Shoe-vana
Boom.
Say hello to the Vasque Aether Tech SS, the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn.
After a long and arduous search, I've decided to use these on my Asia trip. They're somewhat water-resistant yet breathable, quick-drying, light (12 ounces apiece), convenient, and did I mention they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn?
There's only one problem, aside from the 130 problems they cost. Because they're so light, they're not all that tough. After two weeks of hard use, the uppers on one of the shoes is shredding, and those little plasto-rubber-whatever gills you see on the side are starting to peel away.
I figure one pair of these will last me 3 months of hard use before starting to really fall apart. This poses a problem, since my trip to Asia will last 3.5 months, and will end with a hike up Mt. Fuji, which I think can suitably be described as hard use. So I tried on other shoes.
God dammit, did I try on other shoes.
I bought and returned 6 or 7 pairs of trail runners and light hikers to REI and other stores, without finding any that I liked. I even took my old Merrell light hikers out for 30 miles or so on the local workout trail, just to make sure I wasn't deluding myself about how comfortable the Aether Tech is.
I wasn't.
So I went in to REI and exchanged the beat-up pair for a new pair, hoping that I just got a lemon. After inspecting the new pair for a while, it looks like this could just be how they work. The price you pay for that lightweight is durability. Sad.
But the fact remains that after wearing these things, I don't really want to spend 3.5 months tooling around in a less comfortable pair of similarly priced shoes, or my old light hikers, which would never, ever dry out properly where I'm going, and weigh twice as much.
So I went back to REI and tried to buy back the old ones at full price; "un-return them" is what I said to the confused customer service girl. That way, I'd have a kind of ratty pair to wear, which would probably last me most of the trip, and I'd just take the new pair along with me as a backup. I'm willing to carry an extra 1.5lbs for a couple months if it means I don't have to worry about foot pain, blisters, or trench foot. The extra $130 in price would suck, but hey. I'm probably never going to have another chance at a trip like this, so I may as well splurge a bit.
The weird thing is, they wouldn't let me buy the shoes back. They'd already gone into some giant bin meant for the REI used gear sale, where used/returned gear is sold at a huge markdown.
That was yesterday; the sale started this morning at 8am. So I rolled out of bed around 6am, drove up to REI and got in line. I was the only person there without a tent or a sleeping bag. I was also one of maybe three non-Caucasians I saw all morning, but that's not relevant. I'm kind of a twinkie anyway, so we'll make that two and a half.
I waited around for a while, chatting idly with my new honky chums, and when the sale opened at 8am, watched and laughed as people sprinted over to the piles of gear. Yuppies bundled up in fleece caps and fur-lined moccasins sprinted and shoved past each other to get to piles of used goods, followed by the staffers' vain cries of "No running!"
There were shrieks of delight and dismay, as some found what they were looking for, and others had theirs plucked from before their very eyes. I walked over to the shoes, had my feet trodden on a few times, and ferreted out the very same pair of shoes I'd returned a week ago.
I checked the price tag.
$16.
Wow. A full morning's entertainment, AND I saved $100.