Outdoor Lifestyle Shoe

Buying outdoor lifestyle shoes

You’ll naturally turn to an outdoor lifestyle shoe when you want to look relaxed on your way to work or around town shopping. The most important consideration in terms of this type of shoe is outdoor style and comfort, rather than technical features.

Sometimes made of leather, sometimes of nylon mesh, outdoor lifestyle shoes increasingly incorporate recycled materials.

They feature flexible soles, with lugs on outsoles reduced to a minimum in order to ensure a good grip on wet surfaces, particularly on city streets.

The outdoor lifestyle category also includes sandals, which are no more and no less than new versions of the perennially popular flip-flops that everyone wears constantly during the summer—whether in town or in the country, or even on a night out. Their soles are thin, but that does not mean they feature the simplest construction, since this type of sandal can be of premium quality, and have a price tag to match!

Shoe construction

In general, shoes comprise a number of parts. The first is the upper, which refers to everything above the sole. The upper includes the vamp, which forms the top of the shoe, from the toe to the instep (in line with the lower part of the ankle); the toe box, which, as its name suggests, covers the toe area; the tongue, an extension of the vamp (or located beneath it) protecting the front of the foot; and the collar (or cuff), which provides a kind of seal to prevent anything from getting inside the shoe. Finally, the back of a shoe is made up of a heel seat joining the quarters, the two rear sides of the upper, which sometimes incorporates a counter, a kind of reinforced support that keeps the heel firmly in place and minimizes the risk of spraining an ankle. In the case of sandals, the back may include a strap—removable or not—to hold the heel in place.

For its part, the sole is made up of three layers: the outsole, which comes into direct contact with the ground; the insole (or footbed) that the foot rests on; and the midsole, which is sandwiched between the previous two and absorbs shocks. The midsole is sometimes topped by a shank reinforcement of varying length for extra rigidity. A removable sock liner (or comfort sole) is often put inside the shoe, while a lining hugs the foot to ensure comfort and support.

Shoe materials

Of course, leather—flexible, hard-wearing, breathable, relatively water-resistant and able to be waterproofed, is the material most commonly used in making shoes. Full-grain leather is particularly sturdy, but more expensive. Leather that comes from a thinner part of an animal hide will be more affordable, but less durable.

Suede is created by sanding the interior side of a hide. It is more flexible and breathable, but also less hard-wearing. Another type of finishing process involving sanding can transform leather into nubuck, which gives it the look of deerskin.

Leather is also often used for shoe linings, since it is comfortable and takes on the shape of the foot more quickly. However, it will then make the shoe heavier.

Resembling the real thing at first glance and nearly waterproof, synthetic leather nonetheless does not wear as well, is less breathable, and tends to crack with too much exposure to the sun. In all other respects, however, it shares practically the same properties as leather, and costs less.

Used in extreme hiking or mountaineering boots, plastic is just as waterproof as it is rigid. It is sometimes also used to fashion certain shoe components, such as toe boxes and shanks.

A number of synthetic fabrics frequently go into the making of shoes and boots because of their light weight, low cost or relative breathability. Polyester or nylon is generally used for vamps or linings, while polyester is most often preferred for the inside of a shoe. However, there are a few exceptions in which leather is used instead, particularly in the case of hiking boots.

A recent generation of designs features varying-sized areas of nylon or polyester mesh to ventilate uppers

In the opposite vein, rubber stands out for its waterproofness, but this advantage has its downside—imperviousness, which keeps heat and moisture in. On the other hand, it is very practical for making certain parts of an upper and, in particular, a hard sole.

The insides of shoes sometimes incorporate breathable membranes to help wick moisture away. Similar membranes are occasionally combined with mesh so that the shoe both breathes and remains waterproof.

Finally, midsoles may be made of polyurethane, which is relatively heavy, or Evazote (EVA), if the design aims for comfort and durability. For their part, carbon or fibreglass are often used to lend more rigidity to a shank.

Maintenance

A good pair of outdoor lifestyle shoes will last for a considerably long time if they are properly cared for. The first thing to do is read the manufacturer’s recommendations on the protective products that should be applied.

Remove sock liners regularly in order to dry them—and cut down on the smell! For the same reason, you should also wash them from time to time.

It is strongly recommended that you reapply a protective treatment and/or re-waterproof leather styles at least once a year, or more often if they’ve been worn a great deal. They’ll last all that much longer for it.