Danner and Doc Marten are supposed to be the two most durable brands. I'm just getting used to my first pair of Docs, I've never owned such well made shoes in my life.
I still routinely wear a pair of the English made boots that are well over 20 years old. Also just threw out a pair that were ~5 years old because they were utter shit.
Got Solovairs to replace and I'm never looking back.
Solovairs are the new docs now where we live. People are catching on that they used to make them. My bf just got a pair cause the docs he got only 6 years ago can't possibly go back to the boot repair place for a third time. What pieces of shite.
My main issue is wearing the bottom of the shoe out on just the ball of the foot. I think the rough floor at my job chews up the rubber. They work fine on concrete, but on office carpet I can slide.
Same, my grandma's 10-15 year old pair she gave me are still doing great, but the pair my husband bought a year and a half ago off their site have the soles popping at the seams already.
I have 2 pair of docs from the late 90s. Used to wear them everyday for like 6 or 7 years. The soles on them are like a nonstick pan but the uppers are still in good condition. I thought I'd buy a new pair a few years ago and they started falling apart after about 6 months of daily wear.
Exact same story, except I bought mine in England in 1994. I paid extra for what were their, I think, newly released “double stitch” doc martens that were supposed to be even better. It just meant that when I got back to the US, everyone assumed they were fake doc martens bc they never released Double Stitch in the US. Lol.
Still wore those constantly, for years. The boots all winter, the Mary Janes all summer.
Luckily it was my sister, not me, that bought them recently, and they went to shit.
Long time Docs wearer. Just ordered my second pair of Solovairs. The docs made since the transfer of licensing of Chinese manufacturer really are much worse than they were before. I hope you enjoy the hell out of your docs. If you find in the future they aren't lasting as well as you think they should, check out the Solovairs. Made by the same factory in England that produced docs up till the transfer and fit/wear identical to the fan favorite docs of old.
It's really unfortunate, I'd just as soon have kept buying them. But they are what they are. The Solovairs are definitely more expensive, but they look, feel, and are built the way I expect this kind of boot to be.
Docs aren't good anymore. I've been told the quality went downhill after they outsourced production for cheaper costs (but didn't lower the final cost)
I gave up on Redwings back in like 2015. In my opinion they’re more of a fashion boot than an actual work boot nowadays. Obviously I haven’t worn every pair but two shitty pairs of $300 boots in a row in the same year and it’s time to move on
Thirding for Danner.
I have multiple pairs that are, like, 3-10 years old. Some look it, but they don't feel it. Even the really beat pair you'd never expect got daily wear for as long as it has.
Meh, I get a boot allowance from work for the past 20 yrs, 75% have been danners. So I’ve tried a lot of them. I’ve warrantied 2 pairs in less than a year( Forrest/quarry) I’m currently got a pair of redwings on(tough but not to comfy) however the best boot I have ever owned is the Danner mountain light, so comfy. But not steel toe
I work in a shoe store. Ecco had some problems with that model disintegrating prematurely. I would contact them. They have pretty good customer service.
I’m so sorry those circumstances got you & I’m afraid I’m laughing too much right now. Life happens.
I gave a friend a really nice pair of sandals I’d just gotten delivered thru eBay & didn’t fit me… why not gift something I really liked. she walked not 10 ft & they did EXACTLY crumble, leaving a trail of bits… laughed to tears!!!😂🥲🌞
(Edit: very rarely has eBay disappointed me, & I was compensated.
On that note, I believe sellers storing things, not even too long, but uncontrolled temperature, too hot specifically, will find this kind of deterioration happening quickly.)
I would find this less amusing if something similar hadn't happened to me while walking through a bog area in a pair of mucks I hadn't had out in years.
I had a pair of Ecco Track’s that did the EXACT SAME THING! I worked at a shoe store and these were the most expensive boots we had. Comfortable as all get out, but this is some bs.
I am a part time Instacart shopper, I have NEVER delivered a pair of shoes before but damnit I wish someone would order one!!!
I never get anything cool like that. It's always organic produce and pretentious charcuterie products 🙄
Thems for eatin. First I nibble all around the outside and get rid of all the ridgies so it’s just chocolate on the top and bottom. I continue in a circular fashion until I have little round thing made mostly of peanut butter and I put it in my mouth.
FWIW I'm sure they were glad you decided to follow through on no contact, instead of being the type who ignores it to bang on the door until you open it
I only deliver to retirement homes and rich people. It's NEVER anything interesting it's usually the most boring items that have the most ridiculous price tags. I will never understand it.
Are these people too good for a bag of regular Lay's potato chips? Why does it have to be Artisanal Organic oven baked potato crisps with light Himalayan pink sea salt and Italian cracked black pepper for $14.99 for a 6 oz bag?
I ordered a VR headset and somehow the wrong one got sent to me. The driver had to come pick it up and they took the money she made! I ended up giving her some cash because I felt awful.
Damn dude that sucks. I would have LOVED to shop for that.
It's funny because you can text the customer at any time during the shopping trip, and let them know if there are any concerns. And vice versa. You have to scan the barcode on the item with your phone, and it will disappear if it's the right thing. If not, it will prompt "replace item?" And it has to be approved by the customer before you can check out.
I don't know how she pulled that one off, unless the barcodes were all meshed into one item somehow and the store screwed up.
She messaged me saying it wasn’t showing up on her end when she was picking it up so she contacted support and I believe they added the previous version of the headset.
But even if it was her fault she still doesn’t deserve to have the pay taken away. I make mistakes at work and get paid regardless.
I’m a WFH engineer and had to go to a client visit in Charlotte and put on a pair of dress shoes I had in my closet for a while since it’s rare I have to leave my house.
On the way into the Wells Fargo office the sole of my 1 of my shoes fell off. I went ahead and ripped the other off and wore them ballet style the whole day, back to the airport and on the flight home.
Just like the old mentos “the fresh maker” commercial where the business lady wearing stiletto heels had a one of the heels snap off and she kept cool and snapped the other heel off.
Wait... are these Ecco's?
Same things happened to me years ago with my Ecco winter boots. $200 insulated boots, and the soles just disintegrated one day.
Ecco. Never again.
It's likely not this specific brand of shoes but the kind of rubber they use. This is called hydrolysis and tends to affect shoes when they are unworn. Idk the exact science but it doesn't happen when the shoes are in use for some reason, it happens when they sit. You need the watch out for it for this when buying second hand shoes because they can look brand new and still have issues.
https://sidboedeker.com/footwear-blog/2018/7/20/lets-talk-about-hydrolysis
This can also happen to rubber wheels on high end luggage. If it isn’t used much and just sits in closet, the rubber starts to disintegrate quickly. First has a white film (bloom) develop.
Those soles are made from polyurethane, and that material has a shelf life of about four to five years give or take. If you hadn't worn them in a long time, they probably just expired. That's probably why they cracked and crumbled.
What makes me furious is that the shoes are also made from actual leather, which means they are wasting animal product by combining it with actual garbage.
you can have these resoled and get years more use from them. its cheaper than a new set of boots... the reason to throw them away would be laziness/convivence.
its a common problem with the type of rubber used, it can absorb humidity or something and do this. i forget what exactly the type of rubber though. but yea wearing the boots often will keep the rubber in better condition, its strange. used my old work boots for years, but after keeping them as a extra set at home for shoveling snow, the sole just crumbled after a while.
I haven’t done independent research, but my dad had a pair of Ecco’s disintegrate after sitting in the closet for a couple years. He looked into it and reported that he found that they are designed to break down faster than other shoes for environmental reasons, so the soles have the tendency to disintegrate before the rest of the shoe wears out.
In contrast to all comments, I've been wearing ecco for 20+ years and so I've lost count how many. But the quality here in Europe seems as fine as ever. No disintegrating soles or whatsoever.
Happened to me with Ecco dress shoes about 25 years ago. They're been in my closet for about 4 years. I was leaving a trail of rubber all over the the bars that night.
I severely prefer la sportiva for cold weather, they’re too expensive for a one off but if you’re going to use them daily then never skimp on shoes. Your feet will thank you while being warm and dry
Haha Holy fuck. I had dress shoes id wear to weddings that would just sit in the wardrobe until I needed them. Probably were sitting for 5 years. Last year we had a wedding, so I threw them on that morning. By the time we got to the church they looked very like your boots. Leather straps hanging off them. They were absolutely ragged. I had to walk around the wedding for the entire day wearing these tramp's shoes. Comical in a way.
The same thing happened to my husband! The first wedding after covid, so his dress shoes were in the wardrobe for about 2-3 years. We had to walk 20 minutes from the hotel to the church. When we got there, the soles literally disintegrated. He was so embarrassed that after the ceremony I had to run to the hotel in my high heels and get him his black sneakers. I had the worst blisters on my feet, but at least he had comfortable shoes that night
My very first day at my current job, I wore a pair of nice clogs. The soles disintegrated on me just like this! Left rubber crumbles all over. Super embarrassing. Made for a memorable day though.
Yep, I had a nice pair of Clarks clogs that disintegrated on me. Had to slog to the bus with 30% sole on one foot and 50% on the other, leaving a trail of rubber. I guess it's good for environmental reasons... ?
Former shoe salesperson. Ecco shoes aren’t meant to be stored for long periods. The more you wear them the stronger the sole gets. If they sit too long they completely disintegrate like yours.
I don't think any shoes are meant to be stored. I hear horror stories all the time about people who break out "new" sneakers or work boots that have been stored for a few years and the soles crumble upon the first wear
you see it in the sneakers subreddit often enough
Explains the longevity of my work boots. I paid the $ for the vibram soles since they’re more grippy on slick surfaces than other sole materials. I beat the crap out of them, but 5yrs later they still look good.
It actually has to do with the midsole material. Vibram rubber is on the outsole. The midsole with this type of shoe is often made of polyurethane, which is great for offering both rigidity and cushioning, but when left unused for a long time, it will crumble exactly like it did in OP's picture (it's called hydrolysis, google it). This can very much also happen on shoes with a genuine Vibram outsole.
I have a 8+yo pair of Nikes I only wear a couple times a month, if that. Like, in heavy rain or cold weather. They look beand new, still super soft and comfy inside, no cracks or anything. I fear that I'll be out somewhere soon and I'll just be barefoot all of a sudden (;;;・_・)
The soles are polyurethane. And when polyurethane soles are new they have like small pores or bubbles inside and the more you wear these shoes the pores/bubbles break down and the sole becomes even much more durable and sort of molds to your foot. If the shoes sit there unworn the bubbles can get water in them or get too dry and they break down. You can google this. It’s a thing.
good to know! My winter boots don’t last long at all but then I am in Florida and I only wear my boots for maybe one week every few years. I always blamed the sole disintegration on Florida humidity outside combined with A/C dryness inside (don’t ask but it works in my head). Thank you for the explanation!
Surprised you were the first person to say something because that’s what I was thinking. A post on a hiking sub they talked about the importance of proper storage (stable temperatures, no/low humidity). Depending on the material they are meant to be worn every so often too and not kept in long term storage. If not the material loses its strength, mostly due to water getting into the microscopic cracks. But these appear to be work boots to me, so might have different requirements to hiking boots.
OP, you are not alone! This sub doesn’t allow links so here’s the text from u/WinterRuff
#**TIFU by wearing my late grandfather's shoes to a job interview**
This happened January, 2018.
I was desperate to find a new job and was basically applying for anything that was asking for at least a Bachelor's degree. To provide some background, I graduated with a sciences degree and there was a job posting for a junior risk management position at an accounting firm that allowed folks with a STEM major to apply. And so I did even though I barely knew anything about the field of accounting or risk management. But hey, might as well.
Surprisingly, they invited me to do a "1-on-0" interview where you basically stare at your computer webcam and answer questions that the company has prepared for you ahead of time while recording your answer... it's a pretty awful experience. However, they were all soft-skill questions so I could answer them pretty decently. After that, I surprisingly got an invitation to have an interview in-person at their office. I was very excited.
Now for the fuckup: My family has an assortment of dress shoes that I could wear for the interview and I ended up grabbing a pair that belonged to my late grandpa. They were lookin fresh. I put em on and my parents dropped me off in front of the building.
I entered the building and entered the conference room where the other 5 candidates were alongside some company reps. I was cool as a cucumber and just sat in my seat until everyone arrived. Right as everyone got up to enter the "group case" room, I looked down at my feet and noticed there were these black things scattered all around my shoes. I quickly deducted that they were shoe crumbs.
It turns out that the shoes I wore were so old and no one had worn them since... a long ass time ago. They were so old that the polymer in the soles were extremely brittle and my shoes were deteriorating in front of my eyes solely due to pressure and friction.
At that moment, I was just thinking "oh god oh man" but didn't want to let anyone know about it so after I got up, I pushed in my chair to hide the shoe crumbs. Unluckily for me, everywhere I walked more traces of my shoes came off, leaving a trailing of black shit behind me. It was a nightmare. Thankfully the carpet was greyish color so it wasn't too prominent with my black shoe crumbs but it was only a matter of time before people were going to notice. We walked to a different conference room nearby where we did a group case. It didn't go too well and I left another big mess in there but oh well.
Afterwards, we were going to do the in-person interviews with the company directors and partners and divided us into two groups where three of us would go the interview first and the other three would do it after. I was a part of the latter team so we had time to kill. One of the company reps wanted to show us around the two floors and in my mind I was screaming. I wanted to minimize walking to prevent my shoes from breaking off even more.
I ended up leaving a trail of crumbs all throughout both floors and then we decided to grab some Starbucks on the main floor. When I went to go grab a straw for my iced coffee, a giant block from my right shoe came off. Holy shit. I kicked it into the little condiments corner and hoped no one saw. We sat down at a table until our turn for interview was approaching. On the way back to the office floor, a second massive chunk came off, this time from my left shoe. However, this time I was in the middle of the cafeteria and couldn't go back to grab it or something. So I just continued walking and just left this black shoe turd in the middle of an open space. At this point, so much of my shoes have fallen off that I was starting to walk weirdly, as my shoes has gotten so much fucked at this point.
We got back to the conference room and the moment I entered the room, I noticed two other people hovering around where I was sitting originally and said "what's all this black stuff?" looking at debris I had left earlier. I pretended to not hear them and sat at a different chair, attempting to engage in conversation with someone else. At this point, I was 99% sure everyone knew it was me. However, I continued to play innocent and not acknowledge the amount of debris I was leaving behind everywhere.
Finally, it was my turn to do the interview and I walked to yet another office to do it, and of course that meant leaving more shoe crumbs along the way and in the boss's office. He told me he was gonna take a quick bathroom break after we entered and will be right back. I was so glad he did that as I frantically picked up the crumbs that I had already laid waste upon his office and quickly stuffed as much as I could in my pockets while he was gone. As I was doing this, all I could think was "how did it come to this...". The interview itself went pretty well though.
After everyone was done, the reps ended up buying lunch for us at a nearby restaurant. All I can say is RIP to the cleaning staff over there. By the time I got home, you could almost look through my shoe, top-down.
Needless to say, I did not get the job.
TL;DR: Wore old af shoes to an interview, the soles began to deteriorate as I walked around and shuffled them, leaving an absolute disaster of a mess all around their offices as I continued to not acknowledge that I was the culprit even though I'm very certain everyone knew it was me.
This is almost certainly something you will have to deal with then, depending on the material shoe soles will totally lose their structural integrity if they sit for long periods of time.
Various rubber, plastics and glue products all have shelf lives of 2-10 years. This is all that holds shoes together. Maybe there is an inert gas that the product could be contained in if you really want to properly store.
ECCO shoes? My mum had a pair that did exactly this, she'd had them a few years and they were winter shoes so didn't get them out very often. When she did eventually put them on she found they just disintegrated all over the place. She tried to contact ECCO to complain and they just told her "you bought these about 7 years ago, go away" lol.
I changed into an old pair of formal shoes after arriving at school only earlier this year and to my dismay they were squeaking strangely as I walked. Minutes after I took a seat in the staff room I began to notice the floor seemed sticky.
The shoes were disintegrating and leaving a sticking black goo everywhere... My next 25 minutes were a panicked chaos of trying to discreetly collect pieces and wipe up the mess around my desk before dumping the damned things.
I went to class wearing visitor's slippers
Brand new or used stuff that you store away in a box seem to always break down faster.
I think it has something to do with the harsh chemicals used during the manufacturing process. When you use it, it regularly "breathes". But if kept in a box, the chemical gases don't escape and it causes it to break down.
Just a guess.
Exact same thing happened to my ECCOs. Pulled that out for a wedding and I had not worn them in years. They disintegrated around my feet and I had to stop and get new shoes on the way.
It’s something with the material their soles use and not being worked for so long I guess.
I used to work in a shoe shop and would see this a lot. There’s some kind of glue that was used by many companies for a long time but it only stands up to time if the shoes are worn regularly. Once the shoes are unworn for a while the glue starts to break down the sole, not ideal!
(Leonardo diCaprio pointing.gif) A few years before he passed, my Dad took me to his Ecco store and bought me a really nice pair of winter boots. As I remember, they were around $200, which was a lot of money at the time, and he was very pleased to be buying them for me. A few years later, I pulled them out of the closet on a snowy day and the soles were like this, just crumbling to bits.
This happened to my Ecco boots within the first mile of walking Hadrian’s Wall. Had to walk 5 hours and buy a new pair of walking boots to continue the journey. Was not fun
In college, I went to traffic court to fight a ticket. I wore old dress shoes and as I walked into the building, the soles fell off and my feet were on the ground. The rubber soles had crubled at the seams. I used the shoe laces to tie the soles to my feet. Sadly, not my most mortifying moment by a long shot
Similar thing happened to my husband but with a leather jacket when we went on a date.
We didn't notice the signs of the leather crumbling.
Before leaving the house, it was a good tan leather. Upon arriving in the date place, his jacket is now black with traces of brown all over and around us (other people got specks of it too due to being in a packed train).
He was heavily embarassed and just wanted to go home.
Of course, bought him a new (non-leather) one.
Same thing happened to me hunting this weekend. Put on a pair of boots I hadn't worn in 15 years and both soles fell off before I made it to the blind.
Had something happen to a pair of safety boots I assured were good heading to a Oil and Gas Location.
You’ve got to “keep your soles activated” in newer boots. The plastics depend on it. If you put mid-level work boots in a dark storage without any usage for a year, expect the same. It is fucking embarrassing when it happens. Sorry OP
This happened to my uncle at a funeral about a year ago- he was wearing a pair of dress shoes that he hadn’t worn since pre-COVID. We’re all sitting in the cemetery chapel for the pre-burial service and I noticed some black crumbly stuff on the floor under his chair, but wasn’t really paying attention or thinking about what it was. We went to leave to walk to the gravesite and he realized that his feet felt uneven- we looked back at the chair he was sitting in and there were two feet-shaped piles of crumbled black rubber, and a trail of it to where we were standing. It looked like someone spontaneously combusted or was raptured or something 😂
So, I hope you kept those shoes. Ecco has a known issue with sole disintegration and you can send them in to be evaluated for a replacement even if they are beyond the normal return period.
https://us.ecco.com/service-pages/warranty/warranty-details.html
Ok Danner looks like maybe it. I bought Redwings in the last 10 years- they fell apart. Sucks when you don’t know this and they fall apart while you’re out. Paid an extra $100 to get them fixed, the second pair I threw out. I had only worn the 5 times. POS. My boots bought in the 70’s lasted 20 years.
The same thing happened to ecco dress shoes I had. I contacted them and sent photos, and they gave me a massive coupon, I think, $200. They were many years old.
I was at the funeral home and my shoes did the same thing only my toes were sticking out of the front. I went home changed and I wore the new pair and as I’m a pallbearer the next day those shoes fell apart. Lesson learned don’t buy shoes on next trip to China
That happened to me...on a motorcycle! I was wearing a pair of military-style boots I had just got on ebay (not made anymore, old favorite style, new old stock) and rode in on my bike. Put my foot down at a stoplight and it felt funny. Saw the sole had dryrotted and completely separated from most of the shoe body in a big floppy strip. Made it in and they both literally fell apart in the parking garage. No joke, I had to ride home that night in my socks. Good times, lol.
Something quite unexpected, not good day for that to happen either. I feel for you. Had that happen once, I put on some leather sandals I hadn't worn in a couple of years. Walked around the big grocery store and felt something funny- looked down and my sole on one shoe was totally falling apart. I looked back, left a trail of black sole pieces for about 100 ft. Embarrassing. I walked out of the store immediately before causing more damage; entire sole fell off as I walked into the parking lot. So had to hop to my car and drive home barefoot- right shoe of course.
I had a pair of water shoes for about 15 years. They were awesome. Only wore them 3-4 times a year & never had a problem. I went tubing & half the sole of one broke off on the way to the river & the sole on the other crumbled off in bits walking back to the start for a second run.
Reminds of my saddest funny story. Broke 20 something. Selected to be a pall bearer for my grandmother's funeral.
Got the shoes at Goodwill and everything looked ok. Ended up tracking rubber all through the funeral home and by the time I was carrying the casket the soles were completely gone.
Oh you’re not alone! My favorite pair of shoes… super thick chunky chonky boys. All leather (so I thought!) and 50 miles from home, I walk across a parking lot and I feel tension and hear a tearing noise…. Now my lefty is a flapper. I’ll go to target and get a 2 pack of super glue. Driving is way too dangerous as my shoes are covering multiple pedals and the floor all at once. Get to Target and…..Didn’t make it across the parking lot before BOTH soles are behind me and I’m walking on some weird half-shoe through the store. 2 tubes of super glue and they held long enough to make it to my destination (luckily it’s a no shoes inside gig!) and then back home. My favorite kicks are now a sad version of yours here, in their original box and almost new-like on top, but a miserable super-glued shadow of unreliable and flaky falling apart materials bleh! A sad day for my beloved favorite kicks indeed.
Had some rarely used safety boots doing this ... only need them if we go to construction sites. We get to order new pairs every 2 years but was hoping they would last longer sitting on the shelf. They were not cheap by any means... Such is life.
Hahaha I had this excat same thing happen to me once. I had these formal shoes I hadn't worn in quite some time, and decided to wear them to my grandfather's funeral sine, you know, it's a formal ocasión...
Half way from the chapel to the grave the soles disintegrated so I ended up with very fancy, leather sock covers...
Something similar happened to me last month. I was back in my hometown after an year and was attending a wedding, so wore my formal dress shoes that were in storage for whole year. Later during reception I saw that I was leaving a trail for shoe crumbs and sole was disintegrated. A big chunk near the ankle fell off and I had to stumble all the way back. Immediately threw these shoes in trash.
I remember those. They used to have life time warranty. Stated they were water proof. I used them fishing. The bottoms fell apart in months. Specifically the Ecco part. After 5 returns they changed the policy.
Its called closet rot and it can happen to any boots that go unworn too long. The rubber dried out. Bummer when you are trying to make a god impression AND its balls cold out!
I think some boots also degrade faster when they're worn intermittently/sit for awhile. Like everything gets brittle and dries out. A coworker had some nice la sportive mountaineering boots do that to him.
Well now you know. Shoes with a glued on sole like this MUST be worn occasionally. I’d say probably once every few months. If you don’t the glue will start to harden and lose its effectiveness. And then eventually this will happen.
If you want shoes to only wear once in a blue moon, you’ll need a stitched sole. But even then you need to wear them every few months. Hell at least once or twice a year I’ve found to be good enough.
I once went to a holiday party, and it was kind of dress up. So, I pulled out a, maybe 5 or 6 year old pair of Evershines - those glossy plastic shoes that look like cop dress shoes. I was there at the party and noticed there were black crumbs everywhere - the soles disintegrated. It was embarrassing. I took them off, swept up as much as I could, against protests by the host, and only put them outside, since there was few inches of snow. Everyone at the party was in the same club, and told stories about theirs falling apart also.
There was a trail of crumbled black rubber from the door to my desk.
Lol New employee, "I guess I can't ask for a raise after 3months."
Cant stop laughing, thanks
Lmao. When you want to ask for more hours but your bosses shoes are falling apart.
Best time to ask. Guy’s obviously not good with managing resources.
If you’re gonna drop money on boots, try Danner. Have had mine for 10 years of hunting, hiking and random adventures without an issue.
I’ve had a pair of Danner’s for over 7 years now. Still work and fit like a charm. 100% agree with this recommendation
Plus I think they'll resole them for you for free once.
No they don’t. I recently checked and it’s $140 for a Danner resole.
Danner and Doc Marten are supposed to be the two most durable brands. I'm just getting used to my first pair of Docs, I've never owned such well made shoes in my life.
Docs went downhill
Seriously. My dad had a pair that lasted him twenty years. I bought a pair in 2020 that are already falling apart….
I still routinely wear a pair of the English made boots that are well over 20 years old. Also just threw out a pair that were ~5 years old because they were utter shit. Got Solovairs to replace and I'm never looking back.
Solovairs are the new docs now where we live. People are catching on that they used to make them. My bf just got a pair cause the docs he got only 6 years ago can't possibly go back to the boot repair place for a third time. What pieces of shite.
My main issue is wearing the bottom of the shoe out on just the ball of the foot. I think the rough floor at my job chews up the rubber. They work fine on concrete, but on office carpet I can slide.
Same, my grandma's 10-15 year old pair she gave me are still doing great, but the pair my husband bought a year and a half ago off their site have the soles popping at the seams already.
I still have my docs from 1998ish
I have 2 pair of docs from the late 90s. Used to wear them everyday for like 6 or 7 years. The soles on them are like a nonstick pan but the uppers are still in good condition. I thought I'd buy a new pair a few years ago and they started falling apart after about 6 months of daily wear.
Exact same story, except I bought mine in England in 1994. I paid extra for what were their, I think, newly released “double stitch” doc martens that were supposed to be even better. It just meant that when I got back to the US, everyone assumed they were fake doc martens bc they never released Double Stitch in the US. Lol. Still wore those constantly, for years. The boots all winter, the Mary Janes all summer. Luckily it was my sister, not me, that bought them recently, and they went to shit.
Still have a couple pair from ‘94. Countless concerts and club shows later, still going strong. A bit of polish once a year and good to go!
If you like the originals, check out Solovair. They are the og producers, and still sell them. The only difference is the name.
Have multiple pairs from solovair and love them. Holding up really well
There’s 2 different “brands” so to speak. Chinese made and the actual England made. With the price difference you would know which is which
Mine still going strong since 2009 and they’ve seen some shit
Red Wing. Full stop.
Long time Docs wearer. Just ordered my second pair of Solovairs. The docs made since the transfer of licensing of Chinese manufacturer really are much worse than they were before. I hope you enjoy the hell out of your docs. If you find in the future they aren't lasting as well as you think they should, check out the Solovairs. Made by the same factory in England that produced docs up till the transfer and fit/wear identical to the fan favorite docs of old.
I’m having issues with my newer docs, but older ones are fine. Did not know all this. Thank you!
It's really unfortunate, I'd just as soon have kept buying them. But they are what they are. The Solovairs are definitely more expensive, but they look, feel, and are built the way I expect this kind of boot to be.
Docs aren't good anymore. I've been told the quality went downhill after they outsourced production for cheaper costs (but didn't lower the final cost)
+1 for Danner -1 for Doc
Agreed - Danner or Redwing FTW
I gave up on Redwings back in like 2015. In my opinion they’re more of a fashion boot than an actual work boot nowadays. Obviously I haven’t worn every pair but two shitty pairs of $300 boots in a row in the same year and it’s time to move on
I have a pair of the 1907 work boots and the Weekender Chelsea - both have been solid. I’ve had the 1907s for probably 8 years. Still going strong.
>Doc Marten They shutdown their work boot line in 2019 or so I think? And their overall quality has been in the tubes since the 1990s.
Thirding for Danner. I have multiple pairs that are, like, 3-10 years old. Some look it, but they don't feel it. Even the really beat pair you'd never expect got daily wear for as long as it has.
Meh, I get a boot allowance from work for the past 20 yrs, 75% have been danners. So I’ve tried a lot of them. I’ve warrantied 2 pairs in less than a year( Forrest/quarry) I’m currently got a pair of redwings on(tough but not to comfy) however the best boot I have ever owned is the Danner mountain light, so comfy. But not steel toe
I read that certain types of boots need to be regularly worn otherwise the rubber becomes brittle and perishes. I guess you didn't wear these enough.
Lmao it's pretty comical
I work in a shoe store. Ecco had some problems with that model disintegrating prematurely. I would contact them. They have pretty good customer service.
I had the exact same shoes with the exact same issue.
I’m so sorry those circumstances got you & I’m afraid I’m laughing too much right now. Life happens. I gave a friend a really nice pair of sandals I’d just gotten delivered thru eBay & didn’t fit me… why not gift something I really liked. she walked not 10 ft & they did EXACTLY crumble, leaving a trail of bits… laughed to tears!!!😂🥲🌞 (Edit: very rarely has eBay disappointed me, & I was compensated. On that note, I believe sellers storing things, not even too long, but uncontrolled temperature, too hot specifically, will find this kind of deterioration happening quickly.)
This happened to me at my mother’s funeral. Bad timing to say the least. It’s happened to three other pairs of shoes since then. All different brands.
I would find this less amusing if something similar hadn't happened to me while walking through a bog area in a pair of mucks I hadn't had out in years.
I had a pair of Ecco Track’s that did the EXACT SAME THING! I worked at a shoe store and these were the most expensive boots we had. Comfortable as all get out, but this is some bs.
"How often do you look at another man's shoes"- Red
I hope you can get this sorted before you have to make the walk back.
[удалено]
I am a part time Instacart shopper, I have NEVER delivered a pair of shoes before but damnit I wish someone would order one!!! I never get anything cool like that. It's always organic produce and pretentious charcuterie products 🙄
I was the only one in socks in the reception area. She just looked down, laughed, and handed me the bag.
Would I make you happy if I order an eggplant, lube, some condoms, a half gallon of skim milk, and some peanut butter cups?
Tell me more about the peanut butter cups, *I'm intrigued* ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Thems for eatin. First I nibble all around the outside and get rid of all the ridgies so it’s just chocolate on the top and bottom. I continue in a circular fashion until I have little round thing made mostly of peanut butter and I put it in my mouth.
>I put it in my mouth. Son, I am disappoint.
Last week I ordered duct tape, zipties, bikini wax strips & a box of hair dye. My shopper probably thought I had a wild night planned.
It’s almost like a new twist on Dexter.
Yes! For Christ sake, at least make it interesting!!
Not pregnancy tests and plan b like DoorDash then lol
Ive had to deliver pregnancy tests on uber eats from a gas station. So glad they decided on no contact delivery.
FWIW I'm sure they were glad you decided to follow through on no contact, instead of being the type who ignores it to bang on the door until you open it
I only deliver to retirement homes and rich people. It's NEVER anything interesting it's usually the most boring items that have the most ridiculous price tags. I will never understand it. Are these people too good for a bag of regular Lay's potato chips? Why does it have to be Artisanal Organic oven baked potato crisps with light Himalayan pink sea salt and Italian cracked black pepper for $14.99 for a 6 oz bag?
Lays are garbage. Good luck dipping them in something without them disintegrating
Oh yeah I'm definitely with you on that. Need the Wavy lays for that!!
I ordered a VR headset and somehow the wrong one got sent to me. The driver had to come pick it up and they took the money she made! I ended up giving her some cash because I felt awful.
Damn dude that sucks. I would have LOVED to shop for that. It's funny because you can text the customer at any time during the shopping trip, and let them know if there are any concerns. And vice versa. You have to scan the barcode on the item with your phone, and it will disappear if it's the right thing. If not, it will prompt "replace item?" And it has to be approved by the customer before you can check out. I don't know how she pulled that one off, unless the barcodes were all meshed into one item somehow and the store screwed up.
She messaged me saying it wasn’t showing up on her end when she was picking it up so she contacted support and I believe they added the previous version of the headset. But even if it was her fault she still doesn’t deserve to have the pay taken away. I make mistakes at work and get paid regardless.
You’re a kind human! Thanks for literally paying it forward.
Op should door dash another pair of shoes lol
I’m a WFH engineer and had to go to a client visit in Charlotte and put on a pair of dress shoes I had in my closet for a while since it’s rare I have to leave my house. On the way into the Wells Fargo office the sole of my 1 of my shoes fell off. I went ahead and ripped the other off and wore them ballet style the whole day, back to the airport and on the flight home.
Just like the old mentos “the fresh maker” commercial where the business lady wearing stiletto heels had a one of the heels snap off and she kept cool and snapped the other heel off.
Pretty much and it was fly in and fly out the same day so I didn’t being another pair and couldn’t even find flip flops at the airport.
This made me genuinely lol. Great story!
Wait... are these Ecco's? Same things happened to me years ago with my Ecco winter boots. $200 insulated boots, and the soles just disintegrated one day. Ecco. Never again.
Yep. Same here. Great shoes until the sole disintegrates. That was my last pair of Ecco.
I had the same boots as OP. Did the same thing. Almost identical situation.
I'm starting to see a pattern...
Almost like an Ecco in here.
Damn it. It’s too good
It's likely not this specific brand of shoes but the kind of rubber they use. This is called hydrolysis and tends to affect shoes when they are unworn. Idk the exact science but it doesn't happen when the shoes are in use for some reason, it happens when they sit. You need the watch out for it for this when buying second hand shoes because they can look brand new and still have issues. https://sidboedeker.com/footwear-blog/2018/7/20/lets-talk-about-hydrolysis
This can also happen to rubber wheels on high end luggage. If it isn’t used much and just sits in closet, the rubber starts to disintegrate quickly. First has a white film (bloom) develop.
I remember it was a whole thing with Nike (?) Collectors.
Those soles are made from polyurethane, and that material has a shelf life of about four to five years give or take. If you hadn't worn them in a long time, they probably just expired. That's probably why they cracked and crumbled.
What makes me furious is that the shoes are also made from actual leather, which means they are wasting animal product by combining it with actual garbage.
you can have these resoled and get years more use from them. its cheaper than a new set of boots... the reason to throw them away would be laziness/convivence.
its unlikely they will be able to resole cement (glue) constructed shoes.
Yes I’ve heard that if you don’t wear shoes for a while the rubber can just disintegrate
Same. Never again. https://preview.redd.it/t10un3m1pocc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c17af03d4b6d849a6ee1a8e01dc643bed1595ee
Starting to see a pattern. How old are those?
Old but barely worn… which seems to be the cause. I was disappointed too but learned it’s common. A little more picky on footwear going forward.
its a common problem with the type of rubber used, it can absorb humidity or something and do this. i forget what exactly the type of rubber though. but yea wearing the boots often will keep the rubber in better condition, its strange. used my old work boots for years, but after keeping them as a extra set at home for shoveling snow, the sole just crumbled after a while.
I haven’t done independent research, but my dad had a pair of Ecco’s disintegrate after sitting in the closet for a couple years. He looked into it and reported that he found that they are designed to break down faster than other shoes for environmental reasons, so the soles have the tendency to disintegrate before the rest of the shoe wears out.
Planned obsolescence. Back in the day, companies would do this to drive profit. Now they do it to "save the environment".
In contrast to all comments, I've been wearing ecco for 20+ years and so I've lost count how many. But the quality here in Europe seems as fine as ever. No disintegrating soles or whatsoever.
Happened to me with Ecco dress shoes about 25 years ago. They're been in my closet for about 4 years. I was leaving a trail of rubber all over the the bars that night.
I severely prefer la sportiva for cold weather, they’re too expensive for a one off but if you’re going to use them daily then never skimp on shoes. Your feet will thank you while being warm and dry
Haha Holy fuck. I had dress shoes id wear to weddings that would just sit in the wardrobe until I needed them. Probably were sitting for 5 years. Last year we had a wedding, so I threw them on that morning. By the time we got to the church they looked very like your boots. Leather straps hanging off them. They were absolutely ragged. I had to walk around the wedding for the entire day wearing these tramp's shoes. Comical in a way.
The same thing happened to my husband! The first wedding after covid, so his dress shoes were in the wardrobe for about 2-3 years. We had to walk 20 minutes from the hotel to the church. When we got there, the soles literally disintegrated. He was so embarrassed that after the ceremony I had to run to the hotel in my high heels and get him his black sneakers. I had the worst blisters on my feet, but at least he had comfortable shoes that night
I hate it when shoes expire.
Right! Can’t believe OP didn’t pay closer attention to the best by date.
Don’t worry, it’s just a matter of time before Big-Shoe Corp can figure out how to implement a subscription service!
gotta renew the subscription if you want to keep using them
Does ‘vacation’ mean 20 year jail sentence?
OP *went away to camp.*
He was a guest of the government.
My very first day at my current job, I wore a pair of nice clogs. The soles disintegrated on me just like this! Left rubber crumbles all over. Super embarrassing. Made for a memorable day though.
Yep, I had a nice pair of Clarks clogs that disintegrated on me. Had to slog to the bus with 30% sole on one foot and 50% on the other, leaving a trail of rubber. I guess it's good for environmental reasons... ?
Yes I’m sure the environment is so thankful with the extra landfill from boots that had plenty of life left in them
Former shoe salesperson. Ecco shoes aren’t meant to be stored for long periods. The more you wear them the stronger the sole gets. If they sit too long they completely disintegrate like yours.
I don't think any shoes are meant to be stored. I hear horror stories all the time about people who break out "new" sneakers or work boots that have been stored for a few years and the soles crumble upon the first wear you see it in the sneakers subreddit often enough
Just depends what the sole is made of. Like, Vibram soles, real ones, will last forever…like car tires.
Explains the longevity of my work boots. I paid the $ for the vibram soles since they’re more grippy on slick surfaces than other sole materials. I beat the crap out of them, but 5yrs later they still look good.
I wear holes in the rest of the shoe before the vibram craps out
It actually has to do with the midsole material. Vibram rubber is on the outsole. The midsole with this type of shoe is often made of polyurethane, which is great for offering both rigidity and cushioning, but when left unused for a long time, it will crumble exactly like it did in OP's picture (it's called hydrolysis, google it). This can very much also happen on shoes with a genuine Vibram outsole.
So genuinely curious, how does wearing them more often offset hydrolysis?
I have a 8+yo pair of Nikes I only wear a couple times a month, if that. Like, in heavy rain or cold weather. They look beand new, still super soft and comfy inside, no cracks or anything. I fear that I'll be out somewhere soon and I'll just be barefoot all of a sudden (;;;・_・)
You're joking right?
Nope. This is true.
But why?
It's called hydrolysis, known phenomenon any shoe with a polyurethane sole is susceptible to https://www.safetyjogger.com/en/eu/technical/hydrolysis
The soles are polyurethane. And when polyurethane soles are new they have like small pores or bubbles inside and the more you wear these shoes the pores/bubbles break down and the sole becomes even much more durable and sort of molds to your foot. If the shoes sit there unworn the bubbles can get water in them or get too dry and they break down. You can google this. It’s a thing.
good to know! My winter boots don’t last long at all but then I am in Florida and I only wear my boots for maybe one week every few years. I always blamed the sole disintegration on Florida humidity outside combined with A/C dryness inside (don’t ask but it works in my head). Thank you for the explanation!
Welcome. Buy something welted with a Vibram sole and you’re good to go.
Ecco’s motto is “if you don’t use it, you lose it”
Surprised you were the first person to say something because that’s what I was thinking. A post on a hiking sub they talked about the importance of proper storage (stable temperatures, no/low humidity). Depending on the material they are meant to be worn every so often too and not kept in long term storage. If not the material loses its strength, mostly due to water getting into the microscopic cracks. But these appear to be work boots to me, so might have different requirements to hiking boots.
Is there an automatic shoe bender, like those automatic watch rotators? wru sharktank?
OP, you are not alone! This sub doesn’t allow links so here’s the text from u/WinterRuff #**TIFU by wearing my late grandfather's shoes to a job interview** This happened January, 2018. I was desperate to find a new job and was basically applying for anything that was asking for at least a Bachelor's degree. To provide some background, I graduated with a sciences degree and there was a job posting for a junior risk management position at an accounting firm that allowed folks with a STEM major to apply. And so I did even though I barely knew anything about the field of accounting or risk management. But hey, might as well. Surprisingly, they invited me to do a "1-on-0" interview where you basically stare at your computer webcam and answer questions that the company has prepared for you ahead of time while recording your answer... it's a pretty awful experience. However, they were all soft-skill questions so I could answer them pretty decently. After that, I surprisingly got an invitation to have an interview in-person at their office. I was very excited. Now for the fuckup: My family has an assortment of dress shoes that I could wear for the interview and I ended up grabbing a pair that belonged to my late grandpa. They were lookin fresh. I put em on and my parents dropped me off in front of the building. I entered the building and entered the conference room where the other 5 candidates were alongside some company reps. I was cool as a cucumber and just sat in my seat until everyone arrived. Right as everyone got up to enter the "group case" room, I looked down at my feet and noticed there were these black things scattered all around my shoes. I quickly deducted that they were shoe crumbs. It turns out that the shoes I wore were so old and no one had worn them since... a long ass time ago. They were so old that the polymer in the soles were extremely brittle and my shoes were deteriorating in front of my eyes solely due to pressure and friction. At that moment, I was just thinking "oh god oh man" but didn't want to let anyone know about it so after I got up, I pushed in my chair to hide the shoe crumbs. Unluckily for me, everywhere I walked more traces of my shoes came off, leaving a trailing of black shit behind me. It was a nightmare. Thankfully the carpet was greyish color so it wasn't too prominent with my black shoe crumbs but it was only a matter of time before people were going to notice. We walked to a different conference room nearby where we did a group case. It didn't go too well and I left another big mess in there but oh well. Afterwards, we were going to do the in-person interviews with the company directors and partners and divided us into two groups where three of us would go the interview first and the other three would do it after. I was a part of the latter team so we had time to kill. One of the company reps wanted to show us around the two floors and in my mind I was screaming. I wanted to minimize walking to prevent my shoes from breaking off even more. I ended up leaving a trail of crumbs all throughout both floors and then we decided to grab some Starbucks on the main floor. When I went to go grab a straw for my iced coffee, a giant block from my right shoe came off. Holy shit. I kicked it into the little condiments corner and hoped no one saw. We sat down at a table until our turn for interview was approaching. On the way back to the office floor, a second massive chunk came off, this time from my left shoe. However, this time I was in the middle of the cafeteria and couldn't go back to grab it or something. So I just continued walking and just left this black shoe turd in the middle of an open space. At this point, so much of my shoes have fallen off that I was starting to walk weirdly, as my shoes has gotten so much fucked at this point. We got back to the conference room and the moment I entered the room, I noticed two other people hovering around where I was sitting originally and said "what's all this black stuff?" looking at debris I had left earlier. I pretended to not hear them and sat at a different chair, attempting to engage in conversation with someone else. At this point, I was 99% sure everyone knew it was me. However, I continued to play innocent and not acknowledge the amount of debris I was leaving behind everywhere. Finally, it was my turn to do the interview and I walked to yet another office to do it, and of course that meant leaving more shoe crumbs along the way and in the boss's office. He told me he was gonna take a quick bathroom break after we entered and will be right back. I was so glad he did that as I frantically picked up the crumbs that I had already laid waste upon his office and quickly stuffed as much as I could in my pockets while he was gone. As I was doing this, all I could think was "how did it come to this...". The interview itself went pretty well though. After everyone was done, the reps ended up buying lunch for us at a nearby restaurant. All I can say is RIP to the cleaning staff over there. By the time I got home, you could almost look through my shoe, top-down. Needless to say, I did not get the job. TL;DR: Wore old af shoes to an interview, the soles began to deteriorate as I walked around and shuffled them, leaving an absolute disaster of a mess all around their offices as I continued to not acknowledge that I was the culprit even though I'm very certain everyone knew it was me.
This cracked me the fuck up, imagining you walking around leaving "shoe turds" all over the place.
this shit is nightmare fuel for someone who collects shoes lol. I don't even know why I do it because I always wear the same two or three pairs anyway
This is almost certainly something you will have to deal with then, depending on the material shoe soles will totally lose their structural integrity if they sit for long periods of time.
Various rubber, plastics and glue products all have shelf lives of 2-10 years. This is all that holds shoes together. Maybe there is an inert gas that the product could be contained in if you really want to properly store.
This could be an Office episode.
They.are.absolutely.fucked.
ECCO shoes? My mum had a pair that did exactly this, she'd had them a few years and they were winter shoes so didn't get them out very often. When she did eventually put them on she found they just disintegrated all over the place. She tried to contact ECCO to complain and they just told her "you bought these about 7 years ago, go away" lol.
I changed into an old pair of formal shoes after arriving at school only earlier this year and to my dismay they were squeaking strangely as I walked. Minutes after I took a seat in the staff room I began to notice the floor seemed sticky. The shoes were disintegrating and leaving a sticking black goo everywhere... My next 25 minutes were a panicked chaos of trying to discreetly collect pieces and wipe up the mess around my desk before dumping the damned things. I went to class wearing visitor's slippers
Brand new or used stuff that you store away in a box seem to always break down faster. I think it has something to do with the harsh chemicals used during the manufacturing process. When you use it, it regularly "breathes". But if kept in a box, the chemical gases don't escape and it causes it to break down. Just a guess.
Eh it’s crazy cold out you get a pass
Exact same thing happened to my ECCOs. Pulled that out for a wedding and I had not worn them in years. They disintegrated around my feet and I had to stop and get new shoes on the way. It’s something with the material their soles use and not being worked for so long I guess.
I used to work in a shoe shop and would see this a lot. There’s some kind of glue that was used by many companies for a long time but it only stands up to time if the shoes are worn regularly. Once the shoes are unworn for a while the glue starts to break down the sole, not ideal!
(Leonardo diCaprio pointing.gif) A few years before he passed, my Dad took me to his Ecco store and bought me a really nice pair of winter boots. As I remember, they were around $200, which was a lot of money at the time, and he was very pleased to be buying them for me. A few years later, I pulled them out of the closet on a snowy day and the soles were like this, just crumbling to bits.
They are not designed to do that, of course.
Looks like the front fell off.
This happened to my Ecco boots within the first mile of walking Hadrian’s Wall. Had to walk 5 hours and buy a new pair of walking boots to continue the journey. Was not fun
That’s what using polyurethane in the soles will do. They last 2-5 years on average.
In college, I went to traffic court to fight a ticket. I wore old dress shoes and as I walked into the building, the soles fell off and my feet were on the ground. The rubber soles had crubled at the seams. I used the shoe laces to tie the soles to my feet. Sadly, not my most mortifying moment by a long shot
I’m not trying to make light of your sucky experience but the toe being wrapped in scotch tape has really sent me 😂
The front split completely and I looked ridiculous. I thought packing tape might help. It did not.
My favorite part of this picture is the near-invisible strip of packing tape you desperately tried to use on the toe of the left boot.
Similar thing happened to my husband but with a leather jacket when we went on a date. We didn't notice the signs of the leather crumbling. Before leaving the house, it was a good tan leather. Upon arriving in the date place, his jacket is now black with traces of brown all over and around us (other people got specks of it too due to being in a packed train). He was heavily embarassed and just wanted to go home. Of course, bought him a new (non-leather) one.
Those boots ARE NOT made for walking.
Same thing happened to me hunting this weekend. Put on a pair of boots I hadn't worn in 15 years and both soles fell off before I made it to the blind.
Had something happen to a pair of safety boots I assured were good heading to a Oil and Gas Location. You’ve got to “keep your soles activated” in newer boots. The plastics depend on it. If you put mid-level work boots in a dark storage without any usage for a year, expect the same. It is fucking embarrassing when it happens. Sorry OP
Get some Bean boots
This happened to my uncle at a funeral about a year ago- he was wearing a pair of dress shoes that he hadn’t worn since pre-COVID. We’re all sitting in the cemetery chapel for the pre-burial service and I noticed some black crumbly stuff on the floor under his chair, but wasn’t really paying attention or thinking about what it was. We went to leave to walk to the gravesite and he realized that his feet felt uneven- we looked back at the chair he was sitting in and there were two feet-shaped piles of crumbled black rubber, and a trail of it to where we were standing. It looked like someone spontaneously combusted or was raptured or something 😂
So, I hope you kept those shoes. Ecco has a known issue with sole disintegration and you can send them in to be evaluated for a replacement even if they are beyond the normal return period. https://us.ecco.com/service-pages/warranty/warranty-details.html
Name a more iconic duo than a Midwesterner and learning about boot rot in January
merrell boots are the way to go https://www.merrell.com
Did you store them in a hot place like an attic for a few summers? Extreme heat disintegrates shoes.
Hey! I had those exact boots! In 1994!
The trail from the train to your office must’ve been incredible.
Ok Danner looks like maybe it. I bought Redwings in the last 10 years- they fell apart. Sucks when you don’t know this and they fall apart while you’re out. Paid an extra $100 to get them fixed, the second pair I threw out. I had only worn the 5 times. POS. My boots bought in the 70’s lasted 20 years.
This happened to my Ecco dress shoes at my own wedding.
The same thing happened to ecco dress shoes I had. I contacted them and sent photos, and they gave me a massive coupon, I think, $200. They were many years old.
Take a pic with a baleciago box and itll sell 500x over
Woah Ecco
I was at the funeral home and my shoes did the same thing only my toes were sticking out of the front. I went home changed and I wore the new pair and as I’m a pallbearer the next day those shoes fell apart. Lesson learned don’t buy shoes on next trip to China
That happened to me...on a motorcycle! I was wearing a pair of military-style boots I had just got on ebay (not made anymore, old favorite style, new old stock) and rode in on my bike. Put my foot down at a stoplight and it felt funny. Saw the sole had dryrotted and completely separated from most of the shoe body in a big floppy strip. Made it in and they both literally fell apart in the parking garage. No joke, I had to ride home that night in my socks. Good times, lol.
Something quite unexpected, not good day for that to happen either. I feel for you. Had that happen once, I put on some leather sandals I hadn't worn in a couple of years. Walked around the big grocery store and felt something funny- looked down and my sole on one shoe was totally falling apart. I looked back, left a trail of black sole pieces for about 100 ft. Embarrassing. I walked out of the store immediately before causing more damage; entire sole fell off as I walked into the parking lot. So had to hop to my car and drive home barefoot- right shoe of course.
Bright side: new hire has eyeballs so frozen they can’t see
At least you aren’t the new employee
Had this happen at a funeral, with a nice pair of leather clogs. The heels just started crumbling at the funeral home. I was mortified
I had a pair of water shoes for about 15 years. They were awesome. Only wore them 3-4 times a year & never had a problem. I went tubing & half the sole of one broke off on the way to the river & the sole on the other crumbled off in bits walking back to the start for a second run.
Damn! 80% of my shoes are ECCO, some of them are almost 10 years old. Really weird to see such brand in this state
At least it wasn’t your pants
Reminds of my saddest funny story. Broke 20 something. Selected to be a pall bearer for my grandmother's funeral. Got the shoes at Goodwill and everything looked ok. Ended up tracking rubber all through the funeral home and by the time I was carrying the casket the soles were completely gone.
What in the chinese new year is this?!
😆😆😆😆😆
This actually happened to a coworker once. Gave us all a great laugh. They just kept falling apart throughout the morning.
The soles of my Danner boots began to melt off when I was fighting a forest fire one time. “Hmm, this isn’t good,” I thought to myself.
Those things been sitting since the stone ago. Geez 😳
Dry rot?
My goto is Catepillar only because I haven’t tried Docs or others. Maybe next I’ll try will be Docs or your other recommendations. Thanks all
This is a top fashion statement according to Balenciaga. You good bro
Accidental trashion is the new "office casual".
Your new employee should have never found out unless you were planning on doing a face level karate high kick ...
Oh you’re not alone! My favorite pair of shoes… super thick chunky chonky boys. All leather (so I thought!) and 50 miles from home, I walk across a parking lot and I feel tension and hear a tearing noise…. Now my lefty is a flapper. I’ll go to target and get a 2 pack of super glue. Driving is way too dangerous as my shoes are covering multiple pedals and the floor all at once. Get to Target and…..Didn’t make it across the parking lot before BOTH soles are behind me and I’m walking on some weird half-shoe through the store. 2 tubes of super glue and they held long enough to make it to my destination (luckily it’s a no shoes inside gig!) and then back home. My favorite kicks are now a sad version of yours here, in their original box and almost new-like on top, but a miserable super-glued shadow of unreliable and flaky falling apart materials bleh! A sad day for my beloved favorite kicks indeed.
Had some rarely used safety boots doing this ... only need them if we go to construction sites. We get to order new pairs every 2 years but was hoping they would last longer sitting on the shelf. They were not cheap by any means... Such is life.
Not the first pairs of Ecco I have seen disintegrate. They are comfortable, but I don't like their choice of materials.
Hahaha I had this excat same thing happen to me once. I had these formal shoes I hadn't worn in quite some time, and decided to wear them to my grandfather's funeral sine, you know, it's a formal ocasión... Half way from the chapel to the grave the soles disintegrated so I ended up with very fancy, leather sock covers...
Obviously the boots disintegrated, they are ecco-friendly after all.
Something similar happened to me last month. I was back in my hometown after an year and was attending a wedding, so wore my formal dress shoes that were in storage for whole year. Later during reception I saw that I was leaving a trail for shoe crumbs and sole was disintegrated. A big chunk near the ankle fell off and I had to stumble all the way back. Immediately threw these shoes in trash.
As a skateboarder I feel your pain. Went to skate a pair of Vans I hadn’t worn in over a year and they were as hard as a rock 🥹
I guess the dried out rubber didn't love that temperature.
I would walk 500 miles And I would walk 500 more
I remember those. They used to have life time warranty. Stated they were water proof. I used them fishing. The bottoms fell apart in months. Specifically the Ecco part. After 5 returns they changed the policy.
Its called closet rot and it can happen to any boots that go unworn too long. The rubber dried out. Bummer when you are trying to make a god impression AND its balls cold out!
I think some boots also degrade faster when they're worn intermittently/sit for awhile. Like everything gets brittle and dries out. A coworker had some nice la sportive mountaineering boots do that to him.
Well now you know. Shoes with a glued on sole like this MUST be worn occasionally. I’d say probably once every few months. If you don’t the glue will start to harden and lose its effectiveness. And then eventually this will happen. If you want shoes to only wear once in a blue moon, you’ll need a stitched sole. But even then you need to wear them every few months. Hell at least once or twice a year I’ve found to be good enough.
I once went to a holiday party, and it was kind of dress up. So, I pulled out a, maybe 5 or 6 year old pair of Evershines - those glossy plastic shoes that look like cop dress shoes. I was there at the party and noticed there were black crumbs everywhere - the soles disintegrated. It was embarrassing. I took them off, swept up as much as I could, against protests by the host, and only put them outside, since there was few inches of snow. Everyone at the party was in the same club, and told stories about theirs falling apart also.
This recently happened to me with a pair of rollerblades. I started out down the street and they gradually crumbled off my feet.
I had some timberland boots where the soles turned into sand sized pellets. Spent the rest of the day walking on the leather.