The Great Shoe Experiment

The great shoe experiment is officially under way.

You are probably not interested in my shoes but I am sure you are interested in research. Since I write this blog as sort of a journal for us as well as you, this will help me keep track of my experiment.
I like to wear Rockport Dressport shoes when I put on my work clothes and go to church. I have worn them almost exclusively for many years. They are not the best looking dress shoe but they are extremely light and very comfortable for a big man. I like the wingtip type Dressports but I have worn several of the styles through the years.

I have paid any where from $40 to $120 a pair for these shoes and although I am a cheapskate when it comes to clothes they are worth every penny I have to pay for the comfort. Like I said they are not styling and profiling like some better shoes but they feel good.

There is one problem though. I require a EEE extra wide shoe and I have a very hard time finding them in the Rockport Dressport. I figured once everything in the world was available online that would change but they are still as rare as hens teeth.

Every couple of years I go on a mad search to find some because I have worn my present shoes into the ground. That search started over again a couple of months ago in late winter.

I have learned a few things by observation.

IF I buy one pair and wear them every service, seven services per week, then a good pair of shoes will last me six months. That is approximately 182 services of running, jumping, singing, sweating and preaching. When I dress for church I do not go to sit in a pew, I go to work. Lol

IF I start with two pairs of Dressports and alternate wearing them every other night and give them a chance to dry out between uses they last twice as long. When doing this then two pairs last two years combined so I get a full year of use out of each pair. Got it?

Now for the experiment. I recently found a pair of Dressports on line for about $40. They were advertised as EEE and are marked as such but are not quite as wide as all that.

I found a second pair in a store for $80. 

While in that store I found a pair of Nunn Bush on clearance for $20. It is very rare that I can wear a slip on shoe because my foot is also tall but these fit fine and do not feel too bad although not near as comfortable as the Dressports.

When I found these I decided to throw three pairs of shoes into the mix and see what happened.

For the sake of science I also invested in a pair of cedar shoe trees that I put in the pair of shoes I take off after church and leave then in for 24 hours. Maybe this will help dry them better and help them hold their shape.

This is the rotation. I wear one pair both services on Sunday, the second pair on Monday and the third pair on Tuesday. Then I start the rotation again on Wednesday. I started this the 3rd week of February while in Mobile, Alabama at Foster Grove Church.

The experiment is to wear them in this rotation while drying them with the cedar shoe tree and see how long they will last. It is not a perfect test since one pair is Nunn Bush but we do not live in a perfect world so it will have to do.

My next step is to apply for a four million dollar grant from the federal government to fund this important research project. Science can be expensive.

Have a great day.

Davy