"100% Hybrid" Shoes -- It says so, right on the box.

Today, after looking in vain at Nordstroms (bargain basement) and DSW, I
bought this pair of shoes at REI in Timonium (Big Sale today and tomorrow):

http://priuschat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11783&stc=1&d=1223783407

They just may be the ugliest closed-toe shoe that I've ever owned. Keen
might just as well have have included a clown's red-ball nose to complete
the ensemble.

However, I've always believed that in shoes, comfort is more important than
style. There is much to be said for being able to wiggle my little piggies in
the enormous toe box.

What the "100% HYBRID" part is I can't figure out. I've searched high and
low, inside and out, and can find evidence of neither a charging port nor fuel
fill. Hmmm... maybe they're solar. And I can't find an MFD either. How will I
know when I'm in regen, no-arrows glide, warp stealth etc.?

Am I missing something? -- And yes, I checked... there was no Owner's
Manual in the box.

 

Stev0, Sufferin' Prius Envy,

If I had to guess, I'd say tht the shoes are a hybridization --
bastardization? -- of a Birkenstock sandal and a typical shoe.

Whatever, at least on a day's use, it works for my size 12,
bipedal mobility units.

 

Tony,

careful there, this is a G rated forum.

OK, so I got around to reading the blather on the box. Here's an extract:

"Keen believes in living a HybridLife, a life that balances creativity, a
passion for playing in the outdoors, and caring about causes that make a
difference. It is a communuty of peopke balancing the things that matter
most. Create, play and care. Its a way of Life. We call it HybridLife."

"Uh huh, and what about the shoes," thinks I.

I had seen, and tried on the shoes, their "Briggs" model, before I saw the
box. So I can say that my purchase was not influenced by the "100%
HYBRID" in any way. Change the situation slightly, and who knows.

Another extract:

"Cork/Latex/Jute Footbed. Featuring all natural, sustainable materials this
vegan-friendly [Emphasis added.] footbed is easy on your feet and won't
pack out. The cork adds cushioning and consistent rebound. The jute adds
structural integrity."

This sound's very much like the Birkenstock's footbed composition. Hmm...
maybe some of the community will be spending some time in the Big House.

I'm not really conversant with the vegan thing, but I hadn't even considered
having to eat these shoes. I wonder if the fact that the uppers appear to be
two-tone sueded leather in any way diminishes the vegan-friendliness of the
shoe. Nevermind, I guess I should only be considering eating the footbed --
Yuck!

All in all, it seems like the word "hybrid" is being used in a whole new context
here: quality, or correctness, or regretably maybe only trendiness. At any
rate, you would have to suspect that Toyota, and more specifically the Prius,
are at the center of this redefinition.

 

Rae Vynn,

thanks for the clarification. Nowhere on the shoe, or the outside or inside of
the box is there a statement of the origin of the materials for the uppers. So,
to reflect this state of undeterminedness, I edited my post to say "appears to
be... leather..."

Wouldn't the origin of the material be the determining fator here? There is a
case of someone chemically dissolving a sows ear, and subsequently weaving
a "silk purse." This I take it is most definitely not vegan.

 

I've been wearing my "100% Hybrid" shoes for two days now. Not bad; no
blisters, and plenty of room in the toe box to wiggle my tootsies.
Comfortable, no complaints. Only problem is, over the last two days I've
been getting ~3 less MPGs on my very familiar daily commute route, temps
at ~ 60 deg.

Well, I figure it's these shoes. The soles on these shoes are much thicker
that the soles of the light weight shoe I wore all summer. They are also
considerably stiffer. The net result is I have no feel for the go-pedal. I don't
propose to drive in my stocking/bare feet, but I'm thinking of having the
lighter shoes in the car to drive in.

And as the colder months come on, stiffer/thicker soled shoes could be
another little detail that might contribute to your decreasing MPGs along with
droping temps, ethanol, denser air, etc.

So, the Hybrid shoes while comfortable to walk/work in, aren't in my short
experience hybrid vehicle friendly. I'd put 'em at only "50% hybrid," and
that would be the left shoe for the brakes. ;-)

Do you think I should bring this to the attention of my newfound fellow
HybridLife community members?

 

Oh! The inexpressible joy of resuscitating a moribund thread.

On further reflection on the matter of what might qualify as truely
"hybrid" footwear, a conjunction of sock and shoe must surely qualify.
"Five Finger Shoes:"



To truely invigorate an otherwise played-out topic requires broadening
it's scope, thinking outside the shoe box as it were.

Consider this:


Letting it all hang out; five finger shoes and a Utilikilt.

(This footwear was previously discussed as a running shoe
alternative.)

Might could be it would make a better than average hypermiler's
driving shoe.