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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?"
- I'm tired of getting wet when it rains. Are there any lightweight, collapsible devices available to keep the rain off?
- My car has run out of petrol/gas. Where can I buy more?
- My cat is hungry. What food is available for cats? How much is it?
- My clothes smell. Wouldn't it be great if there was somewhere I could take them where washing machines could be used for a small fee?
Stay tuned folks...
If you can't handle 10 hours at a trade show in any old pair of shoes, I suspect your proplem is in your mouth, not on your feet. Step away from the twinkies.
Hiking boots? Hiking boots are made to be warm, waterproof, rock proof, grippy, and prevent ankle sprains. 'Comfortable' is way down on the list of features.
God, I can just see you, this big fat guy wearing hiking boots at a trade show. Now I know why this is news for nerds.
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...
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!)