How much will you drop on a pair of sneakers?

[soflabasser]

It is ironic that many bass fishermen spend $300 or more on a rod and reel yet will not spend $100 on a pair of quality shoes. 

20 hours ago, J._Bricker said:

big dollar athletic shoes are more for serious athletes who can really benefit from them

Any athletic person benefits from quality running shoes or other sport specific shoe.

[J._Bricker]

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

It is ironic that many bass fishermen spend $300 or more on a rod and reel yet will not spend $100 on a pair of quality shoes. 

Any athletic person benefits from quality running shoes or other sport specific shoe.

Not really, it’s more of where you place value and ones priorities. As for “any” athlete benefiting from a sports specific shoe, while that may be true for some it’s how you look and how much you spent that’s important. 

[soflabasser]

1 hour ago, J._Bricker said:

Not really, it’s more of where you place value and ones priorities. As for “any” athlete benefiting from a sports specific shoe, while that may be true for some it’s how you look and how much you spent that’s important. 

Appearances means nothing to me if the shoes are not good for the sports I practice. I have been a long distance runner for well over a decade and I can tell you from personal experience (not something I read online) that a good pair of running shoes is worth every penny. You cannot compare some ordinary cheap shoes to running shoes that where Engineered specifically for long distance running. Anyone that has ran a full marathon knows this and I do not expect sedentary people to fully understand why runners spend +$100 for a pair of running shoes.

[J._Bricker]

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Appearances means nothing to me if the shoes are not good for the sports I practice. I have been a long distance runner for well over a decade and I can tell you from personal experience (not something I read online) that a good pair of running shoes is worth every penny. You cannot compare some ordinary cheap shoes to running shoes that where Engineered specifically for long distance running. Anyone that has ran a full marathon knows this and I do not expect sedentary people to fully understand why runners spend +$100 for a pair of running shoes.

Congratulations on your running career and agreeing with me that big dollar shoes are truly worth every penny to serious athletes. Now back to the original question about how much would you spend on shoes to wear in your boat. I’m out...

[N Florida Mike]

I have only bought 1 pair in the last 15 years . I think they were  65.00. I wear work boots more than anything.

[flyfisher]

I'll spend up to around 100 for sneakers and up to 200 for dress shoes as I am on my feet all day and quality shoes go a long ways.  I do try and keep them as cheap as possible though.  

as far as sneaker heads go, it can be very lucrative as many models sell for astronomical amounts of money depending on the vintage.  I really wish I had bought a pair of jordans when they first came out when i was in 4th grade as mint pairs of those are going for a couple grand.  Not a bad investment considering they cost about $60 new

[soflabasser]

27 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

how much would you spend on shoes 

I am willing to spend whatever is necessary for me to be comfortable while fishing which means I will gladly spend +$100 on a pair of shoes. Same applies to fishing gear. 

11 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

I'll spend up to around 100 for sneakers and up to 200 for dress shoes as I am on my feet all day and quality shoes go a long ways.  

I agree with you 100%. Your feet are much more important than fishing gear so it would be wise to invest in a quality pair of shoes. 

[diversity210]

Thanks for all of the replies.  I know Im late back to the party but Ive been busy.  Fishing all day yesterday and a lot of work today.  So basically what I am getting is that I am not ridiculous and not alone for not being willing to spend more than 100 bucks for shoes.  As expensive I have seen some shoes.  I thought maybe there was something I was missing, but apparently not. 

2 hours ago, soflabasser said:

I am willing to spend whatever is necessary for me to be comfortable while fishing which means I will gladly spend +$100 on a pair of shoes. Same applies to fishing gear. 

I agree with you 100%. Your feet are much more important than fishing gear so it would be wise to invest in a quality pair of shoes. 

Your feet are more important than fishing gear but I have never had a pair of sub 100 dollar shoes that caused me any kind of discomfort with my feet, ankles, and so on.  I really dont see how spending more money on shoes is going to do anything other than fatten the pockets of the company selling them.

[dave]

I had bunion surgery back in November.  I have high arches and insteps.  I go to a specialty store in Annapolis, MD called Foot Solutions.   I have a pair of Brooks sneakers that cost $170 with a $60 insert.   I am going next weekend to get a pair of casual dress shoes to the tune of $350,  plus the $60 insert,  they are hand made.  My feet and knees hurt daily (and nightly) for me,  worth every penny.  

[islandbass]

On 6/22/2019 at 5:22 PM, diversity210 said:

Those look pretty nice and I may have to order some of those since I didn't have luck finding a descent pair of shoes today that weren't more than 100 bucks.  Thanks for posting the add

If you have them close by, check a local outlet mall. Outlet stores tend to sell the same shoes at a discounted price than the regular mall. The typical $120 shoe at the mall will probably be in the $60-90 range. 

Outlet malls are the place regular stores attempt to clear the inventories that didn’t sell at full (fool) MSRP prices. 

[NYWayfarer]

I used to buy my sneakers at Payless or the bargain bin of the box stores. 

 

Now my 15 year old son picks out my sneakers. This is so I won’t embarrass him when we are walking around together. I am paying way more than I ever imagined but they are comfortable. 

 

He is a cross country runner and track and field. I usually close my eyes when I pay for his sneakers and don’t look at the price tag

 

When I am on a boat I usually wear Crocs. 

[Way2slow]

I love some of these responses, a marathon runner justifying spending $300 for a pair of shoes to fish in.  I'm not going to be running laps around the inside of my boat.  A serious marathon runner can go through a couple pairs of shoes per month, and it would be stupid for them to try using cheap shoes, for the damage they could do to their legs and feet, that's why they try to get factory sponsoring if they are good enough. 

Then there are those that feel they have to make a public statement, by sporting the logos of all the high dollar brand stuff they have. 

Me, at 72 years old and with arthritis so bad, it hurts to move most of the time, I have no intentions on running laps around the inside of my boat, or any place else, and could absolutely care less about what loge is on anything I have.  Matter of fact, I feel if a company puts their logo so it can be easily seen, they should pay me for advertising for them. 

I buy a quality item, suited for task I intend to use it for, at the lowest discount price I can find at the time I need the item. 

When I was working professionally as an industrial equipment mechanic, I paid $1,700 for an IR impact wrench, because of it's quality and power.  Today, if I needed one, would I pay that, not just no, but h**l no.

So, I will keep right on buying the cheapest, I can find that is of suitable quality for the task I intend to use them for.

Like, how many of ya'll fork out $500+ for a rod and reel for bass fishing, and fork out that same amount of money for one to go crappie or bream fishing? 

[deaknh03]

in my trade, i have learned over the years that cheap stuff almost always is poorly made with poor quality materials. I can't afford to spend top dollar on tools and most other things, but i will spend far above the average price, often getting a far superior product that lasts longer. This applies to sneakers as well. I'm in the $70 range for sneakers, as i wear them maybe 4 or 5 times a month, so they don't get a ton of use. 

[Jrob78]

I'm on my feet all day on concrete. I generally wear Nike Air Max shoes which run from $120 on sale to about $180. I usually get a new pair every 6 months or so. They don't wear out but the soles start to break down and they lose some of their support. Once I get a new pair the retired pair move over to fishing shoes. I also have retro Jordans that are $200+. Different strokes for different folks.

[Dwight Hottle]

If their Nikes I won't spend anything. Otherwise I try to keep it under $75.

[Allen Der]

5 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

If their Nikes I won't spend anything. Otherwise I try to keep it under $75.

Still angry about Kap? ?

 

If you have extra wide feet like me, you pretty much have to get Asics or New Balance.  And the ones that have good support for over pronation are $100+

[soflabasser]

On 6/30/2019 at 8:09 AM, NYWayfarer said:

I used to buy my sneakers at Payless or the bargain bin of the box stores. 

 

Now my 15 year old son picks out my sneakers. This is so I won’t embarrass him when we are walking around together. I am paying way more than I ever imagined but they are comfortable. 

 

He is a cross country runner and track and field. I usually close my eyes when I pay for his sneakers and don’t look at the price tag

 

When I am on a boat I usually wear Crocs. 

A good pair of running shoes will be very comfortable and support your feet well unlike other inferior shoes. Lots of people like crocs but I am not a fan of them especially reading about all the injuries people have sustained wearing crocs. 

6 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

If their Nikes I won't spend anything. Otherwise I try to keep it under $75.

Nike makes good basketball shoes but the running shoes need to be improved. Have owned a couple pairs of Nike running shoes so I am talking from experience that they are not worth the money and it would be better to invest in another well known brand for running shoes. The last pair of Nike running shoes I got had bad traction while in a boat or other wet surface so I would not recommend them for running or any activity where the floor might be wet.

56 minutes ago, Allen Der said:

Asics or New Balance

Asics used to make great long distance running shoes but the quality has gone down. I bought those shoes for over a decade and stopped buying them last year since the back of the heel will wear down too easily. They are being made in a new location that seems to have quality control issues. You can read the reviews online if you want more proof. I hope Asics fixes this issue until them I am using other pairs of running shoes for running, fishing, and other outdoor sports.

[J Francho]

Picked up a pair of DC Shoes x Skate Jawn OG Lynx at my local skateshop on sale for $90.  That's higher than I usually go. 

 

[kjfishman]

I can tell you no more Nike's after the B.S. that a Betsy Ross Flag might offend someone so they didn't release them for sale.

[Harold Scoggins]

When your dogs (old Infantry term) are as worn out as mine, you'll spend whatever it takes to feel good.

[Koz]

Personally, I can't see spending $100 or more on everyday knock around sneakers. It's also getting harder and harder to find anything decent under $60.

 

I was actually in the market for a pair the other day and hit the outlet malls. I passed on Nike because I don't agree with their stance on many issues. I also find it ironic that they take stances on certain issues while their products are made in sweat shops.

 

Anyway, Skechers was having a buy one, get one half off sale so I bought a pair of sneakers and some trail shoes for a total of about $110. I can live with that price.

[shootermcbob]

I like ASICS, fit me well and feel great...and they last. I buy them from Kohls when they are on sale. Have no problem spending 70-80 bucks for shoes that normally sell for 110+. 

[Ratherbfishing]

Until I need orthopedic shoes, no more than about 50 dollars.  I've paid much more for some Red Wing shoes but they weren't sneakers and I expect them to last until I can be buried in them.

[RB 77]

Used to pay $100+ regularly (I think most was $140?) for running shoes when I was running hardcore all the time and it was 100% worth it to me. Priceless actually. As I slowed down my running habits significantly and I just had to stop the madness. Now I can find a decent pair sub $100 (I think last ones were $80). Last pair of "casual" sneakers were $60.

[J._Bricker]

1 hour ago, RB 77 said:

Used to pay $100+ regularly (I think most was $140?) for running shoes when I was running hardcore all the time and it was 100% worth it to me. Priceless actually. As I slowed down my running habits significantly and I just had to stop the madness. Now I can find a decent pair sub $100 (I think last ones were $80). Last pair of "casual" sneakers were $60.

I agree with you @RB 77 on spending whatever is necessary to secure the best running shoes when running is the primary focus. To comment on @diversity210‘s question in his original post on how much do you spend on shoes for fishing. I mentioned moderately priced running shoes as an alternative to marketed “fishing” shoes to wear on your boat. After a couple of years (seasons) which includes winter out here on the left coast, it was time it was time to retire the old Asics. And yes, I purchased another pair of $60 Asics gels to wear on the boat for being light, breathable, and in my opinion being comfortable on the boat.  Good fishing all, JB