http://homemadeshoes.wikispaces.com/Icebreaker

I dig em!

Can you find NB152s anywhere? After a quick google search they seem to be out of stock everywhere and no longer made. I bought a pair a couple years ago and haven't used them yet, I need to get on that!

Typically a shoe model at any jogger company stays current for 12 months. Stupid marketing idea, but that's our consumer society. I would say they are long gone.

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 07/29/2010 15:40:44 MDT.

Sorry to revive this, but I was looking through old threads and this looks really neat. Does anyone think that these would actually be practical for UL backpacking? I think that they would not have enough support, and the soles dont look like they would last very long. Greaet concept though, and I'm really tempted to try and build them.

Wow! That's amazing. I was just sitting here lamenting my in ability to wear shoes anymore and wondering if there was somewhere I could enroll in shoemaking so I could make shoes that fit me. Perhaps if I used one of these for the sole I could make simple hiking shoes.
http://www.cobblersupplies.com/servlet/the-103/VIBRAM-148-Kletterlift-Rubber/Detail

I like the idea of being able to make your own soles, but I would do the EVA foam for the midsole, and then some other sort of a rubber to make the tread out of. Its definitely a promising idea, I just wish I could think of a rubber material that would hold up to backpacking

How about tire rubber that comes off retreads on the highway?

You have to be impressed with this. What's next? Distill your own ethanol for "stove fuel"?

Stargazer

Wowzers is right! I woke up the other morning thinking of making my own shoes. I have no idea why, but this looks like a great excuse to give it a try. I have several old pairs of shoes that could be used for a donor sole.

You have to be impressed with this. What's next? Distill your own ethanol for "stove fuel"?

I wouldn't bother with ethanol, but I've been thinking about making concentrated sodium hypochlorite.

Reusing old shoe soles sounds like a good idea to save weight.

>>I wouldn't bother with ethanol, but I've been thinking about making concentrated sodium hypochlorite.

I think "Pool Chlorine" hypochlorite can run to ca. 15% while regular bleach is usually about 3-5% hypochlorite. I'm not sure hypochlorite is stable above 15% or so. The concentrated stuff is also pretty nasty to handle.

"How about tire rubber that comes off retreads on the highway?"

Now you are talking about Ho Chi Minh Sandals.

Ask any Vietnam vet.

--B.G.--

Except instead of sandals, use the tire rubber for shoe soles. Or instead of ho chi minh sandals, make some Chacos.

Couldn't Mt. Bike tire treads work if they were cut up?

Another woman, Piper something I believe, has done a similar arrangement for hiking shoes. I know she posted here and on whiteblaze about it, maybe last winter?

Anyways, you can buy actual shoe soling materials online or from cobblers. Most common are soling sheets with just some texture, but Vibram does sell soles for their boots and (some?) shoes. Some examples here, though it looks like they won't sell direct. http://www.vibram.com/vibramrepair/catalogo.php?id_categoria=2&livello=1&lingua=2