The Vans are out

It's entirely possible to walk in a way that's not striking your heel against the ground, in which case a thin soled shoe is fine. I do all my walking, hiking, and running in very thin soled barefoot shoes and my knees are rarely sore or injured.

I've hiked 1000 miles of the AT over a 4 month window that way, and walk a few miles a day on sidewalks. I'm training for my first half marathon. My partner is an ultra runner who does 50 mile races in thin barefoot shoes.

You just have to slightly adjust how you step so your toes act more like a shock absorber. You want them to touch the ground about the same time as the heel or slightly before. I've heard it described as "fox walking". It's a little awkward but it is possible.

However, my only complaint about vans is just how super heavy they are. That would fatigue me so fast. If you can afford an upgrade or can find some used, I'd check out shoes from Xero. They last a good long time. The real sweetness is how they are super light. If you want a bit more cushion the Altra Lone Peak is also excellent.

I had no clue they were worn out until I wore them today, and it was raining and my socks got wet. I hadn't looked at them before. They are always sole down and I just slide them on and do my thing.

Thanks.

I will consider that. I hope to someday move to a place by the beach where I can walk barefoot. I rarely get the chance to walk on sand or grass.

How the hell are your toes doing that? I can land on the ball of my foot and roll back a bit to land on my heels but you've completely lost me with the landing on toes and absorbing the shock.

My understanding is the ball of your foot (the part you would spin on just behind the toes) is well connected to the muscles and can act as a spring and a shock absorber. The toes are there for balancing and spreading the weight around. The ball of the foot is usually the first part of my soles to wear out.

My advice to OP is to look for a shoe they find comfortable but with a bit more sole than vans so they can take a better beating on walks.

It does feel amazing to be connected to the earth.

Yeah, that's the reason for the advice about changing them when they feel "flat", do not wait for a visible deterioration.

I've done a bad job explaining it, it's just kind of like running on your toes but with a smidge of heel on the ground

If you want to stick with Vans, they make versions of most of their classic shoe styles with a "pop-cush" insole that's pretty springy and adds a lot of shock absorption. I also really like the less structured feel of the classic Vans, but the difference in how my middle aged joints feel with the extra shock absorption is totally worth not being able to feel quite as much of the ground.

About to say something similar. I'll be honest I initially downvoted until I read the post itself, most modern trainers aren't made for walking (properly) and won't be doing your feet any good.

I've used vivobarefoot for years.

Oh and congrats on your weight loss!

Rwcent research shows more padding is worse as it promotes weakness in all the muscles that should be supporting joints.

I'll see of I still have a link to the research, it's rather surprising.

I love my low profile shoes. They've significantly improved my back health.

Ergonomics is complicated, sometimes it can be hard to draw the line between what's a necessary support and what's an enabling crutch.

I live in Seattle. My replacement period is when water comes through the bottom.

barefoot or minimal shoes require successfully adapting your foot strike, which is not something everyone does successfully or consistently. Even then, most ppl will want more toe box width than Vans provide, unless they have narrow feet.

First of all congrats.

You should look into getting some custom foot orthotics to even out the pressure on your feet. The wear pattern looks like you have zero arch support.