Airport and Foot Friendly Trade Show Shoes?

Milo_Mindbender asks: "Where the heck can you find shoes that let you handle the ten or more hours a day of continuous walking computer trade shows require and won't set off the airport metal detectors? I used to go for hiking boots, but can't find a pair that don't buzz, even after I've stripped off every other particle of metal. I'm getting tired of trial and error (and blisters/sore feet when I go to CES, SIGGRAPH...etc). Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Comments

Well, since the story's here...

[Txiasaeia]

...I would heartily recommend insoles. Even the cheap ones from Dr. Scholls help a *lot* with uncomfortable shoes, although they tend to only last for 1-2 months (normal wear).

Also, if you're on your feet so much, you might want to look into an expensive pair of specialty shoes from a shoe cobbler (yep, they still exist!) This way, if you take the rubber off of a shoe but the shoe's still good, they can re-sole the shoe for much cheaper than a new pair. Good luck!

Re:Well, since the story's here...

[Wanker]

Another hint-- socks matter a lot. Thin cotton socks are nice for sitting around, but if you'll be on your feet all day, look into some Thor-lo walking socks or something similar. The "hiking" socks might also work, but I find them too thick for my feet unless I really need the extra padding.

If blisters are a problem, get a VERY thin inner sock. This should be about the thickness of a nylon stocking. This lets the outer sock rub against the inner sock instead of your skin. (If it's too thick your skin just rubs against two socks instead of one...)

Merrell trainers,

[Alex]

http://www.wildlifeonline.com/cgi-bin/ss000002.pl? SN=2&PAGE=SEARCH&S_Brand1_0=Merrell&S_Category1_1= Mens+Footwear&GB=A&ACTION=search

Like walking shoes - only light - very comfortable, I'm on about my fifth pair in as many years.

(of wearing every day)

Alex

Re:Running Shoes or "Skateboard" Shoes

[almaon]

Skateboarding for 22 years and two knee replacements later, I agree with czion3. Very comfortable, durrable and mostly made out of synthetics so no beep beep beeping Ellen Fliess style. But which brand of skate shoes?

Vans are known to be a bit narrower than other brands, they also have sizes and half sizes all the way up to 18 1/2. Far as their classic shoes, like the 86 lo-cuts, you can have them taylored of any color, pattern and material that you like (for an additional cost)

Emerica/Etnies are a bit more customizable for the foot, you can pull out the insole and remove a blue foam wedge to deduct the ammount of arch support if you have fallen arches. Their solid sole shoes are the most durable, but their foam soled ones are the most shock absorbing.

DC shoes are the british knights of footwear, not very business attire friendly. But you can jump off the roof of your home onto concrete all day.

DuFFs are a good all around performer.

Nike's new skate shoes are a contender as well...

By far this is one very dull post, go barefoot. Those cross country runners that go barefoot seem to be more comfortable than I do running 100 feet in my shoes.

Spelling never got anyone laid...

Shoe selection

[not-quite-rite]

I am a prosthetist/orthotist. (I'm now studying EE to get my Masters in Biomed, but thats beside the point)

When I am looking for a good shoe there a few things to test.

I look for a reasonable sized toe box. This is the part where your toes are and is the front part of the shoe. This gives my toes plenty of space and does not constrict or deform the toes.

I also then check that the upper actually grips on to my foot when done up. A lot of problems can actually occur because this is not done up correctly and the foot slips forward to allow the toes to slam into the end of the shoe.

I then make sure that there is reasonable heel control in the heel cup. This will help the shoe grip around you foot and assist with stability.

And probably the other main checkpoint is that the toe break is in the right spot. This can be hard to pick if you don't have any training, but some sales assistant may be able to help you if they have been trained. Lucky I know how after spending time at uni :)

There are a few other things to look for when buying shoes, but these are the main ones that I tell patients.

Personally I also check the sole, and the heel composition to make sure that they will blend into my personal biomechanical requirements, but this is another thing that is hard to explain in a few short lines of text.

I also like to wear insoles that are adapted to my feet and help smooth out the foot/shoe interface. Though there is nothing wrong with my feet, a good insole is very very comfortable.

And to help you get the right assistance, see a prosthetist/orthotist for further information.

(There, I supplied a plug for my colleagues, yay!)

I have found

[Admiral Lazzurs]

That nothing beats a nice pair of Dr. Martins!

The only problem is that the first pair may be a little painful to ware in however once you have done that they are all good, no probs with metal detectors.

Hope this helps, take care - RL

Saloman

[Atrahasis]

My sister is an archaeologist, and when performing feats of geophysics she uses machines far more sensitive to the presence of metallic objects than airport metal detectors. The kinds of places these feats take place require fairly rugged footwear, too. Saloman manufacture a range of hiking boots/cross shoes and a few of the styles have no metal in them whatsoever.