What Job Do You Need Your Shoes To Do?
You know the drill. Your shoes start wearing thin, you head to the department store, enter, and BAM! Instant overwhelm! You spot a pair of great-looking shoes over on a display against the wall – heck, those are great shoes – and ask to try a pair on. They look great. But that nagging feeling won’t go away: “will these shoes outlast my upcoming hiking trip?”. It’s a fact of life that humans tend to pick pretty over practical, but if you’re planning to drop your hard-earned cash on a pair of shoes, shouldn’t they be right for the job?
Function over fun
That’s right – I said job. For shoes. And I’m not even kidding. Shoes cost a lot of money, and by wearing the wrong shoes for the function you use them for (cool as they may look), you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Shoes that fall apart after only being worn a few times are pretty much the worst, and by wearing your shoes in a way that is not their actual function, puts you at risk of this.
Hiking shoes are not, and will never be running shoes, and vice versa. I understand that this might feel like a bit much to absorb if you are used to thinking of shoes as just being shoes, but I’m here to help you make that head shift to your benefit!
Start with what you know
No-one knows your lifestyle better than you do! Of course, it’s fun to find shoes for sale that look cool, but if they don’t match your lifestyle and the activities you regularly partake in, they just won’t last. Are you looking for shoes for a one-off special event, or for long-term usage? Is the money you are planning to spend on it worth it in the long run?
You can waste money equally by spending too much or too little on a pair of shoes. Too much money for not enough wear is a waste, and similarly, too little money for a lot of wear will see you getting rid of worn-out shoes far sooner than you would have than if you had spent a bit more money on sturdier shoes!
Educate yourself
Before you even enter the store, whether online or in the real world, make sure you put in the time and effort to do research about shoes that will be suitable for your needs. If you can go into a physical store, make sure that you use that access to your benefit. Try the shoes on, manipulate them in your hands to get an idea of their structural integrity, and check the overall quality. The shoes should be strong enough to handle at least the basics of what they are intended for, so don’t be seduced by the Nike sales counter if you don’t know what you’re looking for!
Putting in the time will help you to get an idea of what you need, and what competitive brands are like. Commit to the process, and you will have a great new pair of shoes before you know it.
*This is a collaborative post
