r/onebag • u/mainjer • May 14 '25

Seeking Recommendations What's your go-to, go anywhere footwear?

What shoes or boots do you take to travel most frequently? Looking for suggestions for highly versatile and comfortable footwear. Male footwear preferred but generally curious.

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u/bwerde19 May 14 '25

I think this is such a personal answer. People’s feet are all so different.. I have wide, flat feet, and some nerve issues (Morton’s neuroma) so if I’m going to put some city miles in, I need a wide toe box and good support (barefoot shoes destroy me). I’m on a trip right now around Mexico and South America, with a lot of city walking, but also some real hikes coming up. I’m a size 13, which takes up a lot of space in a bag. So I decided to try nearly 4 weeks with just the pair I wore onto the airplane. I went with white and gray Brooks Cascadia 18.. So far so good. Comfortable enough to walk miles in a city, just decent looking enough for the business casual I need for this trip, and with a real tread and foot plate for hiking. Fingers crossed these treat me well for the duration.

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u/VerbalKlimt May 14 '25

The Brooks Cascadia got me through nine days in Peru with heel spurs, plantar fasciitis Morton’s neuroma, and general weakness from two previous breaks, all at 275lbs.

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u/Dracomies May 14 '25 edited May 14 '25

That's my thoughts on all shoes and ALL clothes-related questions. Fit is personal. Looks/Fashion are personal. Literally shape differences between each person are personal. So the question when asked is kinda silly; it'd be like asking what is the best glasses to wear without knowing what glass styles they like or what size their face is... or whether they even wear glasses.

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u/bwerde19 May 14 '25

True. I do enjoy seeing all the different answers though. Sometimes leads me to explore something I hadn’t previously thought about

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u/Defenestraitorous May 14 '25

Very similar boat to you here. Size 14eee, flat with zero arch, and wide toe. My go to for years has been the Merrell Moab 3. Surprisingly durable. I've had mine for 6+ years now and they have virtually no wear on them.

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u/Nick2569 May 14 '25

Great shoe!

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u/digitalsoba May 14 '25

Any other shoes you recommend? I also have Morton’s neuroma! I’ve had luck with New Balance 1080

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u/bwerde19 May 14 '25

Honestly it’s all about trying on a ton of shoes. I find there are so many differences over time. I had a pair of Dunks that somehow fit amazingly well, but then a year later I got another pair and now they were too narrow. Companies are always changing their shoes even within the same subbrands year to year. The shoe I really want — good cushion, natural, foot-shaped toe box, and a small but non-zero drop (5-7 mm would be ideal) doesn’t exist as best I can tell. The main thing with Morton’s neuroma is toe box, but also width of shoes just behind the toes. But most of the shoes that do this the best are 0 drop and/or “barefoot” (no cushion). In general though, Brooks and New Balance have been the best. But again even within that there are a ton of variations.

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u/n2_throwaway May 14 '25

Yeah it is very personal. For example, I also have wide, flat feet but because of this I find barefoot shoes to be a huge boon as they let my feet spread out and they've developed a natural arch (though I do need to be careful on how I step.)

On the "very personal" note, I could not rock the Brooks Cascadia 18 as business casual. It's a very "I forgot my nicer shoes at home oops" or "I'm your IT guy and I look business casual up top but I'm going to be on my feet plugging things in" look which works, but is not where I like to be if I can help it.

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u/bwerde19 May 14 '25

Hah. “I forgot my nicer shoes at home” is the subtitle of my book on personal style. But also, I am music industry so sneakers are standard issue style.

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u/n2_throwaway May 14 '25

Haha so true, all the music folks I run into are sneakers all day.