Red Wing. Pricey, but they’ll last forever. Made in the US too.

Im going to to make a few assumptions. 1) your male (or at least buy men’s shoes). 2) your in the States. Adjust advise accordingly.

Your big mistake is two fold. One your buying shoes from a mall “discount” retailer and two your probably not rotating shoes.

Let’s talk about that first part. Go into Nordstrom (if your not in the states look for the high end department store in your area). The reason is because the staff are trained in the product, and the return is amazing. Your going to be spending $2-400 on a pair of shoes. Talk to the sales person about what your looking for. Your goal is to not end up with a track shoe, but something made of leather with a real sole.

Secondly. You weigh a bunch compared to your shoes. Every step puts some level of stress on the sole(be it leather, rubber, foam, etc). When you lift your foot back up that stress is relaxed and quickly reapplied. Over time this can wear down your shoes. The trick here is to rotate your shoes so each pair has a day or two to “rest” before usage. This (In conjunction with buying good quality shoes) will result in you needing a new pair closer to every 5 years (longer if you get the soles replaced).

The Peter Storm ones I got from Go Outdoors have lasted me a year so far, and I walk about an hour most days. Not bad for about £50 or whatever it was I paid for them. I was a bit dubious but they’ve lasted just as well as the £130 ones I had before.

My Scarpa ones were decent a few years back, but I bought another pair and some of the heel padding wore away almost immediately and blistered my feet every time I used them.

Not sure how available they are internationally, but Lowa shoes generally last quite a few years for me. They’re focused on hiking and sports, but they have a few everyday models as well.

The Johnston & Murphy XC4 line has become my go-to. They are not cheap, and the selection is limited, but the construction and versatility can’t be beat.

I’ve had my oldest pair for over 4 years, with no functional degradation at all, and minimal signs of wear (minor creasing in the leather, hardly worth mentioning). They’re casual and comfortable enough for everyday wear, and stylish enough for business events. Easily the best value in a shoe I’ve ever gotten.

I remember checking out some Ecco shoes at the mall years ago, didn’t pull the trigger as they were almost $300 but the way the construction as described to me it sounds like those could last 5+ years.

It’s nearly always a false economy to try to reduce the upfront cost of footware (and a tremendous number of other things)

The Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic inequality is a famous quote about how over time the more “affordable” option is often costs much more than the “expensive” option whilst also being a worse experience.

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

– Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

Find some “work” shoes. They’re more comfortable, and they hold up much longer than a brand’s regular wares. They’re often sold as non-slip shoes.

https://reebokwork.com/
https://www.adidas.com/us/healthcare_collection
https://www.puma-safety.com/us/en
https://www.newbalance.com/men/shoes/work-shoes/
https://www.skechers.com/technologies/collections/work-safety/
https://www.shoesforcrews.com/
https://www.timberland.com/en-us/c/timberland-pro/mens-footwear/work-shoes-10173
https://www.dsw.com/en/us/category/mens/shoes/work-safety

I’ve personally had some daily wear Skechers “work” shoes that after 5 years of comfortable wear, I finally had to replace the insoles, but they’re otherwise still holding up as well as the day I bought them. Every pair of shoes I’ve ever owned long term have been “work” shoes. Shoes for Crews are pretty expensive, but I had a pair of them last long enough that I finally ditched them because they just looked old fashioned, they were otherwise still wonderfully intact.

My decade old Red Wings shoes are still going with some minor maintenance. Their boots last even longer I’ve heard. For skateshoes I try to limit how many days a year I wear them and buy them on sale. Skate sole gum is make for grip not durability and isn’t going to last long.

I’m pretty hard on shoes and have settled on Onitsuka Tigers as they seem to wear out less quickly than other similar sneakers like Stan Smith’s, Vans, etc.

If you get welted shoes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9xSnu69Qtg) where the sole is mated to the upper - so if the sole wears out, then you can bring it to the cobbler to get a new sole. And they don’t have to be expensive either - look for used shoes on ebay.

I‘d generally advice against sneakers. If you want shoes that last, get some quality leather shoes, ideally Goodyear welted ones. When properly taken care of, they can last many years and can then be repaired. Also they will fit very well, after being broken in.

What types of shoes? High tops? Canvas? Sneakers?

By walking shoes, do you mean sneakers? I never had this problem, but my New Balances and Onitsuka Tigers fared better than my Chuck Taylors… I’d recommend looking for chunky rubber soles as opposed to thin ones like

If you’re open to boots and loafers and things, it’s a whole other ball game. Look at brands like Meermin, which are well-made and resoleable, but you’re worried about comfort, right? So let’s focus on sneakers.

Bought a 250 EUR pair of leather dress shoes, 5-6 years ago, they’ve undergone 2 resoles, but are still in good conditions while being my everyday shoes. You know Sam’s vine theory on boots.

I cycle between 4 pairs of shoes in summer, two pairs of boots in winter, and one pair of all year shoes. I have had them all for over ten years. Tips:

1. Buy Goodyear welted shoes
2. Use shoe trees
3. Don’t wear the same pair two days in a row

I also prefer to buy shoes made in UK, Italy, or US but that is just preference for perceived quality and definitely higher paid workers than most countries that mass produce shoes.

If you want a specific recommendation go with Allen Edmond Strandmoks. That’s my all year pair. Great shoes.