Mission Capable Approved Footwear

Bottom Line Up Front: This post will cover what makes good footwear, which shoes I current own, and which brands I recommend. It is an enduring post which will be kept updated to reflect my current thinking on footwear and what I am actually wearing.

This post is broken into four sections: the characteristics of footwear I consider important, which shoes I own and for what purpose, which brands I recommend and why, and some shoe buying pro tips.

I have already written about how I redid my entire footwear line, so if you care to hear which shoes I got rid of and why, check this out before proceeding. The below is an expansion on that post with more current information. I will keep this post updated to reflect changes as well to what I own and what I recommend.

What Makes Good Footwear?

Toe splay. The amount of ability your toes have to spread apart is the amount of splay they have. If you were walking barefoot, there would be zero limits on the ability of your toes to splay; they would be unconstrained. Most modern shoes have restrictive pointed toe boxes, which squish your toes into unnatural patterns, which can cause permanent deformities such as bunions and recurring pain. Read more here and here. 

Heel-to-toe drop. This relates to the amount of change in height from your heel to your the balls of your feet. A high-heeled shoe has a significant heel-to-toe drop. A flat sandal that is the same thickness across the whole sole with no heel has zero drop. The idea is to minimize the heel height, which forces your body into unnatural positions. It is effectively like tip-toeing or walking on your toes. This causes your body to be in slight lean forward, which causes your hips and spine to adjust to compensate. You are now walking in an unnatural position because of your footwear. I am looking for shoes with no drop or very minimal when I have to choose ones that have some heel to alleviate this issue. 

Stack height. Related to the heel-to-toe drop, stack height is effectively the thickness of the material below your feet. You could have a minimalist shoe with very thin soles and a maximally thick-soled shoe, which can both be zero drop. I used to always choose shoes with as little below my feet as possible (low stack height), but I have since taken a different position. I now feel stack height should be related to what you will do with the shoe. If you are picking shoes to run on pavement, you should have more stack height than casual walking shoes. Shoes to wear inside a gym should be low stack. I have some Altras that have very thick soles and some Vibram Fivefingers that have almost nothing below my feet. Different tools for different jobs.

Read more about heels, drops, and stack height here.

Arch support. Refers to the amount of support provided to the arch of your foot by the shoes on your feet. I used to believe in zero arch support at all times so your foot would have to get strong and not rely on some external help. However, as with walking on pavement, our modern environment forces us to make some changes. I personally had some pain in my foot caused by my high arches collapsing inward (pronating) in certain shoes. I got some shoes with arch support for overpronators and it stopped immediately. Same with my work boots. Minor recurring foot pain that I couldn’t explain. Put in some replacement insoles with arch support, pain stopped. I only choose shoes with arch support that I use to walk/run for prolonged periods of time on unnaturally hard surfaces. Thus, most of my shoes have no additional arch support. The ones I wear to run/walk on pavement and my work shoes (up to 12 hours a day in them) have support though. Arch support is to tolerance. But don’t think you need arch supports in everything. I am barefoot (or in socks) at all times in my house and almost all the time in the garage gym.

What is in My Closet?

Everything in my closet is a recommended shoe. I wouldn’t keep them if I didn’t wear them, and if I wear them, it stands to reason I’d recommend them to you. I list the sizes so you can use it as a reference across brands and models if you want to try a pair.

Athletic Shoes

Xero 360 Cross Training. Size 11.5 US. These are my favorite shoes, probably the best all around physical training shoe I have ever worn. I had the Xero Prio prior, which I wore out because I wore them so much and replaced them with the 360s. I would have bought another pair of Prios, but they introduced this more robust shoe to compete with the Reebok Nanos of the durable athletic shoe market. This shoe is unreal. 100% recommended for anything physical. I wear these on the treadmill when I run indoors. The only thing I would choose another shoe for would be long distance running on pavement. They would be comfortable to walk around all day in, but it isn’t as stylish looking. Other alternatives for that below.

Altra Men’s Lone Peak All Weather Mid Trail Running Shoe. Size 11 US. Got these for off-road, rain, or snow. Walked my dog in these in the winter. They are mids, so they are not a boot but not a low top either. Also waterproof. They do a great job gripping the ground and keeping your feet dry. I wore these for two Tactical Games events too. Bombproof.

Altra Torin 5. Size 11 US. These are my pavement running and long walk shoes. Big thick soles for max protection from the evil concrete.

Reebok Nano X Cross Trainer. Normally I don’t buy major manufacturer shoes as you can tell, but I used to wear Nanos a lot when they first came out, so I wanted to give a new pair a try. These are actually really good shoes. Toe box is wide and they are very stable. My only gripe is the heel to toe drop. These are no zero drop but still low profile with a 4mm drop. They are shockingly durable, so I wear these for sled drags, carries, rope climbs, etc. I wear the 360s for almost everything but these occasionally. I got a few generations behind also so they were cheap relatively vs the newest model.

Vibram Fivefingers V-Alpha. Size 43 EURO. I wear these when off-road walking or running on trails. These have a tread to them, but any Fivefingers are great for wanting a near barefoot feeling.

Luna Origen 2.0. Size 9.5 US. These are a performance sandal, which could be used for running (I have done it) or hiking off road. I tend to wear them in street clothes a lot, but they are great for the beach or camping. I took them on a vacation as my only shoes. Wore them to the beach all day and then out in town for dinner seamlessly. Obviously don’t need socks and you can do a lot of physical activities in them. Due to the straps you can secure them to your feet really well.

Lifestyle/Casual Shoes

Lem’s Chillum. Size 11.5 US. This is my favorite casual shoe. Another Van’s replacement. I wear these as often as I can.

Lem’s Primal Pursuit. Size 11.5 US. Also a well made shoe, but I don’t like it very much. I am between sizes probably, so it’s a little loose but not loose enough to send back and try to resize because I assumed the next size down would be too small. I should have tried it though because I don’t wear them much. Got a surprising amount of inside heel wear. These should have been a great upgrade to the Primal 2 that I didn’t love since they have a more robust sole. I was going to make these my walking shoes, but I don’t wear them much any more.

Lem’s Mariner. Size 44 EURO. First pair of Lem’s and since I loved them so much I got a lot more as you can see. These are boat shoes for casual summertime wear. I got them slightly smaller because I never wear socks with them. They don’t sell these anymore for some reason, but they are good shoes that fit a specific purpose.

Lem’s Boulder Boot Leather. Size 45 EURO. Little more dressy yet still casual. Very comfortable also, like slippers almost! Definitely could be used as actual hiking boots. I prefer something more rugged like the Altra Lone Peak though for real off-road work.

Lem’s Primal 2. Size 11 US. These are really good shoes, but I don’t love them. Not robust enough for physical training and not stylish enough for casual. I end up wearing them on walks sometimes or maybe a run to the store.

Xero Aptos. Awesome slip-on shoe. I added a thicker insole from a pair of Altras because they were almost too thin to wear on hard ground, even for me (as tough as I think I am). I throw these on for a quick trip out or a walk. Almost always without socks. In the summer, a great choice. If you are in the market, also look at the Lem’s Drifter. Never tried these myself, but it will be the next slip-on I buy.

Altra Cayd. Size 11 US. Replaced my Van’s with these. Casual stylish shoe. Very comfortable for all-day wear. Looks like they stopped making these. I would recommend you look at the Lem’s Chillum or Xero Dillion or Xero Glenn instead. Never tried either of those Xeros since they are new, but I am confident they will be the next casual shoes I buy. May get a brown pair actually now that I am thinking about it…

Dress Shoes

Caret’s Falcon Wingtip, Oxford. Size 10EE. Very dressy shoe to be worn with a suit. I had to wear dress shoes almost every day for a a year, so I had to buy new black shoes to wear with a suit. A little expensive. I was able to find these at Poshmark for $100 in near perfect condition. New they are $250. These as very very comfortable and look “normal” but are 100% MISSION” Capable approved.

Lem’s Nine2Five. Size 45 EURO. Need something a little more formal I could wear with business casual attire. These fit the bill. I shined them up with shoe polish and it really stepped the formality up, enough that I could wear them with a suit as my brown dress shoes. I had other non-approved brown dress shoes prior, which I was willing to suck up for the few times per year I wore them, but once I had to wear suits often, I had to find a new solution. I was going to buy two pairs of Carets, but when I shined the Nine2Fives, they were good to go.

Work Shoes (US Army)

Belleville Mini-Mil Minimalist Combat Boots (Coyote) TR105. Size 11 US. I have been wearing these since I found them in 2014. Closest thing to minimalist and zero drop you can get as far as I am aware with its 2mm drop. Pretty good for military boots! I have had two pairs so far – changed to coyote color when our uniforms changed. Still have my sand colored pair for yard work. Have yet to wear out a pair. I am a more…senior…officer now, so I am not putting these through repeated field exercises, so I can’t speak to their durability in all situations.

Recommended Brands

As per the specific models in my closet, I highly recommend the following brands. You can find many other shoes they make that may work better for you then the specific models I own. You probably can find shoes for everything at Xero, Lem’s, or Altra, but I listed a few others too.

Xero Shoes
They have athletic shoes, sandals, and casual shoes, all made with natural foot position in mind. If I didn’t have enough shoes, I’d try more of these! NO try and return policy unfortunately, so do your evaluations indoors.

Lem’s
This brand is very simple: they only offer a few different styles and they do them well. They do NOT have a wear and return policy, so be sure you like them before you wear them outside.

Altra
A ton of varying styles for many different uses. I have tried six different styles of these and returned three. The three I kept, I love. The three I returned or sold, not so much. For example, the Escalante 1.5 caused me pain and were uncomfortable due to their sock-like upper and squishy sole whereas the Provision 3.5 are the opposite – study, solid sole, and very comfortable. They DO have a 30-day try and return policy that I have personally used. I got a pair of Provisions in a slightly smaller size to test out if they’d stretch. Wore them for 3 weeks outdoors every day and opted to return them. Got a full refund. Bought a half size larger and kept them! You have to buy from Altra directly for this guarantee though.

Vibram Fivefingers
Also a ton of options here. I have bought, tried on, and returned more than I have kept. I got four different styles and hated three, loved one on this last order. It is a pain to do this by mail but worth the effort to get what you want. They DO have a 6-week try and return policy. Their customer service says they can be returned within six weeks for any reason, as long as purchased from them directly.

Vivobarefoot
A lot of interesting shoes here to try. I have never used it, but their website says they offer 100-day returns. I assume this means you can wear the shoes and return them within 100 days and not just that you can return new shoes within 100 days. If you plan to test it out, I’d verify.

Luna
They have a lot of very cool sandals to choose from. I got the Origen because I wanted the tire tread soles for more durability. You can really use them as running shoes too. If I ran on trails more, I would wear them for sure. The sizing is very specific, so don’t try to use your regular size. Use their actual guide here. I needed 9.5 and wear 11 in most of my other shoes. They DO have a 30-day try and return policy also so try with confidence!

Shoe Buying Pro Tips

1. Unless you get an amazing sale, purchase your shoes directly from the manufacturer versus another store online to maximize return/refund options.
2. Wait for holiday sales. They come all the time. When you are spending more than $100, 20% is worth the effort. Sign up for their email newsletters to get notified.
3. If you find a pair you like but are on a budget OR you want to sell some shoes (or clothes) to fund new ones, try Poshmark.com. I have bought and sold more than ten items there myself. Lot of people selling lightly used items there at great discounts. Ebay is also a good option too. I like Poshmark better of the two.
4. If you are buying online and trying the brand for the first time, buy two or three sizes to compare. Many places have free returns so there is no penalty to returning. Much better than wondering if half a size up or down is right and not being able to tell immediately like a shoe store.

Do you have any other brands and/or styles you recommend? Post thoughts/questions to comments.