In summer Sperry's, flip flops, Crocks boat shoes, and bare feet. Crocs make real/specialized boat shoes that stay nonskid a long time yet are soft and comfortable. They are hard to find and I usually have to special order.
Greetings,
Mr. W. I like the new avatar...
Do you think if my wife leaves heels out near him they'll disappear too?
Sperry Flip Flops
I had plantar fasciitis once, first question from the physio was, had I begun wearing boat shoes? Make sure any you buy give good support, it is a hard condition to fix.
Any shoe manufacturer in the world will make shoes for him. Rest assured the shoe manufacturers have his foot mold and are always ready to oblige.
Yeah, PF is a chronic issue. Many years as a long distance runner got me very familiar with it. One of the reasons that I don't wear boat shoes unless I am going to be on the boat. I also avoid going barefoot.
Since I can't run anymore, I can be more flexible in shoe choice than I used to be.
I have two pairs of Angelfish by Sperry. Kids size 3 is what fits best. I shop eBay. Kids never wear out their shoes so I get a lot of wear out of already broken-in shoes and for far less than retail prices.
The Sperry's I've had seem to come standard with a funky smell. They're the only pair of shoes I've had that smell bad after one week of wear.
I tried a pair of West Marine boat shows. They're reasonably comfortable but not durable.
I've been wearing a pair of Columbia boat shoes for a year. So far, so good.
Guys, wearing an insert or orthotic in your shoe all the time is the wrong way to deal with Plantar Fasciitiis, you'll never get over it unless you do something to improve the flexibility in your feet and strengthen your lower legs/feet. Most docs tell patients this, but they don't listen as they just want a quick fix/magic bullet. It's easy to find someone who will take your money to make you an orthotic.
Orthotics are like a cast for your foot. Just like you wouldn't put a cast on a broken wrist and keep it on for the rest of your life, (a cast adds a lot of support, right?) you shouldn't wear inserts on a long term basis. You're weakening your feet and limiting their range of motion.
Don't get me wrong, heavy arch support has its place, just like a crutch or cast or neck brace does, just not forever.
Move your feet, they are meant to be dynamic and have tons of moving parts. Pick stuff up with your toes or use them to wad up a towel. Stretch them them against the base of a wall. Go barefoot when appropriate. Take it slow but move away from orthotics. Your feet will be better in the long run.
Yeah, I can't wear them, either. They're idea of "wide" sizes is probably about a B.
Wouldn't hurt if folks here commented on makers with truly wide size, like EEE at least and EEEE would be better.
And knowing about non-slip orthopedic options would be nice, too... for those of us who have been mangled a bit over the years, put back together with screws and such. Best I've found so far are the Rockport walking shoes in W (probably really about a 2E) for general purpose and cooler weather, and for on the boat a lighter weight sport shoe they make, also in W (IIRC).
And some of the TEVA sandals actually do better in the ortho department than some shoes. Especially useful when we're going into the water...
What lengths are you guys experiencing the width issues in? I often have to order due to size, but guess my width is not disproportional to my length. I have noticed that many only have XW up to size 12, then only W. I know Sperry only offers XW in Classic and Billfish, but not in Goldcup or Billfish Ultralight. The Ultralight is medium only.
Athletic shoe brands are far easier to find in large sizes.
I usually can't even get my foot into the Sperry's I've tried in their widest size (probably XW), Topsiders, I think... in my normal size 9, or sometimes 9½ depending on brand.
I think XW = B in other brands.