It has been mentioned that my walking shoes are slightly worn out, although I’m unclear why anyone would think that as they seem entirely fine to me. These are two pairs of the same model, with one pair new and the other used for what Samsung Health tells me amounts to around 2,900 miles of walking. Incidentally, the old shoes are the two that my feet aren’t in, as that might not be immediately obvious. I accept that the soles have developed a rather theoretical relationship with grip and some edges of the shoe have fallen off, but otherwise they have plenty of life left in them.
North Ridge is not necessarily regarded as a premium brand, as it is owned by JD Outdoors, which operates Go Outdoors, Blacks and Millets. However, this is the fourth pair of its shoes that I’ve bought because they have proved particularly durable. Walking footwear commonly lasts for around 500 to 1,000 miles, so I’m entirely content with a pair surviving for approximately 2,900 miles. Buying replacements therefore felt less like shopping and more like giving in to sustained external pressure. I’ll report back, hopefully in another two years, on how the new pair gets on.
For anyone concerned, I will still be using the old pair as I think they have around 1,100 miles left of walking. But I do have four LDWA challenge events coming up over the next few months and I feel the need for a little decadence, namely shoes that don’t have several holes in them. I appreciate that this sort of reckless consumerism may alarm anyone familiar with my usual approach to replacing things, but I’m sure I can reassure people that it won’t become a habit.