Birkenstock sandals: c'mon fess up!

Can't do sandals or flip-flops (shower shoes as my dad calls them) much to my wifes dismay.

I either have on dress shoes, tennis shoes, work boots or go bare foot.

I dont have ugly feet and am secure in my manhood - but my father (ex-Marine) was that way and I guess its genetic!!! :D

Some of it is the survival instinct - I can't see myself being successful in a fight or flight situation with shower shoes on.
 
Despite what my picture suggests, I have a pair. They are replacements to the ones I wore for 10 years or more. Those got so nasty I finally retired them, and I had to chop them up to prove to my wife I wouldn't sneak them back into the closet.

They are not comfortable shoes at first in my experience. You have to break in the foot bed and get your arches used to them. After a while though, they feel like what a glove would feel like if you wore a glove on your foot. Or something like that. What do I know though? I must be stoned because I wear Berks.

A real man knows how to run barefooted through a flight or fight. Remember Bruce Willis in Die Hard? :p

FWIW, I have Crocs and Tevas too. They're all good shoes and serve their purposes. The Berks are comfortable. The Crocs are great for kayaking. The Tevas are better for scrambling over rocks and hiking.
 
That's what they looked like after TEN YEARS of wear? Sheesh. Now I don't feel so bad for blowing 79 bux on a pair of sandals. That's like 8 dollars a year! Sweet. :p
 
They hold up well. Mine had paint splotches and stains on them, but I thought they were still fine other than some wear on the outside edges of both heels. I will admit the new pair looks much nicer though, and that fact makes my wife happy.
 
I tried on a pair of Birkenstocks but they seemed way too "hard" with no cushion to them.
Now I wear Crocs everywhere. My wife hates it (cruise ship formal dinner .. coat and tie and CROCS)! Actually started wearing them while recovereing from an achiles tendon problem. Problem went away and the crocs have stayed. I wear them to work and since I work at a hospital, there are a lot of nurses wearing them (male and female). Don't even get a 2nd look until I put on the lime green crocs. :-)

Lamarr
 
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Originally Posted by xbxb View Post
I'm not going to put those on I don't care what you say. Nope.
Not secure in your masculinity, huh?

No No No I'm not wearing them, nothing to do with masculinity, just soooo many critters that can get to my masculinity by crawling up my leg.:eek:
 
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I have two pair of Birk sandles and a pair of shoes that look like clogs that I bought in college. I have had the shoes resoled twice. There are three shoe companies that I prefer: Ecco, Birkenstocks, and Dr. Martins.

I will say the first time I tried on Birks I thought I was standing on a couple rolls of nickels, but they really do support the arch of the foot well.

I think if you are blaming your footwear for your romantic difficulties, you may need to re-examine your situation. ;)
 
I've had 2 pair for about 25 years. What's not to like about the German workingman's (womans') sandals? The cattle are corralled by electric wire fences, so there are no scars in the leather from barbwire. The cork beds form to your feet like custom orthotics after a few wears. And you can get them re-soled and re-corked forever.

I don't care what others are wearing or not wearing. Birkenstocks may go in or out of fashion. But they feel great and make my feet and knees happy.
 
lamarrk said:
I tried on a pair of Birkenstocks but they seemed way too "hard" with no cushion to them.
Now I wear Crocs everywhere. My wife hates it (cruise ship formal dinner .. coat and tie and CROCS)! Actually started wearing them while recovereing from an achiles tendon problem. Problem went away and the crocs have stayed. I wear them to work and since I work at a hospital, there are a lot of nurses wearing them (male and female). Don't even get a 2nd look until I put on the lime green crocs. :-)

Lamarr
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i went to japan. most houses there you take your shoes off when you enter. i did they gave me flip flops. i go bare feets. i trust me feet not them flip flops that will flip flop off when you want to fight or flight.

then one day someone come to the door. i had to go out and there was a pair of crocs there that was not mine. i stick them on for a out the door trip of one minute. come back and they felt good look like a kid with them on but they are not bad.

tripped back to hong kong then on the macau trip off the boat we run across some cheap fake shoe store on the skreet. they had them and me buddy said their you go buy some. they was fakes and costs me 3 bucks. i wear them on the motorcycle in the rain. if they get wet it don't matter. you can flip up the band on the back to hold them on instead of being a flip floppie. but they dont' act as a flip floppie even with out the strap. on the motorcycle i can change gears with out damage to my left toe pulling up the gear lever. so they stayed on till i wore the soles smooth.

hot weather motorcycling in the rain good shoes crocs. in the rain i will put on a northface rain coat north face rain pants and then i only got to worry about me shoes these i do not. but i got these suntan circles on my feet now. i look phunny. people think my feet are ditry or got a case of the heb-bi gee-bies
 
Wore a pair of Birkenstock clogs at work (hospital) for years. Top comfort when you're on your feet all day. Protection for your toes that Crocs don't give (Crocs have holes for dropped sharps and body fluids to get to your feet - no thank you. The Birkis have a solid body.)

Normally I wear Jandals or (like another poster Clarks Sandals) in hot weather.
 
Wore a pair of Birkenstock clogs at work (hospital) for years. Top comfort when you're on your feet all day. Protection for your toes that Crocs don't give (Crocs have holes for dropped sharps and body fluids to get to your feet - no thank you. The Birkis have a solid body.)
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Croc makes several "professional" models with solid tops, intended for people working in high-spill environments. Like hospitals. Or kitchens. Somehow I don't think spilling hot grease on your foot would be a pleasant of safe experience.
As for me, I generally don't wear sandals. When I do, it's either Crocs or a pair of old fisherman sandals that I have. Those I wear on the beach, at the lake, or at the pool. The rest of the time, I can be found wearing athletic shoes or more commonly, Sperry Top-Siders.
 
Birkenstocks do have a break in period. Your calf muscle will be sore til your foot gets used to it. That is what I recall, it took a little break in period, but then they were great. I may have to get a pair now.
 
2 pairs of sandals, one pair of black Boston clogs and 3 pairs of their shoes. If I ain't wearing Asics Kayanos, I am probably wearing Birks.

I have happy feet.:thumbup:
 
Guyon said:
FFBMBerk.jpg
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What happened to the rest of the hippie? :eek:


I've never worn Birkenstocks. However, I wear sandals well into the fall and part of winter, so maybe they'd be worth checking out. I've been noticing a lot of knee and back pain at the end of the day for me, and I'm not 30 yet. Kind of worries me.
 
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Hey Guys..

Just my opinion,, but I'll take a pair of Keens over a pair of Birks ANYDAY..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
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