OK, I misspoke---Chaco does make a leather sandal:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/3...For-Women.html

Thong/toe-ring style, but I would not call that a flip-flop. I think I'll try it myself. . .

Mary Fran, if you have a Walking Store around you, they are pretty used to dealing with problem feet. We have a specialty shoe store here in Atlanta that was pretty helpful when I brought in my orthotic. They told me that many people with orthotics can wear Merrills, Birkenstocks, and Naots. All have pretty thick removable insoles that can be changed out for the orthotics. The Naots expecially are kinda cute.

My foot is still inflamed, however, and everything hurts (except my Timberland hiking boots, which I have worn nonstop - including two trips overseas - for over 3 months). In fact I left the store and could hardly walk. I don't know if you have seen the Footsmart catalog/website (www.footsmart.com), but they have many "extra depth" shoes that can accommodate orthotics. There's actually a cute-ish pair of deck sneakers by Drew that I ordered. They came in yesterday, and I am cautiously optimistic.

SAS are the most comfortable shoes for me. I walked all around Paris last year and San Francisco last week with them, and no problems. I always have foot problems with other shoes!

Sandy

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Easy Spririt shoes, sandals and walking/running shoes for women. When I spent 2 months studying in France, I forgot my Easy Spririt trainers and had to have my mom mail them to me. Although they are sold in many department stores as well as Easy Spririt stores in malls, look at all their styles at easyspririt.com.

You might remember their commercial when they were first introduced about 10 years ago. It was a women's basketball team playing in Easy Spirit pumps. They really are that comfy.

Sorry, I kept putting an extra "r" there. It should be easyspirit.com.

Absolutely HATE forums that don't have editing capabilities.

Likewise.

The FootSmart catalog has a line of Drew shoes that are made to take orthotics. The Mary Jane style isn't bad at all.

Hey Guys, especially Noe! Thanks for the tips. I would have been back sooner to say thanks but got sucked into that FootSmart catalogue and was lost to the world for at least an hour. I want to try some of those shoes, but I need to get a good sizing of my feet first.

Remember when shoe salesmen used to actually measure your feet and give a darn about whether the shoes fit you?

What happened to the flip flop thread? Why was it pulled?

I read your other post about flipflops.

I have a pair of Birkenstock sandals with a toe-post, but they are not what I would call flipflops.

StLSusan, cigalechanta and Llamalady - thank you for mentioning CROCS.

I read about these somewhere and they had amazing reviews. A shop in my small English town has them and they are SO ugly, and I have not yet ventured in to try them, but after your responses I may do so now!

I am learning as I get older that comfort is what counts.

BTW crocs are 30 GBP here...

Julia: Crocs are $30/Cdn. here. There
are copies all over the place for much
less but I've been told they are made
of inferior plastic (?) without the
benefits of whatever Crocs make theirs
out of......

I'd advise buying the 'beach' version
b/c they have more breathing holes.....
after all feet do get hot and sticky
and maybe stinky! LOL!

Julia, I can't believe the price of Crocs there - 30GBP! That gives me a great idea of what to bring to my British and French hosts this trip!

And I just bought my first pair of crocs!

They ARE incredibly comfortable, so I am hopeful of many happy miles ahead!

I told my BF I was going to buy a pair of crocs for our Germany trip. He asked if they came with a new boyfriend.

Needless to say...No matter how comfortable they are, I could not bring myself to buy a pair. I'll stick with the hated flip-flops.

I am resurrecting this oldish thread for Mary Fran. I have found a few brands of shoes/sandals that work with orthotics (and that have removable footbeds and adjustable straps, which enable me to accommodate the orthotic): Naot (many of their shoes and sandals, but not all, have removable inner soles); Wolky (a good number of the sandals have removable footbeds, eg, Eternity, Cosmo); Birkenstocks (they make some shoes with removable footbeds, but list price is pretty steep); Eclipse (Lena, Palm); Ecco (Prima sandal with lots of straps and removable footbed). Going to the manufacturer's site can often show you the shoe line and sometimes you can order there. I ordered a pair of Wolky's right from their site and they were shipped from Europe. Searching the internet will turn up places that carry some of these shoes. Sierra Trading carries some of these at significant savings.

I posted above about comfy sandals but I also want to recommend the Keen "Zoe" lace-ups (walking shoe). They are sooooo comfy (and cute)! I probably won't even wear my Dansko or Josef Seibels now! Well worth the $ for my feet to be happy I found the best price at www.onlineshoes.com.

I wear Mephisto shoes and they are like heaven. I took a pair of black sandals and black walking shoes on my last trip and they were good for everything. In the past I have used "New Skin" for blisters and that worked really well.

For my next trip (next month in Germany) I just bought brown Birkies because I want a change from the black sandals. I am trying to get used to them now!

I agree that Footsmart is the place to go. Check out the Drew shoes on their online catalog (www.footsmart.com). I have bad ankles. bad arches, etc. and find that these are really the best shoes for me.

Merrell's

I always get blisters. I recently spent $225 on Icons--handmade in Spain--sure enought, the blisters appeared on each baby toe.

I saw a lady walking around Nordstrom's in a cute pair of atletic shoes. I ended up buying the same shoes--Puma's with white leather perforated holes, black velcro trim. They look cute with or without socks. For such a light weight shoes, they offer incredible support. I took them to Florence, Italy and walked non stop for 5 hours--no tired calves or blisters. I wore them for 3 days in Rome--we walked 10 miles a day. In fact out tour guide wore the same shoe (in a different color) and he walked ALL day.

Not all Pumas are created equal--the only one with support is the Nostro style. I love them so much I keep buying new colors. I can't imagine ever buying a different walking shoes. I paid $100 and it's the best money I ever spent on a pair of shoes.

Many walking shoes look very dorky and very frumpy. Merrell runs rather wide. I try on Mephistos often and they are always too wide as well as Born. The best part of the Puma is that you can adjust the velco strap to be comfortable.