this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2025
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I've got myself a pair of Solovair chelsea boots about a year ago and the soles are already pretty worn out. Water gets through the sole so I probably have to resole them if possible.

The wear has been surprisingly fast. Most of the boots I've had have been cheaper price point and lasted at least few years. Do I walk wrong or are the Solovair's soles just bad? How long should the soles last?

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[–] lowspeedchase@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 2 weeks ago (14 children)

I used to be a big Keen guy and would buy a new pair of Targhee II's every other year... then it became every year.... the last pair wore out in 6 months. Other hikeresque people have told me Keen is crap since moving production to china - but everything is made in china. I also have friends with different brand preferences who have experienced the same degredation in quality over the years. I honestly have no clue if it's due to regulation with the materials as some have suggested, moving to cheaper materials (the VC special) or what. Long blerb but I am desperate to find a quality brand for hiking that offers a 'wide' option for my sasquatch feet.

[–] siipale@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Damn. That would become an expensive hobby if you had to buy new shoes every six months. I'm not even hiking. I just have little walks and go from place A to place B. Though I guess walking on the pavement is worse for shoes than walking on soft hike trail.

[–] lowspeedchase@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Yes they have become my daily drivers for concrete as they started sucking for hiking when I got into long distance seriously after my intial AT hike.

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