Hard wearing shoes with mesh upper

August 16, 2023 8:40 AM

I am looking for shoes that have a breathable mesh upper and a hard rubber or crepe rubber sole, in either an elastic side or elastic lace style that will slip on without knotting laces but not fall off. Challenge: that don't cost a shitload of money.

Fluevog's Nova shoe with mesh upper, elastic laces and hard rubber sole is basically the ideal but I do not have $200CAD (on sale) to spend on shoes at the moment. Extra challenge is: Canada. Boss level: Size 13US or 48EU. Doesn't have to be vegan, but I doubt leather would be part of the shoe I'm looking for anyway.

Thanks for any suggestions.

posted by seanmpuckett to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I love Salomon's easy no-tie closure system, but the styles you like may be too pricey and they look like they may be more "active outdoorsy" and "aggressive" than the Nova. Take a look at something like this then check out more of their line?
posted by achrise at 9:22 AM on August 16, 2023

I have some Tropic Feel “Monsoon” shoes which seem to tick all these boxes. Think mine were are £50 in the Uk. Looks like they’re available in Canada
posted by multivalent at 9:49 AM on August 16, 2023

Sketchers has a selection of slipons or slipins that could fit

Costco was selling some for less but seems to have sold out online
Seems like Sport Chek has some models as well
posted by yyz at 10:27 AM on August 16, 2023

A lot of water shoes would fit this description, and they are not usually expensive.
posted by Hex Wrench at 11:11 AM on August 16, 2023

Response by poster: I do want to emphasize that I'm looking for actual rubber soles, not foam/EVA. Water shoes sometimes have true rubber soles for traction but also are very thin and wear out quickly in addition to having drainage holes that make them unsuitable for general wear. The Salomon hiking boots seem to have a good sole but price and style are a bit more than I want for long walks downtown Toronto with my problematic gait.

I may be looking for a unicorn. Almost everything's switched to rapidly eroding EVA soles now so they can sell more shoes and it's so frustrating.
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:26 AM on August 16, 2023

I'm intrigued (haven't tried) by this no tie system. You may find it helpful.
posted by notned at 11:32 AM on August 16, 2023

I think Keen still uses genuine rubber for its outsoles. I don't know how they price in Canada, though.
posted by humbug at 11:37 AM on August 16, 2023

Kiziks?
posted by music for skeletons at 12:18 PM on August 16, 2023

You could look at the brand Jambu. They mostly makes women’s shoes, but they do have wide width sizes, and some styles are fairly neutral.
posted by Hex Wrench at 1:39 PM on August 16, 2023

Sperry seems to have at least one option.

You might also want to look for shoes that have Vibram soles.
posted by oceano at 4:41 PM on August 16, 2023

Also Keds/ Vans/ Superga have the rubber soles + canvas upper sneaker aesthetic.

"Barefoot shoes" often have rubber soles.
posted by oceano at 5:01 PM on August 16, 2023

If you can really narrow down what you want & know what will fit, buying expensive shoes used on eBay or Poshmark or Mercari can be a good option.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:05 AM on August 17, 2023

If you find shoes that otherwise meet your criteria, but that have regular style shoe laces, you could replace the shoe laces with something like lock laces. YMMV, but I'm able to slip shoes on and off with the lock laces. I use them on all my sneakers/hiking boots.
posted by litera scripta manet at 8:15 AM on August 17, 2023