlas. That's it- if you invited me to something fancy, well, I won't be invited anywhere fancy I assure you. I'm 38 and never even been to a single wedding. Ha.

Had for two years, use mink oil, leather has however degraded.
Also worth mentioning, these are soon to be replaced. Not worth resoling as got for £60
Shit homie, don't throw those away!
I'd just as soon finish wearing them out myself if they're around US size 10½ to 11½ or so..
Why is that picture of an almost new slipper? No duct tape ?!
People think I am nuts, but I only have 1 pair of sneakers and I try to make them last at least 2 years, if not 3, before getting a new pair. I know its time if they are failing apart or I start to realize my feet hurt and its most likely due to the worn out shoes that have no more comfort or cushion.
When they start getting wet when it rains. Currently my favorite pair wears out in less than a year.
I stopped wearing disposable shoes several years ago. So when they start to where out, I bring them to my cobbler to get repaired.
I buy Ecco brand, they last for eternity. These are 15 years old but I stopped wearing them every day 4 years ago and got new Ecco shoes with a modern styling....4 years ago so not anymore :) I keep the old ones around for painting the house or whatever.
I think the leather orthopedics have fused with the shoe and have shrunk drastically, so if I try to remove them it'll kill the patient.



Cat for scale? Awesome! 👍
You have the warmest lights in the land cast upon your newer foot things, it looks like a photo from the long ago which is a compliment.
Wiat who was approaching overweight is ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ not adjusting well to smaller portions and his food plate is hidden behind him. I guess it's true what they say: Big shoes, big pussy.
One of two things, which ever happens first. The tread wears and a part goes all the way to the sole or the tread wears and I fall down on the hill by work when it is raining or snowing.
I walk a lot and I use them until they are no longer comfortable to walk
I have flat feet and I usually wear down the soles in an angle and I start walking "funny", creating more issues.

These are the EVA birkenstock sandals
They ended up ripping through and not really usable anymore because the whole front flops.
Work boots - Redback - until they split at the bridge and water gets in - ~4 years.
Runners - Asics Trail Running shoes - until the foam in the sole has worn down. 1500km (8km/day dog walking).
Crocks - Until they're fucked. Had them two years now.
Birkenstocks - Until they're fucked. Had them six years now. Self replacing the sole was a waste of time for me. I'll but another pair sometime but I only wear them a few months of the year.
RM Williams dress boots - Had them twenty years but rarely wear them. I got them in thrift. They're my suit shoes.
Usually until they physically fall apart or there are holes in the soles
As long as I can is how long I wear mine out. At least until they start to become a real problem, like starting to really fall apart. If possible, that is. I just enjoy wearing my shoes to the max to ensure I get the most out of them.

Here's the one on my right foot right now.
Not this much, at least not daily. I have some old pairs that i use for doing things that I don't want my nicer shoes to do.
That looks like the Emerica G6 Wino slip-ons.
I wore those out in about a year just from walking. The bottom isn't very good, which is a shame, because they're otherwise very comfortable and durable.
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