So I have read a lot of comments on this thread about how uncomfortable Clark Desert boots can be because the don't have any arch support. Has anyone tried slipping in an Orthodic or a Dr. Schol's? I think a Desert Boot would be a very versatile shoe, and I can get them really cheap through my work, but I don't want them if they are uncomfortable. Thoughts?
Insoles in Desert Boots
superpacker
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So I have read a lot of comments on this thread about how uncomfortable Clark Desert boots can be because the don't have any arch support. Has anyone tried slipping in an Orthodic or a Dr. Schol's? I think a Desert Boot would be a very versatile shoe, and I can get them really cheap through my work, but I don't want them if they are uncomfortable. Thoughts?
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Superfeet! They are terrific and come in different styles for different types of shoes.
asf
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That's helpful. Ever used them in desert boots?
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No, but I've worn them in bean boots, hunting boots, climbing boots and my mountain bike cleated shoes.
If you try them, there is a slight overlapping between the sizes. They delineate their sizes by using letters to correspond with sizes. As an example, Size E is 9.5-11 and size F is 11.5-13. Just because you wear a 10.5 does not mean that you are automatically an E. They are made to be trimmed to fit your foot and shoe. Stepping on to the Superfeet is the only way to tell which size fits as the arch of different sized inserts will hit your foot in different places. I wear a 10, but buy the next size insert F due to the location of the arch supports on the footbed.
Good luck,
asf
If you try them, there is a slight overlapping between the sizes. They delineate their sizes by using letters to correspond with sizes. As an example, Size E is 9.5-11 and size F is 11.5-13. Just because you wear a 10.5 does not mean that you are automatically an E. They are made to be trimmed to fit your foot and shoe. Stepping on to the Superfeet is the only way to tell which size fits as the arch of different sized inserts will hit your foot in different places. I wear a 10, but buy the next size insert F due to the location of the arch supports on the footbed.
Good luck,
asf
Try to handle and try on Clarks before you buy them or the insoles. Grasp the toe of a boot in one hand and the heel in the other and see how easily the sole twists and flexes. Decide how much of what you need will be supplied by an insole in combination with the basic Clark design. The Johnston and Murphy Runnell is similarly flexible. Models from Boot NY and Timberland have stiffer soles. There are many more of all kinds from several manufacturers. The essential question is whether you want one pair of shoes (nominally boots) with fit and feel characteristics much different from everything else you own.
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I would be a little cautious with the desert boot if you have a tall foot. I can barely get my desert boots on as is; if I replaced the insole I would not be able to get them on my feet at all. That said, if that isn't a problem for you, go with Superfeet. I use them in my hiking boots. Tearing out the Clarks insole and replacing them is no big deal.
might try the Powerstep Pinnacle Max
The superfeet are very nice to use; however, if you like those I would recommend trying the PowerStep Pinnacle Max. We are seeing alot of runners move up to this for both cushioning and arch/heel support. It is very popular for men who wear heavy duty work/construction and hiking boots. The Sof Sole's are a good performance insole too -you'll tend to find they provide alot of cushioning/shock absorption but lighter on the arch support compared to the other two.
The superfeet are very nice to use; however, if you like those I would recommend trying the PowerStep Pinnacle Max. We are seeing alot of runners move up to this for both cushioning and arch/heel support. It is very popular for men who wear heavy duty work/construction and hiking boots. The Sof Sole's are a good performance insole too -you'll tend to find they provide alot of cushioning/shock absorption but lighter on the arch support compared to the other two.
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A word of YMMV caution with the Superfeet: I put a pair in some of my shoes, walked around Chicago on vacation, and the heel cups gave me some of the worst blisters I've ever had in my life. If you do get them, break them in with limited wearings before you use them for long stretches of time.
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Sage advice. These shoes are floppy to say the least. Insoles may not be adequate to bring them up to the level of comfort and support you have in your other shoes.
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I did that, to good effect. I have a high arch, and the desert boot insole is perfectly flat.
Good luck,
Don
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Just a friendly public service announcement -- I have put these insoles (purchased online from footsmart) into driving mocs and other shoes, and have found them to provide excellent support.
https://www.footsmart.com/product.aspx?shortsku=10128&cm_vc=recs_pp_io
https://www.footsmart.com/product.aspx?shortsku=10128&cm_vc=recs_pp_io
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I traced a long-term plantar fascitis-like foot problem to wearing Clark's Natureveldts (remember those?) around Italy on my honeymoon. The footbed was just like the Desert Boot: flat as a board. Many miles of walking later, my feet were in rough shape.
Cannot tell you why, but the two pair of Desert Boots I wear regularly throughout the year do not bother me at all, particularly with normal daily wearing (work, play, no hiking). YMMV, of course, and naturally other posters have given great advice regarding insoles, but paired with a thick pair of socks in the winter, and even (Heaven forfend! Call the Sartorialist!) sockless in the summer, I'm incredibly fond of my suede deserts and wear them au naturel.
That is, they're au naturel. I'm wearing clothes. Usually.
Cannot tell you why, but the two pair of Desert Boots I wear regularly throughout the year do not bother me at all, particularly with normal daily wearing (work, play, no hiking). YMMV, of course, and naturally other posters have given great advice regarding insoles, but paired with a thick pair of socks in the winter, and even (Heaven forfend! Call the Sartorialist!) sockless in the summer, I'm incredibly fond of my suede deserts and wear them au naturel.
That is, they're au naturel. I'm wearing clothes. Usually.
The problem with Desert Boots is the sole is a thick piece of solid rubber which doesn't flex in a tight enough radius to conform to the ball of the foot, or compress to relieve pressure on the metatarsals (solid rubber is incompressible). Insoles may help but you're fighting a losing battle. I'll never understand how armies marched in these, other than they didn't know any better.
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