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RebA! · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:45 pm Post subject: Need new playa shoes

I totally need some new footware for the playa. Its the one thing thats always been missing from my outfits.

Does anyone have any good shoe recommendation thats functional, fashionable and uh.. comfy for my aging (31year old)feetsies?

I wore my merrill mocs a lot, but I kinda felt silly. But they were comfy.
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"My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can't decide whether to ruin our carpets or ruin our lives."
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olivia · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 104 Location: Black Rock City

dig · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 7 Location: SJ, CA

Leopard print Chuck Taylor high tops owned my feet this year. Wore them all week - no playa-foot this year and very comfy

ð dig

RebA! · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2003 8:59 am Post subject:

I did the chuck taylor thing before. I love those things(as I have like 6-7 pairs). But the squeak you get when trying to lace them up after a few days on the playa, just irritates the piss outta me.

My quest for a funky comfy shoe continues
_________________
"My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can't decide whether to ruin our carpets or ruin our lives."
--Rita Rudner

dig · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 7 Location: SJ, CA

evie · Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 10 Location: Grass Valley

I would suggest a pair of tevas for the day they can be decorated in any sort of fashion. Glue is my best friend. ( with apoxy 547) you can attach just about anything to anything and all sorts of patterns too. For night wear a comfy pair of tennis shoes. I like puma s but you can make heighten comfort quality with a nice pair of inserts. I would recommend investing through a chiropractor.

Tiara · Joined: 11 Aug 2003 Posts: 406 Location: Richmond CA

I wore my Merrell mocs a lot too. Can't beat them for comfort. And I love slip-on shoes because it's so quick and easy to take them off for "no shoes inside please" camps.

I'll have to find a photo for those of you who didn't see them, but I had a lot of fun covering up my mocs with child's swim flippers shaped like dinosaur feet.

They worked great as a gimmick to remind people about avoiding playa-foot during my Greeter and Ranger shifts too!

tbone · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Posts: 107 Location: So Cal

I wear ankle high, leather, steel toes boots - at home and on the playa. Steel toes only because it's hard to find good work boots without them.

I like Dickies, as they are reasonably priced ($60) and durable.
Not terribly sexy, but they protect from rebar, scorpions & snakes (I spend a lot of time in the Mojave) and general abuse. I wear them at least 12 hours a day at home, and at one point, had them on for almost 48 hours at the burn.

I couldn't imagine wearing Teva or Birks out there. On the other hand, if I hurt my feet, I can't work - and I'm self employed.

MusicVixen · Joined: 31 Aug 2003 Posts: 71 Location: Elk Grove, CA

olivia · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 104 Location: Black Rock City

the clogs are more enclosed than regular birkenstocks - the kind i had were super birkis. i wore them with socks and never got playa foot :)

MusicVixen · Joined: 31 Aug 2003 Posts: 71 Location: Elk Grove, CA

tbone · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Posts: 107 Location: So Cal

I've been on the playa for about two months in total.

I'm still not sure what "playa foot" is. Care to clue me in?

My feet are the same when I come home (and no, they aren't that bad). My hands get hammered out there, but I've recently started using corn huskers lotion, and I think it's a good thing for out there.

precipitate · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2003 5:35 pm Post subject:

> I'm still not sure what "playa foot" is. Care to clue me in?

Tingling, burning, cracking, bleeding feet. Happens when the dust
gets in between dead skin and live skin (calluses, etc.) and
basically causes an alkaline burn. Happened to me my second
year. Keeping your feet mostly protected from the dust pretty much
eliminates the possibility. This year, I wore my sandals a couple of days
all day long. Wiping the dust off my feet at night prevented playa foot. I
think my feet are in much better shape this year than they were two years
ago, when I had to do vinegar baths followed by Vaseline every night to
get rid of the awful tingle.

Guppie · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Snohomish County WA

I am very happy with my Soul Fusion footwear. they have a channel through the transparent sole that allows you to put a glow stick or Led pendant in there and they glow throughout.

http://www.ghastup.com/soulfusion.html

the bonus being, they are very comfortable.

live love laugh

Guppie

PetsUntilEaten · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 339 Location: los angeles

my vote is SWEAR boots & shoes.

similar to New Rock. just as expensive new.

but i lurked on ebay all year & found two pairs for $50-$80 each.
they are big, cushy, weird & made for dancing - huge platforms.

my two pairs had someone in them every night.

also try the main swear website to see styles & colors & sales (there are 100's) :

http://www.swear-alternative.com/

nymphgonebad · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 770 Location: little forest

my favorite playa shoes are my green wellies - paired with fishnets and my chain-mail bikini, they look truly dsiturbing. plus they're comfy and functional.

the princess

RebA! · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:09 am Post subject:

Angry Butterfly · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 492 Location: Fremont Ca

Whatever You do dont wear ECCO Sandals, I love mine, but they were leather and the playa stuck to the dust and sweat and made rocks, So I ended up barefoot. If I could have afforded it I would have gotten a proffessional pedicure first, but did one on my own and it worked pretty well in combination with keeping my feet clean with lemons and aloe while I was out there. There is a misconception thet professional pedicures remove all the valuable calouses that allow you to go barefoot, but it is just the opposite, it is like having your teeth proffessionaly cleaned, without the dead skin, the healthy live skin is a lot less suseptable to cracking. (yes, I do work for a spa, that is my disclaimer) Some sweet man offered me his shoes when He saw I was Barefoot! I couldnt keep them on so I gave them back! My feet were acually ok, but I grew up in amish country and go barefoot a lot and wouldnt reccomend it for everyone, but I really had a hard time keeping shoes on during the day. I had a pair of clunky combat boot style shoes by a company called SODA for night and they woked out really well, $10 at Ross.
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I took the road less traveled, and now I would like to go back and find the paved one.

nymphgonebad · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 770 Location: little forest

olivia · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 104 Location: Black Rock City

Badger · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Posts: 3436 Location: San Francisco

them look like church goin shoes if ever i seem some.
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Desert dogs drink deep.

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Angry Butterfly · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 492 Location: Fremont Ca

Actually I do graphic design for the spa!
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I took the road less traveled, and now I would like to go back and find the paved one.

Trash · Joined: 03 Sep 2003 Posts: 10

I wear them enough over the years I had real soles put on them long ago. Was a drag trying to find a cobbler willing to put soles on them but was well worth it.

-Trash

PetsUntilEaten · Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 339 Location: los angeles

olivia -

i'm telling you - i had a bookmark for searching ebay for "swear" that i clicked daily. i've actually seen a pair of those about my size.

i have some orange "jetty"s and the lt. & dark grey "exterminator" boots - Mine are one size bigger (which isn't so bad in euro-sizes) - but I put pads in the bottom & it turns out that without pads they fit two of my campmates - which was cool.

If you don't know your euro-size (37-42) then best to find out rather than ask the seller - since I've always gotten a range of answers from them. I wear a 39 and I'm a 8.5 or 9 US. I have 40's.

they are ridiculously well made & people collect them - so sometimes 10 pairs will pop up in one week - sometimes nothing.

- pets

Guppie · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Snohomish County WA

okay, apparently that link above was random at best. Try this one

http://www.soulfusionshoes.com

much love

Guppie

ceejmo · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3 Location: Oakland

I usually alternate between my omnipresent calf-high doc martin's and a pair of lunch-lady-white brunswick bowling shoes. The smooth bottoms work well for de-platforming when it rains or i step in something icky and they are way comfy.

Juju · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 65 Location: Seattle, WA

Aside from my normal daytime tevas and nighttime nikes con socks, I sported some glowy shoes to. My mom bought me a pair of crappy green flip-flops at Wal Mart which I wore a few nights on the playa. The straps light up when you step, and actually recharge so they're moderately glow-in-the-dark. Twas fun keeping them on with my socks. I eschew most light-up glowy things (yes, I'm a prime target for bikers on the playa), but these were fun and made it easy for friends to keep track of me. $5.
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Bambi of Finland · Joined: 18 Sep 2003 Posts: 1168

Reba , Try funkefeet.com , they have a great variety of footwear. Don't order the furry boots, they are mine!!!
Direct from a forest near you , BAMBI
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Lost in the Forest

DogBoy · Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 6:24 pm Post subject:

NATO standard issue Desert Combat Boots. Playa blends right in, they don't overheat, & can be found without much difficulty or cost.
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FairyGirlUtah · Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 2:56 pm Post subject: Put On those Playa shoes.........

Hey There,
I am a nine year Burner and the best playa wear I have found is a pair of Doc Marten boots that I got in San Francisco at Villains. No laces, slip on, has a knife pocket(you can put other stuff while walking). The boots are purple, now with years of playa dust caked on them. I love them! Plus, you can also wear a nice thick pair of sox and keep you feet from cracking! I even wore them in the fashion shows and Critical Tits rides over the years!
Good Luck!